Acne.org Products
Phototherapy
Acne.org’s Real World Take
PDT as it’s called is an incredibly painful procedure, but one that may produce lasting results. It’s a less invasive option than isotretinoin for severe acne that doesn’t cause so many potentially lifelong side effects. However, it works by permanently disabling skin oil glands, and what happens long term when you do that remains 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 Photodynamic Therapy? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
January 10, 2010
Cons:
A lot of downtime (must stay out of light), very expensive, time commitment, acne came back after months of not using it
Accutane got rid of my major cysts, but when i had my first blue light treatment my face was terribly broken out. After 4 treatments i was as clear as i had ever been. It lasted for a long time, but my face started getting worse eventually. Im sure if i had random treatments for upkeep i would have stayed clear. If you have the money, and dont mind a red, irritated, and sensitive for a couple of days, definitely do it!
May 7, 2010
Pros:
Reduces pimples and excess oil, improves skin tone. I don't wear any make-up anymore!!! I feel confident and beautiful now.
Cons:
Skin looks REALLY bad for about two weeks: scabs, dry flakey skin, redness, splotchy color, and painfully sensitive spots. I was terrified at first! But it goes away.
This treatment works! My skin is almost flawless now. But if you plan on getting the treatment or just had it done, you must know what to expect. Plan to not show your face in public for a while! Your skin looks TERRIBLE for about two weeks after the treatment while it heals. It gets worse before it gets better. You may experience scabbing, bumps, more acne, redness, dry/flakey skin. I expeienced ALL of this! At this stage, I felt so self concious and I was terrified that this is how my skin would look forever! But it goes away to reveal beautiful skin. The second time around, I used AcneFree Severe System retinol ointment and it cut the healing time in half! The retinol promotes skin cell repair and regeneration. It does make your skin peel more when you first start but that's part of the rejuvenation process. I also used Vinegar, it helps balance the pH of your skin, promotes circulation, and is a natural antiseptic so your skin doesn't get infected. Smells awful but works wonders! Wash your face with a mild soap, don't scrub, be gentle!
Pat dry.
Soak a cotton ball with vinegar and apply to face. It will sting, so beware!
Let your skin dry for 15 minutes then put the retinol ointment on.
Let that soak in for about 5 minutes and then use a very good sensitive skin moisturizer!
Keep your skin well moisturized! I put lotion on about every half hour just to keep my skin from scabbing. I used Jergens Ultra Healing during the day and baby oil gel at night for EXTRA hyration.
Don't go out into the sun. This will FRY your skin and make it hurt and look worse! Use the highest SPF you can find, if you must go outside. Anyway, good luck and hang in there! :)
August 23, 2010
Pros:
Skin felt soft and smooth in the third and forth week
Cons:
expensive
have to stay in a dark room for three full days
uncomfortable - feels like a BAD sunburn
I have struggled with ance for 14 years. I finally decided that I wanted to put an end to it. I got a Levulan treatment done 5 months ago. The first three days I had to black out ALL the windows. Even the little bit of light coming in from the windows made it burn.
After the "sunburn" went away (two weeks) my skin felt really soft. I had started feeling really good. Around two months my skin starting get more acne. Then it got worse. I started getting MORE ACNE then I had before the Levulan. It also changed the type of acne.
I use to have small red bumps that went away fairly fast. Now I have CYSTIC ACNE. I have WAY MORE ACNE. The acne all groups together and stays under the skin.
July 23, 2010
Pros:
It works when nothing else does!
Cons:
Not cheap;
uncomfortable;
takes at least a week to recover
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
December 3, 2009
Pros:
My skin is so much softer/smoother and less break-outs.
I definitely recommend it though. It works better than anything else I've tried and I've tried basically everything.
Cons:
Downtime of course. Can't leave the house for a week or more.
My first time I let the levulan sit on my skin for 2 hours. Went under the blue light for about 8 minutes.
Second time, sat for 2 hours. I think I went under the blue light for just a little longer than the 8 minutes.
I'm seeing results, slowly but surely. I have severe acne scars. I've had acne my whole life since around 6th grade and now I'm 19.
I just got done with my 3rd session about 3 days ago. It was way more intense than the other times. I waited 3 hours before going to the blue light and I couldn't handle the blue light very well at all this time. It was excruciating. Much different than the other times. I don't even know how long I took it. It couldn't have been more than 4 minutes, but I think it's because I waited 3 hrs instead of 2. My dermatologist said I also may have been more sensitive cause I was on my period. My face was on fire the rest of the day/night. But now it's calmed down and I'm just waiting for it to start peeling again.
December 1, 2010
Pros:
none
Cons:
expensive, didn't work
I had 6 treatments consisting of levulan with the blue light after. Before hand the ascetician performed microdermabrasion and extractions. With all this there was NO IMPROVEMENT whatsoever.
April 29, 2010
Pros:
Will clear acne, reduce hyperpigmentation and discoloration, removes sun damage underneath your skin
Cons:
Can make you break out at first (gets worse before it gets better), the day after the treatment is painful, skin looks weird for 4-5 days
bottom line, this will work. You may need more than one treatment, and it may cause you to breakout for a week or so after getting the treatment done, but it will work. IF you have only just barely had this treatment and have not fully recovered, or if you have not given it enough time, please dont review this. YES is will be nasty for a few days to a week, YES it might get worse before it gets better, but it DOES work, and those of you on here complaining when your only your 4th day in are just wasting everyones time and ruining the reviews for something that really does work!! Talk to your dermatologist/aesthetician, and try this out. Just make sure you have a couple weeks before any major event so your skin can recover. Oh, it was $350 per treatment where I went. So it isnt all that expensive.
March 23, 2010
Pros:
It took pretty much all of my acne away. I went from having moderate-severe acne to light and under. The treatment isnt very painfull when your under the bluelight. I dont wash my face very often and since i have gotten this treatment i dont wash my face and it has hardly any acne.
Cons:
The after math is extremly painful. The first day it is just red and a little bit inflamed. The second day your face is is very red and sensitive. The third day my face was starting to scab over and become hard. I coudnt open my mouth very wide on this day. The third it starts peeling. Redness being to fade on the fourth day. Fifth you can see the acne and scrs have left your face as you peeled.
This is my third treatment and my doctor said i wont need the fourth because my skin looks so good. After trying every drug store product and salcitic acid peels and a handfull of over the counter products this is the only thing that really got rid of my acne for good. I believe that most people should get the same results i have gotten.
November 14, 2009
Pros:
It helped improved the cystic acne.
Cons:
I still get break outs, but it is not as hard to get rid of as before the treatment. Extremely red for the first few days, and there was no significant difference with the scars after the treatment.
Before the treatment, I was about to go on Accutane, but my dermatologist recommended Levulan Light Treatment, because it "supposedly" have the same results. I have never been on Accutane, so I don't have any connections whatsoever on which is better. I used to get huge cystic acne, and MANY dented scars on my cheeks, but after the treatment, the cystic dissappeared completely. I still get break outs, but it usually goes away in 2-4 days. The redness became worst, but it improved after 5 months. Sadly, the dented scars did not improve so much. I have done this treatment 3 times.
November 10, 2010
Pros:
Less oil production.
Cons:
Like most things there's downtime - expect a day in mild stinging, you break out (whiteheads ahh! and they hurt more than the actual treatment) during the course of healing, a couple days of tightness, a week or more of peeling, redness until fades.
Don't expect anything but a decrease in oil production. If you're like me it's worth what its made for: shutting your sebaceous glands up! (decrease oil production) What's "like me" ??!: Pale, insanely oily (as in every hour you need one of those blotting sheets), large pores, lots of blemishes, like if I breakout it leaves a mark every time for like a whole year or longer, scarring, recently hormonal breakouts (during PMS then clears up just in time for next PMS), some cysts (from excess oil), skin is so sensitive I can touch my face with water and I'll break out. It helped with the oiliness so I am assuming in the long run it will help with cysts, I think I will need half as many blotting papers which is awesome, I will still break out because of my hormones so I won't be completely new-blemish free. It doesn't seem to be helping with any other issue I have. Skins smoother after the peeling ends because hello I just shed a layer, but other than that there's nothing left to do but take care of it as best I can and hope that my make up for work doesn't ruin the process I just went through. One thing that bothered me was that I don't get whiteheads and I got some, maybe a dozen, and little tiny spots here and there. The white heads hurt and it was as if they were getting pushed out of my face by the treatment. But eventually it goes away. They will tell you it will help with other things like some conditions I have, but thats not what its made for so just go in knowing that you will clean the oil spills, which I think is really important to start off with.
Pros:
Gets rid of acne, scars, redness, uneven texture