18 replies to this topic

[rw000]

Hey everyone.

I bought an enLux lamp a few weeks ago, and it got here 3 days ago (at which point I immediately started using it). I'm starting this log a bit late, but I'll continue it for about a month at which point I'll decide if it worked for me or not, and hence return it or keep it for further use.

A bit of background: I'm 19, Caucasian, and a vegetarian (in case that changes anything).
I've tried:
- Proactive for about 2 years
- Exposed for about 2 months
- Dan's Regime for 6 months
- Erythromycin (Antibiotic): 3 months
- Tetracycline (Antibiotic): Used it twice, 3 months each for a total of 6 months.
- Minocycline (Antibiotic): About 2 months
- Accutane: Used it twice, about 6 months each time.

So you can call this yet another desperate attempt.

DAY 1-3

I used it for 1 minute intervals straight on and then on both sides like they recommended. I haven't seen any improvement, although it's been to early to really tell. The lamp is pretty bright and you really wouldn't want to stare directly at it. It's best to use the eye protection included. I'm thinking I'll increase gradually up to the recommended 5minutes over the next week and a half.





If you have any questions let me know!

[rw000]

Day 4

I did it again today for 1 minute per side + 1 minute straight on. Maybe it's something else but my acne seems to be doing better already. My neck kinda broke out, but my face (where the light is pointed at most) is mostly free of any new whiteheads. There is still a lot of temporary scars and the reminder of whiteheads which are still clearing up, so it's not looking all that great yet. I can't tell as of yet whether or not the red light is helping with the scars.

[rw000]

Day 5

I increased it to about 1.5minutes straight on and per side. I haven't broken out since I started using it (I broke out the day before I started using it though).

The scars seem to be lightening up a little bit faster, I'm hoping that if the results keep going at this rate that I'll be clear of scars hopefully by August.

Otherwise there is nothing else much to say. Again, if you have questions feel free to ask.

[rw000]

Days 6 and 7

Okay so I increased it to 2 minutes/side on day 7 (did 1.5/side on day 6). I broke out a little today (but nothing that bad, just a small patch on my chin, which was bizarrely localized). So far I'm feeling confident in it. I'll probably start posting less frequently since I'm running out of things to say!

I'll keep you updated on anything worth mentioning...otherwise I'll just post every 3 or so days.

[rw000]

Day 8-10

I'm up to about 4min head on + 4min/side. I broke out around my mouth/chin a lot on Friday and Saturday but that breakout has pretty much subsided and the marks from it are fading faster than what I'm used to. I'm thinking that even if it doesn't prevent acne it's at least getting rid of it faster. Also the light is somewhat mesmerizing to stare into (wearing the right glasses of course).


Overall improvement in acne so far: Not really, not enough change yet to say with certainty that it was due to the light.

[Sonic999]

When you tried Accutane, what dosage did they give you? It worked wonders with me, but eventually I had to give it up and my sebaceus glands would start producing oil and my pores would become clogged again (but no acne this time, just whiteheads and rosacea - which I had prior to taking accutane).

Why haven't you tried any laser or ipl treatments?

This subforum doesn't seem to be getting much attention... I posted 2 days ago and only 13 people checked out my thread.

[rw000]

When you tried Accutane, what dosage did they give you? It worked wonders with me, but eventually I had to give it up and my sebaceus glands would start producing oil and my pores would become clogged again (but no acne this time, just whiteheads and rosacea - which I had prior to taking accutane).

Why haven't you tried any laser or ipl treatments?

This subforum doesn't seem to be getting much attention... I posted 2 days ago and only 13 people checked out my thread.

The first round was nearly 3 years ago, I barley remember the dosage. I think it was 1mg/kg which at the time was about 60mg/day, and that lasted for 6 months I believe (I eased onto it though).
The second round was 2 years ago, and I think it was 0.5mg/kg and I took that for about 4 months. Each time I was clear for about 6months, and right back to where i started after 12 months.

I don't know much about them, also I'm paying my way through university and supporting myself so I don't have a lot of money to throw around.

And yeah it's kind of dead in here, but if anyone is curious about if something works with lasers (pew pew) or light therapy then I guess they'll find it.

[rw000]

Day 11-13

I got up to 5minuts per side, but have reduced it down to 3 minutes since I've been breaking out non-stop since last Friday (Day 7). I haven't had a breakout like this in months so it's a bit concerning really. I've never heard of initial breakouts with light therapy so I'm not sure if its the lamps fault or my own. I had somewhat of a kratom binge last week (took it every second day) so that may be the cause.

I also decided to increase the length of this experiment to 2 months since I heard that it takes quite some time to really clear up significantly.

So see you again in 3 days people.

[rw000]

Day 14-17

The breakout subsided with surprisingly little to no lingering red marks. I've mentioned this before but the red light definitely helps. Red marks usually last 2ish weeks for me, but now I'm seeing them almost disappear within 3-4 days.

As for new breakouts, the last one I reported on during day 11-13 was the last one, and only one so far. I'm almost convinced it was due to drug use (drugs are bad kids). I'm going to lay off of it this week and see if there are any new breakouts. Depending on that I'll be able to give you a general idea of whether or not the blue light is working well.

[rw000]

Day 18+19

Fast update: No breakouts or ANYTHING has shown up in these 2 days, nor in the 3 days that i reported on last. That's the longest I haven't gotten anything for a long time.

[rw000]

Day 20-24

I can't actually believe it's been 24 days now. Originally I was going to use it for 30 days before passing judgment, but then I stated a few posts ago that I would go for 2 months instead. In hindsight...that may not even be needed.

First point I want to make: All the scars from my 1 single (but huge) breakout I had during the light treatment so far have vanished to the point that you need a magnifying glass and some bright florescent light to see them.

Second point: I haven't had any whiteheads since the last breakout that have been significant whatsoever. They are minuscule and tend to vanish within hours.

Third point: My scaring (red marks, not permanent scars - although I have very very few) has died down a lot.

Over the last few days I haven't changed anything. I still do 4 minutes per side and from the front. No more, no less. It gets kind of boring, but just listen to a podcast/audiobook/stand up comedy skit during it and it'll pass by quickly. The light is still holding up well, and so far I'm beyond happy with the results.

I will post again on the elusive 30th day but I'm hopeful that my results will stay constant. I'll see if I can post some before/after pictures from the first 30 days in that post.

Till next time..

[andersoj]

Awesome man!

[Shaban169]

Good to hear!

[Aithene]

About the initial (day 1-3) breakouts:

If you have acne to begin with (which is almost a given if you decide to try a blue light acne treatment) the first thing that happens is that almost all of the acne dies. And its got to go somewhere. The body's response to this is different in each person, and sometimes in each breakout.

Basically, all of that dead acne and crud can either get absorbed into the body, or its expelled to the surface. For most people, they see some combination of both, so an initial 'breakout' of tiny whiteheads within the first few days can be expected. This leads to kind of a strange experience for folks who are used to getting large, deep pimples or cysts, and all of a sudden feeling the large ones go away while seeing a number of small surface pimples erupt. Many initially believe that the light is actually making their acne worse.

Once you get thru the first few days, tho, if you're regular with the light, generally any new acne is killed off fast enough for your body to absorb it, so breakouts should be much rarer and healing time should be faster.

This all assumes that you don't do anything to really get the acne riled up in the meantime. I'm not sure what effects Kratom has on the body, especially the blood sugar and/or insulin levels, but if it changed the way you eat at all (i.e., if you get the munchies) you might have simply fueled more acne than your body could easily absorb.

[Lotus33]

Hey rw000, thanks for documenting this. I just now read through your experience with the Enlux Hybrid light. I bought one too & have been using it, at first too much & too close & skin seemed to get worse. Have now backed off a a bit to not sit so close & not use for so long & every couple days or so instead & just now skin seems to be improving. It's been about a month & a half maybe.

[rw000]

It's been a while...let me start by replying to some comments first.

Awesome man!

I agree Let me know how the new lamp is working out for you.

Good to hear!

Good to tell!

About the initial (day 1-3) breakouts:

If you have acne to begin with (which is almost a given if you decide to try a blue light acne treatment) the first thing that happens is that almost all of the acne dies. And its got to go somewhere. The body's response to this is different in each person, and sometimes in each breakout.

Basically, all of that dead acne and crud can either get absorbed into the body, or its expelled to the surface. For most people, they see some combination of both, so an initial 'breakout' of tiny whiteheads within the first few days can be expected. This leads to kind of a strange experience for folks who are used to getting large, deep pimples or cysts, and all of a sudden feeling the large ones go away while seeing a number of small surface pimples erupt. Many initially believe that the light is actually making their acne worse.

Once you get thru the first few days, tho, if you're regular with the light, generally any new acne is killed off fast enough for your body to absorb it, so breakouts should be much rarer and healing time should be faster.

This all assumes that you don't do anything to really get the acne riled up in the meantime. I'm not sure what effects Kratom has on the body, especially the blood sugar and/or insulin levels, but if it changed the way you eat at all (i.e., if you get the munchies) you might have simply fueled more acne than your body could easily absorb.

That's what I have found. Although I do still get 'breakouts', they are no longer 4-5 large pimples, it's more like...1 small one that lasts a day or 2. I took the Kratom again and didn't breakout again, so I'm thinking that breakout could be explained by your initial breakout theory.

Hey rw000, thanks for documenting this. I just now read through your experience with the Enlux Hybrid light. I bought one too & have been using it, at first too much & too close & skin seemed to get worse. Have now backed off a a bit to not sit so close & not use for so long & every couple days or so instead & just now skin seems to be improving. It's been about a month & a half maybe.

I usually do 1 arms length to tell if I'm too close or too far (My arm is rougly 25" long-I'm not a huge guy). I too found that sitting too close had negative effects. I also find 5minutes to be too much. I prefer roughly 4 minutes. Let me know how the rest of the treatment goes.



Ok so back to my logging. It's been a long time, its now Day 25-41 so I should have a lot to say...but I don't really. I broke out somewhat badly around day 30, so I never posted a before/after. I'll do so around day 60 once I get back from vacation. From what I can see, from a comparison of old/new pictures, my overall scaring and acne has improved. I don't think I'll be completely clear of scars in 3 months, and my scaring is somewhat bad, but I think if I keep on with the light over 4-6 months there will be a massive improvement.

Also, a note to any prospective users: I tried for a week to treat my face twice a day, for 2 minutes/side and from the front (AKA: I split the treatment into 2 sessions). I broke out terribly after doing this (although, correlation doesn't always mean causation). I would not recommend doing this.

[rw000]

Day ???

It's been a long time since I updated this log, and this will be the last update.
My success with the Enlux Lamp was short term, and by the middle of August I was back where I started.
I continued using it until about a month ago when I decided to try something else (that actually ended up working!).

So alas, it never fully treated my acne like I would have hoped. It worked somewhat, and did allow me to stop using BP but that's about the extent of it I believe.

Good luck to the rest of you

[andersoj]

Day ???

It's been a long time since I updated this log, and this will be the last update.
My success with the Enlux Lamp was short term, and by the middle of August I was back where I started.
I continued using it until about a month ago when I decided to try something else (that actually ended up working!).

So alas, it never fully treated my acne like I would have hoped. It worked somewhat, and did allow me to stop using BP but that's about the extent of it I believe.

Good luck to the rest of you

So what was it that ended up working for you?

[rw000]

So what was it that ended up working for you?

High doses of niacin (500mg-750mg/day).