11 replies to this topic

[MYYMMYYM]

Can Light Therapy be used to treat extremely oily skin, blackheads, and large pores? Does the light have any effect on overactive sebaceous glands?

I suffer from constant oily skin (not too many pimples) throughout the day (whether I blot or not... the oil returns with a vengeance within 15-20 minutes). I was wondering if I could try Light Therapy. I am currently on Retin-A Micro .04% and Differin .1%.

[jetaime]

Hi there! I have the exact same skin as yours and lately I have been trying to find a procedure I can get done that will help! I have heard about Light therapy and have been researching it a lot trying to learn more about it. Apparently this procedure is suppose to injure the sebaceous glands so then they don't produce as much oil. But I am confused on what procedure does this because in the research I have found some say Light therapy while others talk about Laser therapy. Some studies talk about using blue lights and others talk about using red light. So I am bit confused so I plan on going to dermatologist and talking this over with them and showing them the research I have found. Sorry I couldn't give you the answer you were looking for but I hope I helped. Here is some of the research I have found:
ALA photodynamic therapy is currently used off-label for the treatment of acne. Significant clinical improvement and a decrease in sebum production and sebaceous gland size have been shown posttreatment. Histological analysis showed destruction of sebaceous glands, which suggests that this therapy has the potential for long-term improvement of acne. Additional small studies using various light sources, including the Blu-U and intense pulse light, have also been published and suggest that ALA photodynamic therapy has efficacy for the treatment of acne.
Physicians currently using ALA photodynamic therapy for the treatment of acne use a short incubation time of 30-60 minutes followed by light exposure, mostly from a Blu-U or an intense pulse light device. Pulse dye lasers can also be used, although the spectral output of the pulse dye laser is not ideal to match the excitation spectrum of protoporphyrin IX. Multiple sessions may provide a better improvement; however, the exact frequency and number of sessions required to optimize the treatment is currently unknown.
The importance of using red versus blue light has not been thoroughly studied, but given that sebaceous glands are often located in the mid dermis, red light might be a better choice to target these glands.


For patients with intermittent acne flares and pronounced oily skin with large pores, ALA PDT treatment with a 1450nm diode laser that heats the deep layer of skin where the oil glands are located has been shown to help these patients in as little as one to three treatments. “Typically, women aged 35 to 50 most often experience this pesky type of acne with noticeably oily skin and visible pores.” “In my experience, I have found that combination ALA PDT treatment with a 1450 nm diode laser results in remarkably significant oil reduction and a decrease in pore size with acne clearing. Even oily skin can negatively impact one’s quality of life, and my patients are so happy that there is finally a treatment that can help this condition.”

[MYYMMYYM]

Thank you for the reply! The information you provided is very helpful. If you have time, could you get back to me once you visit your dermatologist and inquire about the therapy?

Thanks again.

[jetaime]

Yes I will let you know what they say about it when I go in a few weeks!

[jetaime]

Thank you for the reply! The information you provided is very helpful. If you have time, could you get back to me once you visit your dermatologist and inquire about the therapy?

Thanks again.

If you are still interested in light therapy, this is what my derm said:
So I went to the Dermatologist today to ask about the light therapy. My derm said that I could get this treatment done for $350 per treatment. He didn't seem that excited about this treatment which sort of discouraged me. But I think it's because he feels like their are better options for getting rid of acne. But I told him I wanted it mostly for my oily skin and he really didn't give me much info on that. He was more focused on getting rid of the acne I have, maybe I should have talked more about my oily skin and how much it bothers me. So anyway, he let me talk to a girl that worked there that had done the treatment before. I wasn't able to ask her all the questions I wanted to, but I did ask her if it helped with oily skin and she said it helped her. I don't know how many treatments she has had, how much her oily skin has reduced or how oily her skin was before. I really wish I would have asked more questions. But after all of this I have decided to do this treatment in April or May.

[MYYMMYYM]

Thanks for the update! I am still considering some sort of light therapy. Good luck with everything! I hope it works for you, and let me know how it goes.

[jetaime]

Thanks for the update! I am still considering some sort of light therapy. Good luck with everything! I hope it works for you, and let me know how it goes.

I am suppose to get my first treatment on May 8. Then I will have one done in June and one done in July. I will come back here and write about my experience with the treatments. But if I'm not happy w/ the outcome of these treatments I'll be asking for Accutane!

[sherrinblue]

Can Light Therapy be used to treat extremely oily skin, blackheads, and large pores? Does the light have any effect on overactive sebaceous glands?

I suffer from constant oily skin (not too many pimples) throughout the day (whether I blot or not... the oil returns with a vengeance within 15-20 minutes). I was wondering if I could try Light Therapy. I am currently on Retin-A Micro .04% and Differin .1%.

I've had a few smoothbeam treatments done in the hope that it could reduce my oily skin, it worked temporarily but it soon came back. I personally believe that oily skin is due to our lifestyle choices. I changed my diet to a all natural diet of just fruits, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains and saw a huge difference in my skins oiliness within a week.

[pooratbest]

I'm also desperate to know if oily skin responds, I notice when i sit in the sun my skin isn't half as oily!

[chaseap01]

The Aramis laser also claims to reduce sebum production and somewhat act as a milder, safer form of accutane.

Do not EVER have this laser treatment. It is worthless trash!

[jetaime]

So I thought it was time to come back and share my light therapy experience! So I had my first treatment in May of 2012 and then had my second treatment 5 weeks later. My first treatment I wore no makeup or moisturizer to the Derm office I just washed my face with my cleanser. I went in they did a 5 minute glycolic peel on my skin and then wiped it off with acetone. They put the Levulan on and I waited for an hour with it on. After that I went under the blue light for 4 minutes without the Levulan being wiped off. Went for my 2cd treatment to another place and did not have a glycolic peel they said it was unnecessary when you leave the Levulan on longer. So I sat for 2hours instead of 1hour. Then I sat under the light maybe 15minutes with the Levulan being wiped off before the light. The lady said that some people leave on the Levulan others wipe it off it depends of their policy. So anyway now it is the middle of August so it has been a while since my last one. I did not get a third one like I had hoped for because I didnt have the money at the time. But my skin at the moment is still oily as it was before and I still breakout. I mean I feel like my skin isnt any less oily but I have no proof, it may have decreased a small percentage but all I know is that it is oily and it still bothers me. Although my pimples I get seem to be smaller but that may just be my skin being good for once or who knows. Bottom line, do I regret getting these? Well Im not sure because i did not have 3 like I had planned and maybe the third would have worked?! But as much as they cost I will say im very disappointed with spending $800 on little to no results. Not sure if I plan on getting more in the future, I guess it depends on what happens with my skin in the next 6 months to a year(the length of time they say the results last). But don't let this make you not want to it, everybody is different. But if anybody is getting this done, write me a message and I will give you some advice and tips!

[Green Gables]

The best cure for oily skin is balancing your hormones.