Photodynamic Therapy

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Photodynamic therapy is a more intense form of light therapy that includes first topically applying a photosensitizing agent that makes the skin more...

Photodynamic therapy is a more intense form of light therapy that includes first topically applying a photosensitizing agent that makes the skin more sensitive to light, and then applying medical-grade light therapy to the skin. It is thought to work primarily by reducing the size and activity of skin oil (sebaceous) glands.

The procedure is usually performed multiple times (up to 5) in weekly or biweekly intervals. Results are usually seen 1 to 2 weeks after the procedure and your skin will continue to improve after your last session.

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Daniel69

October 27, 2008

Pros:

Brighter Skin

Cons:

Awful painful peeling effect (Doctor said about 50% chem peel equivalent) I speculate it may have been in result of using Tazorac prior to the PDT and there was no burn on nose or forehead (where I don't use tazorac).

Still a new procedure and certain products aren't compatible with the Levulan I think. I had pixel treatment and no problems.

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Jack Mitchell

July 28, 2008

Pros:

Skin texture improved, smoother skin in spots. The rougher areas have little oil plugs that are working their way out. This could take weeks to do and seems to be contributing to acne despite 3 treatments. Overall, my skin looks better.

Cons:

Extremely painful. Had it applied to raw skin. Incubated from 3-7hrs. Stick head into blue light tanning booth for as long as you can stand. Feels like a thousand burning needles being stabbed into your face. You can feel your face swell in 2 min.

If you have the time and money to do it--do it. I tried Accutane--became less oily, but didn't clear up skin very well. I've tried using antibiotics for 3 yrs (really bad for liver), but it helped keep things under control. It's been about a month since my 3rd treatment and my skin still breaksout, but I'm hoping that these are the last few plugs working their way out for good. It's like getting a chemical peel and then getting a deep burn. You will look like a burn victim for a few days. It hurts and feels tight and itchy. You want to peel it off, but if you do it too soon, your skin will be too raw and your face will just get tight, like a contracture in burn victims. Just let the burn sit and fester. It actually removed an age spot on my face, but it gave me a really dark little mole. I think that the treament is supposed to do this (bring up moles). I have heard that I won't have acne for a year. I hope this is true.

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Linsley

July 2, 2008

Pros:

Scars are going away.

Cons:

After 3rd treatment face got worse.

I was excited at first but after my second levulan i didn't peel or burn or anything. If you have light/moderate acne then this is for you.

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zena

June 14, 2008

Pros:

for now i have no good things to say about it..ive just done it 5 days ago..

Cons:

do not seem to work

ive done photodynamic therapy 5 days ago ...and im not peeling ..i dont know if its going to work...

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pandorabowNY

June 7, 2008

Pros:

Improved acne, smoother skin...

Cons:

EXTREMELY painful ! Downtime at least 4 days

I've done 3 treatments, 2 weeks a part . First time was SUPER painful, tears were coming out by themselves, I'm a 24 years old man thoug:)) Second time, I got Advil and it wasn't so bad. After all it smoothed my skin, reduce scars/pores by 10-15 % in some places 0 % :( After 3-4 weeks from the last treatment I felt like I haven't done anything to my skin at all just spent 1500$ in total. Didn't work for me, I'm on Accutane now, works well so far;))

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Jack

April 22, 2008

Pros:

-cleared some acne

Cons:

-expensive
-sensitive to sunlight for 4 months.
-created new acne

Before i had this treatment i had very localized acne all around my mouth and chin.The rest of my face was flawless. I had 4 treatments spaced 3 weeks apart of the PDT. These treatments cleared the acne around my mouth and chin. But now i have acne all over my cheeks, jawline, and forehead where i never had acne before. So far me my acne just cleared in one place but then sprouted up in another. However i would recommend giving it a shot IF money is not a factor for you. If money is then dont blow all your money for something that may not work.

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Pablo

March 6, 2008

Pros:

NONE

Cons:

increase my oil production, increase pimples, expensive...

I tried 4 sessions, 2 weeks a part 1 - metvix + red light; 2 - metvix + blue light; 3 - metvix + blue light; 4 - metvix + ipl. Metvix is similar Levulan

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Allison

February 9, 2008

Pros:

umm..not so sure as of yet.

Cons:

EXTREMELY PAINFUL, lots of redness and burning for days,breaking out 2nd day after treatment, tightness and swelling, dark splotches, very very bad pain on and around my lips

I have read soooo many horrible reviews of this treatment and now im petrified of how it's going to affect me. I have had fairly bad acne since i was 10 ( im now 22) and i have been on every kind of medication and topical treatment you can think of. Im not allowed to be on accutane for medical reasons. I got the treatment done yesterday morning. Honestly, getting a tattoo feels better than this does. Im able to cover up all the redness and dark splotches with makeup but i cant even walk to my mailbox without feeling like my face is going to catch on fire. it's aweful and i can barely open my mouth enough to eat bc it's so sore and tight. I developed a lot of little whiteheads today and im afraid that is a bad sign. At the same time i have heard that it will get worse before it gets better....but im skeptical. I was also told that it could be that it's drawing everything out of my skin first, thus causing some breakouts. Ill repost later with more results.

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happygurl

December 14, 2007

Pros:

Waiting to find out (just had it done)...

Cons:

Painful burning, redness, swelling, downtime, pricy.

I will post in a week or so with my final results, but I just wanted to give prospective users an idea of what to expect with the procedure itself. I just got home about 3 hours ago from having Levulan/Blue Light done. My doctor gave me a stronger application than most... almost 2 hours of the Levulan soaking in, 20 min under the blue light, and then light laser on each cheek. The Levulan alone wasn't bad at all, but I am not going to lie -- the blue light activation HURT!!! I almost couldn't take the intense burning. I assume my experience was worse than most due to the amount administered. I was actually squirming in pain and cried on the drive home. The pain has subsided a bit, but it is still stinging and I am quite red and swollen. I think it feels worse than it looks, but nonetheless, just be prepared that this treatment should be taken seriously and DEFINITELY requires downtime. If it produces results it will be worth it though, and I will post once healed to update. :)

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Kathy

February 14, 2007

Pros:

Smaller Pores, better skin texture, less breakouts

Cons:

Expensive, and can be painful. ususally need 4-7 days recovery time. Red and swollen for first 2-3 days then lots of peeling afterwards.

I had 3 treatments of levulan/blu-u with microderms before procedure and after recovery. Levulan was left on for 2-3 hours with 20 mins in front of light. After the 1st and 2nd treatments my skin looked AWSOME and i have recieved many compliments about how nice and smooth my skin looked. It not only helped with my acne, it faded red markes, helped scarring and tightened pores. when i did breakout it didnt last and i got tiny little bumps instead of cysts. i just done my 3rd treatment and am in the recovery stage of peeling as i type this. Make sure if u get this done u have it with levulan and not just the blu light. also microderms to breakdown the skin. i believe the number of treatments vary between individuals. Minimum of 3 and then more depending on the person.

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ClearAF4444

April 27, 2021

It’s been a decade later, has your acne come back?
Did you experience premature aging?

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