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NYC Acne Treatment Center
Blue-light therapy. The FDA approved narrow-band, high-intensity blue-light therapy for treating acne. Now widely
advertised, this is probably the best-known light therapy for acne treatment. Blue light works by killing the
acne-causing bacteria, P. acnes, and is being used to treat inflammatory acne vulgaris
that has not responded to other acne therapies. The blue-light products of
today do not contain ultraviolet (UV) light, which was a staple of former light therapy used to treat
acne. UV light can damage skin and is no longer used to treat acne. Patients
receive blue-light therapy in increments. Generally, eight sessions are given over a four-week period, and each
session lasts about 15 minutes. Side effects tend to be mild and include temporary pigment changes,
swelling of the treated areas, and dryness. As the results from the following studies show, many patients
— but not all — see noticeable improvement with about 55% clearance: -
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patients with symmetrical (same on both sides) facial acne received blue-light treatment on
1 side of their faces. Blue-light therapy was given twice a week for four consecutive weeks. The other side
of each patient’s face did not receive any treatment so that researchers could judge the
effectiveness of the blue-light therapy. The researchers concluded that blue-light therapy is an
effective acne treatment unless the patient has nodulocystic acne lesions, which tend to worsen when treated with blue light. (
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25 patients with inflammatory acne on their faces had half of their face treated with blue-light therapy
(8 sessions over 4 weeks) and the other half with clindamycin (a topical antimicrobial shown
successful in treating acne). Patients were instructed to apply the clindamycin twice a day for four
weeks. After four weeks, the clindamycin side showed a 22.25% improvement, and the side treated with
blue light improved by 39%. However, after eight weeks and without further treatment, the side
treated with clindamycin was better able to maintain results. (United States)2
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13, and 25 patients were enrolled in three separate studies designed to learn more about the effects
of blue-light therapy on papulo-pustular (inflammatory) acne. In all three studies, more than 80%
of the patients treated with blue-light therapy responded to the treatment. The patients who
responded saw a 59% to 67% reduction in inflammatory acne lesions. (Israel)3
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patients with mild to moderate acne were treated twice a week with blue-light therapy for up to five
weeks. After five weeks, acne lesions decreased by 64%. However, not all patients saw improvement;
20% remained unchanged or experienced a worsening of their acne.
As you can see, the number of patients involved in these studies is small. Clinical trials
conducted to test new drugs generally must enroll hundreds to thousands of participants before submitting the
data to the FDA for consideration. With such small numbers, statistically valid conclusions cannot
be drawn. Research also is needed to learn the long-term effects. At present, blue-light therapy appears to improve
acne vulgaris in some individuals. This therapy appears most effective for inflammatory
acne lesions and may not be suitable for patients with nodulocystic acne.
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