I went to a top derm in Beverly Hills and paid for a set of 5 treatments followed by V-Beam laser spaced one month apart each. My skin has been getting worse since the start to the end of these treatment. I had mild acne and would now consider it moderate with some cysts. The doctor convinced me to keep going, but now after spending the money and the time, I regret doing it. This can work wonders on some, but to others it can be a big mistake, there really is no way to know. I followed all of the guidlines and was left with worse acne. PDT, in my opinion should be used as a last line of defense. It you haven't tried antibiotics and creams yet, try them before doing this. I did a round of V-Beam a few years ago and then again with the PDT and it really smooths out skin texture. Try the V-Beam with Smoothbeam laser first it was cheaper and the results were much better!!!!!

DO not go in the sun! I did and my face turned brown and scabbed. I had to have antibiotics to clear scab. Now my face is amazing no acne... knock on wood

Expensive, but worth it if you can afford it.

So i have been reading these reviews and finally decided to have one myself. I have hormonal acne ( i'm 25,f) and lot of acne scars, ice picks and so on, oily skin.... you name it I had it. So before trying laser I gave it a chance and sooo happy I did. If you're like me desperate and every dollar counts, try this you shouldn't be disappointed. Skin is so much better. Do it on friday, so on monday you would be ready to go to work. Redness for the first 2-3 days and then peeling starts. But it's so worth it!!!! Before you concider laser try this. I'm going back for 2nd appointment on satturday. Good luck to all of you!

Would do it again if needed. I had the Levulan left on for 7 hours before it was activated by the blue light. I believe this is better than 3 smaller treatments as it gets very deep. Its been 3 months still get a few pimples but they usually clear up quick.

Do not blow your money on this procedure it is not worth it and in my case made my acne worse and irritated my skin. I do think that they are on the right track with the idea thought just have alot more research to do on what skin types it will work for and better techynology and types

It really works!!! at least for me it did... but i noticed the third time i got the treatment i was a little tanner and my skin didn't totally peel off... so really i suggest you go when you're really pale to get the full effect :)

I've had my first of 3 treatments (ALA on my face and upper back for 1 hour, 6-7 mins of Blu-U). I was very careful to stay out of the sun after the treatment for well over 24 hours and I think this is the key to lowering side effects. Mine were fairly mild - red skin for 2 days, followed by dark spots where my bigger pimples had been for another few days, followed by moderate peeling. I was back in public after 24-48 hours and skin looking better than ever by the end of the 1st week. My skin tone has already improved, the number of pimples has been significantly reduced, and I'm very satisfied with the results...all that and it's still only my first of 3 treatments! Supposedly, this treatment can reduce oil...it's hard to say at this point. There may be a bit of a reduction. I'm hoping that things will only improve more with each additional treatment. I highly recommend this if you can afford it. Just stay out of the sun COMPLETELY for the first 24-48 hrs and side effects should be well worth it. In case it matters, I'm a 31 year old male and have fought mild to moderate acne since my teens. I'm very oily and I've tried basically everything on the store shelves that's supposed to work for acne, with little effect. I've also tried doxycycline (oral) and topical clindamycin with moderate effect. Have never tried accutane. Only one treatment in and photodynamic therapy is the most effective thing i've tried by far. Hopefully the results last! The acne on my face is mostly white heads and black heads. The acne on my back is more cystic. The treatment seems to be working well for all types, though I suspect the cystic acne on my back will be slower to resolve. The price I list is per treatment and per area.

This treatment is not for the faint of heart as it is extremely costly (even with Kaiser Permanente insurance), extremely painful, takes down time, and lots of patience. But I feel my results were worth every penny, and ounce of pain and patience. My skin type/problems: Oily, sensitive, enlarged pores, severe hyperpigmentation, mild pocking, cystic hormonal acne on jawline and chin, average acne on entire face. My acne story: Through my teens, I had what I would call average/normal acne. When I reached my twenties my acne worsened, and when I reached 22-23 my acne was unbearable. It consumed my life and all of my money. Any of you who have struggled like I have, know what I am talking about. My acne was deep and cystic along my jawline and chin, it hurt physically and emotionally. Eventually, I started to develop scarring and severe hyperpigmentation too. No amount of makeup could cover it up, and I spent thousands on products to help before I finally went to a derm. I had severe hormonal acne due to contraceptive changes years prior. My body never recovered and years later I'm still working with holistic doctors to get it balanced out. My derm tried me on antibiotics, Retin-A and many other topical ointments. None worked. He felt PDT and Levulan might be a solution. I started these treatments approximately 3-4 months before my wedding and had 4 treatments total. The nurse would clean my face with a wipe and acetone, and then applied the Levulan and I had to sit in the waiting room for and hour with it on. I would then be called back where they would put me under the light for 17 minutes. Then she would wipe off the treatment with water and apply a sunscreen liberally, and I would leave in a wide brimmed hat. We repeated this process every time. There was no discomfort until they turned the light on. I would describe it as intense burning and pain, and it was most intense half way though the 17 minutes. When you come into contact with sunlight after, it activates the burning sensation again. The second day is the worst as far as pain goes. Slather on moisturizer and sunscreen and a hat, and stay indoors if possible. Aleve and ice packs help a lot too. If you come into contact with even indirect light, it will burn horribly, so stay out of the sun at all costs. Your face will be tight, swollen and puffy, possibly oozing, crackly and lobster red. This is normal. Day 3 and 4 is when the skin started to crack and peel. and I also had some white heads come to the surface. Day 5 was full of lots of flaking and peeling. Plan on not going to work if possible, no makeup, and no picking! By day 6 my face was smooth, however I had some puffiness and discoloration from the burn, again, this is normal and will go away. I would say a week and a half after treatment, is when my face would be back to normal. After one treatment in particular, I took longer to recover because I had some severe cracking and painful oozing because I had a different-than-usual nurse who scrubbed my skin too hard with the acetone. This caused a more painful and severe reaction. I would also say that with every treatment, it got less painful and things healed faster. I saw no improvement after 1 treatment, my Dr. advised me of this. After the second treatment I saw some improvement. Less acne, some of my scarring was going away, my skin was tighter and refined, with less oil production. After my third treatment, my skin was nearly perfect. Myself, the Dr. and the nurses couldn't believe it! They decided to do a fourth treatment so that my skin would be perfect for my wedding. After the fourth, I had no acne, most of my scarring was gone, pores were smaller, balanced oil production. It truly was a miracle treatment for me. I finished the last treatment in May 2015, it is now December 2015 (I'm 24) and I still have outstanding results. I will get the occasional break out when I'm PMSing or not eating well. But it is not cystic and clears up fairly quickly. I also use Retin-A .05% or.1% to maintain my results. I have read a lot of negative reviews on this treatment (even on this page) and realize that everyone reacts differently and not all will be cured with this treatment. However, I feel like a lot of the negative that people describe are normal side effects that do go away. I think doctors maybe misinform patients or there is a lack of information. I also think maybe treatment is executed improperly. And as mentioned earlier, patience is also key. You will not see results after 1-2 treatments, all 3 or more treatments need to be completed (which should take close to 3 months.) I think with proper execution of treatment, correct information given to patients of what to expect, and patience; people would be happier. Again, I know everyone is different and reacts differently, I just think there would be a higher success percentile.

I had around 7 of these procedures done in the 1.5 year time span. In the first couple treatments it worked miracles. I was no longer breaking out and the texture of my skin was so smooth. My fine lines and acne scars started to fade. After my 4th treatment my skin grew immune to the PDL treatment and returned to it's oily and moderate acne state. I tried 3 more times in a desperate attempt and it no longer worked on my skin. I spent so much money on the treatments and it left me hopeless. I saw an infomercial on MaxClarity and gave it a shot. I been using it for 3 months and it helped with my cystic acne and oily skin. It's a lot cheaper too!