Phototherapy
Acne.org’s Real World Take
Laser therapy works by harming skin oil glands. That can lead to some improvement in acne, and perhaps even long-term relief of some acne symptoms. However, evolution gave us skin oil glands for a reason and what happens long term when you permanently disable them is still unknown. Proceed with caution.
Phototherapy
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist? Make an appointment to get this procedure done. Don't have a dermatologist? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find one.
Used Lasers? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
October 10, 2012
I had photosensitive reaction. I broke out badly and now have a scarred face
September 13, 2012
Pros:
Have seen an improvement
Cons:
slow process
expensive products that i have been advised to use alongside treatments
N-lite comes in 3 treatments. increasing the power each time. i have just finished my second treatment. The treatment itself is not painful maybe a slight bit uncomfortable on my cystic spots. However, my acne is very painful anyways
June 15, 2012
Pros:
dried me out for a while
Cons:
expensive
no help with prevention
requires multiple treatments for best results (they say)
I did this in combination with treatments for dark spots. Worked great for dark spots and slowed down the acne for a while, but it came in as bad as ever shortly after. GREEN TEA is my new friend and I have high hopes for it!!
March 2, 2012
Pros:
- Skin feels tighter
- Big reduction in pimples and oil on my face
- Pores seem to be smaller
- My skin is generally much better than before
Cons:
- Can be a little uncomfortable on the higher settings
I have had 3 treatments to date and have tried many different settings. The first time I went I had it on a relatively low setting but the technician did several passes over my entire face. On subsequent visits I have been taking a more intense treatment, it is a little uncomfortable at first but with the anesthetic cream you quickly get used to it and its not much to worry about. I would highly recommend the treatment to anyone who has suffered from acne. It's really helped me a lot. I am 2nd Generation Australian with rather light skin. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask. I have read several of the posts below and do not really understand where most people are going wrong, I did not experience any redness or down time at all and went straight back to work.
August 6, 2011
Sorry, me again! Judge to add that 4 days after n lite I have four nasty sores on my face where spots had been. Hoping these will clear soon, just thought I'd mention this side effect too. Im hoping it's a simple case of getting worse before it gets better! Xx
August 5, 2011
Pros:
Spots are greatly reduced in size
Comfortable treatment and you can re-apply make up after! No negative side effects.
Cons:
Just had my second treatment and my skin has flared up.
I've booked three N-lite treatments. My acne is localised to my chin area and this is the area I am having treated. For the month after my first treatment, my skin seemed much calmer. I didn't have a single big spot! I got my usual monthly flare up but it really wasn't too bad. Just had my second treatment and more spots have come to the surface than usual. It's getting me down, but I'm hoping skin will eventually be better after my third treatment. The lady who does my treatments did explain that its not a quick fix- it takes several months. I'm also using a glycolic based wash and skin lotion. This seems to be helping to.
I'm 24 and have tried and tried to get rid of my mild to moderate acne for years. I'm hoping this is the solution!
July 18, 2011
Pros:
None
Cons:
My skin has come out in worse spots then i originally had. I feel like I have wasted a lot of money for nothing.
I went to the Private clinic in Manchester, and paid £700 for a course of 3 treatments. With this I was given £40 worth of Jan Marini products for free, the main chemical in this is benzyl poroxide, which you can get perscribed by doctors or £7.50!! Anyway, it has now been 2 weeks since I had my 3rd and final treatment, and its safe to say that it hasn't helped my skin one bit. I have painful spots on my cheeks and jaw line, and the last time I went in, the person who originally did my treatment wasn't there, so I had another woman, who was very surprised it hadn't worked, so turned up the power of the laser, she also gave me advice to only use the Simple product range on my face body and hair, which hasn't really made a difference, but it has only been 2 weeks. Also not part of the treatment, but they messed up my 2nd appointment, I got there and they hadn't booked it in through the computer, even though I had an appointment card all they could do was apologise, they did give me the parking money back, but not the cost of the petrol for the extra trip i had to make!! Unfortunatley I would not reccomend this, but then everyone's skin will take to this treatment differently.
June 5, 2011
Pros:
Smoother skin, gets rid of acne.
Cons:
This is not a long term solution.
Leaves the skin irritated and red for a few hours/days depending on how sensitive or how bad your acne is.
Very expensive.
I had had acne on my face for around five years during which time the acne had progressively got worse until it covered all of my face except some parts of my forehead. The spots seemed to grow on top of each other making my skin extremely painful to live with. I leaned about the N-Lite treatment watching television and thought I would try it considering by that time I had tried everything the Doctors could throw at me (creams, lotions, tablets etc, etc, etc...). I went to a very nice clinic in Nottingham. I was told for the N-Lite to take full effect I would have to have many treatments, so I booked in bulk. I think it was by the third treatment that I noticed a difference. The spots were still there, especially on my cheeks which was the worst area, but they were not as bad. There were definitely no results after the first time. After a few more treatments, the spots on my chin had gone and my skin was so much smoother. I felt better in myself and had more confidence. Anyway, the bottom line with N-Lite is that it's great when you are having the treatments constantly but as soon as you stop them the acne will come back. You only treat the external problems with this treatment and not the inner ones. Also, the scars left behind by the acne will still be there meaning that the clinic will say that you need another type of treatment to get rid of the scars. More money. I still have spots on my cheeks and chin but the harsh acne has gone. It seems like the treatment lulled me into a false sense of security and to be honest the whole thing was so costly that I'm not sure it was worth it. Now I know that it would have been better to be learning other kinder ways to help my skin rather than taking the quick and short term solution.
April 19, 2011
Pros:
None
Cons:
caused severe hyperpigmentation
I underwent two treatments of smoothbeam and although the first time I did not have any negative reaction, the second time I developed severe swelling and crusting of the skin. Within a week, the swelling subsided however I was left with severe hyperpigmentation. Even after three years of diligent usage of hydroquinone and other bleaching products, my face is still 10% scared by the procedure. I am of Indian origin with medium skintone. The dermatologist seemed quite surprised that I pigmented in this manner. It was truly one of the most difficut phases of my life. Please DO NOT use smoothbeam especially if you pigment easily.
March 8, 2011
Pros:
Skin alot smoother, far less breakouts, not alot of downtime, treatment is quick, the laser can be set at different levels for your tollerance
Cons:
it can be quite pricey, can't garentee results for everyone, can be a little uncomfortable until you get used to the laser
I suffered from acne for 8 years, I then went to the The Private Clinic in Manchster to undergo N-Lite laser for the Embarrassing bodies show on Channel 4. Im alot happier with my skin now, only had 4 treatments so far, still a few more to go, but have noticed a big improvement to skin, yes still getting a few spots but not like before (mainly on cheeks and chin) forhead and sides seems to be alot clearer. Im also in the process of changing my makeup to a brand that doesnt contain bismuth oxchloride as I think this is irritating my acne. Also one woman said she removed this from her products and her acne cleared, its worth a shot! As for the clinic the staff were very friendly and advised on products to use alongside the N-lite laser (for me this was sebu b range by environ) this helped to clear some of the skin before I started the treatment (helps skin appear alot smoother) also had microdermabrasion and derma-roller for scars. So far the treatments are helping my skin alot so would definately recommend. to see me having the treatment see embarrassing bodes on you tube for 4od. This shows my treatment at the Manchester Clinic [link removed]
Cons:
Cutera laser for laser genesis and telangectasias ruined my skin. Had mild acne and rosacea. Has severe photosensitive reaction which made pores large and scarred my face