Levulan is the latest treatment I have used in my decades-long battle with acne. I tried everything under the sun: topicals, oral antibiotics, Accutane (twice), and the acne persisted. I tried Murad, which was expensive and ineffective; and I was ferociously allergic to ProActiv (probably the benzoyl peroxide). I had my hormones tested, altered my diet, tried meditation, visualization; you name it, I’ve probably done it. The breakouts had been worsening lately, including cysts. Even photofacials did not make much of a difference.
Levulan is supposed to shut down the sebaceous glands that create acne. The reviews on Levulan are mixed, but leaning toward positive results, so I decided to get the treatment late last month.
You will definite need at least a week to heal. No sunlight allowed! (You will be hypersensitive to sun exposure and at greater risk for skin damage, pigmentation and swelling). During my appointment, I had the Levulan on my face for about an hour, and then had the light procedure. Afterwards, my face stung. It was uncomfortable but not intolerable. I made the mistake of drinking coffee before my appointment—it will make you more sensitive to the pain. The next day, my face was very pink, puffy, scabby, blotchy, and even blistered in small areas. I was forewarned, so it was not upsetting or shocking to me. Be prepared to look pretty bad for a few days while your skin works to heal itself. Three days later, the swelling was nearly gone and my skin was less pink, but I had lots of dark pigmentation. My face looked like mottled French toast. Four days after, I experienced significant peeling. Still looked scary. A week and a half after the procedure, most of the peeling was over.
A month later, I am happy with the results—my skin is MUCH softer & clearer. As a veteran of nearly every product on the market, I only wish that this procedure had existed when I was a teen—it would have spared many of us years of frust
