1 reply to this topic

[nat7]

Hi there,
I'm due to go in for PDT next Saturday. When I arranged the appointment I was very confident of its safety. However since actually making the booking I have become very worried about the potential for side effects :S This may sound odd because the side effects are generally short term. However it is not the classic redness, pain or initial pustular eruption I am talking about.

Reading the studies, datasheets and patient information pages from various clinics carefully, questions do start to come out of the woodwork. For example, the risks of scarring and pigmentation change - they are very definitely mentioned, although not always so obviously. Even from the Metvix datasheet -

Common (>1/100,<1/10) Pruritus, ulceration, suppuration, blisters, erosion, skin infection, peeling, hyper/hypopigmentation

And on the metvix website (http://www.metvix.co...tLeaflet_74.asp):

Metvix®-PDT is selective for abnormal cells. This means it has a very low potential for causing scarring compared with many other treatments. Cosmetic outcomes are generally very good.

There is apparently only a low risk of scarring, but only "compared to other treatments", and cosmetic outcomes are "generally" "very good". On other websites:

http://www.sydneycosmetic.com/cosmetic/skincancer.html

Metvix cream selectively targets abnormal cells. This level of accuracy means that while the lesion is destroyed, the potential for scarring often associated with other treatment options is significantly diminished with Metvix PDT.

http://elizabethmedical.com.au/cosmetic-pdt.htm

Does PDT cause scarring?
Scarring is not usually associated with PDT.

Are there side effects with PDT?
PDT has few side effects but these include:
...
* Pigment change- rare
* Infection- rare
* Scarring- rare

My acne is not bad enough to want to risk anything like scarring or pigmentation change, the reason I have looked into PDT is because it is very persistent and at times can be upsetting. It may be that these side effects occur when treating other disease or conditions with PDT, but with the information as presented there is really no way to distinguish that at the moment. So yes, I was ideally looking for a treatment option which would have NO (or vanishingly small) risk of scarring, the cosmetic outcome of which would only have the effect of diminishing the number of acne lesions.

So basically my question is, to anyone who has undergone PDT with either Levulan or Metvix, have you experienced any adverse cosmetic effects due to the treatment? Have you noticed any stretching or scarring due to treatment? What about pigmentation change? Or did you end up with entirely natural/normal looking skin after a few weeks (regardless of whether you still had acne)?

I would be very grateful for swift replies here because I only have a few days with which to make a final decision now :S

Thanks alot.

[stevo396]

Levulan or Metvix, i dunno wat they are, but i think some of those quotes are refering to PDT when used for cancers.

Ive undergone PDT more than half a dozen times and no side effects at all except baby smooth skin.

I guess the higher the intensity of the treatment the more risk of adverse side effects. Like if ur treatment was strong enough for u to be swollen for 2 or 3 weeks which is alot, there would be a higher risk of maybe infection or some type of scabbing. This is all guess work btw. Just trying to give some insight.