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The following side effects are expected during the photodynamic therapy course. Contact your doctor if these symptoms are severe and/or do not go away:
How Common (based on clinical studies)
| Pain | Up to 100% of all users |
| Redness in the area | Up to 100% of all users |
| Peeling | Up to 83% of all users |
| Mild transient acne | Up to 78 % of all users |
| Swelling | Up to 71.4% of all users |
| Severe pain | Up to 68.4% of all users |
| Itching | Up to 65% of all users |
| Temporary pigmentary change | Up to 65% of all users |
| Stinging sensation | Up to 55% of all users |
| Severe redness | Up to 35% of all users |
| Crusting | Up to 33.3% of all users |
| Burning sensation | Up to 15% of all users |
| Blisters | Up to 2.3% of all users |
| Rash | Up to 2% of all users |
| Scab | Up to 2% of all users |
Photodynamic therapy may also cause other side effects that are not mentioned here. Contact your doctor if you experience any other troublesome symptoms after photodynamic therapy.
References
- Akaraphanth R, Kanjanawanitchkul W, Gritiyarangsan P. Efficacy of ALA-PDT vs blue light in the treatment of acne. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 23(5), 186-90 (2007).
- Hörfelt C, Funk J, Frohm-Nilsson M, Wiegleb Edström D, Wennberg AM. Topical methyl aminolaevulinate photodynamic therapy for treatment of facial acne vulgaris: results of a randomized, controlled study. Br J Dermatol. 155(3), 608-13 (2006).
- Jang MS, Doh KS, Kang JS, Jeon YS, Suh KS, Kim ST. A comparative split-face study of photodynamic therapy with indocyanine green and indole-3-acetic acid for the treatment of acne vulgaris. Br J Dermatol. 165(5), 1095-100 (2011).
- Lee WJ, Jung HJ, Kim JY, Lee SJ, Kim DW. Effect of photodynamic therapy on inflammatory acne using 3% liposomal 5-aminolevulinic acidemulsion and intense-pulsed light: A pilot study. J Dermatol. 39(8), 728-9 (2012)
- Ma Y, Liu Y, Wang Q, Ren J, Xiang L. Prospective study of topical 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy for the treatment of severe adolescent acne in Chinese patients. J Dermatol. 42(5), 504-7 (2015).
- Ma L, Xiang LH, Yu B, Yin R, Chen L, Wu Y, Tan ZJ, Liu YB, Tian HQ, Li HZ, Lin T, Wang XL, Li YH, Wang WZ, Yang HL, Lai W. Low-dose topical 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy in the treatment of different severity of acne vulgaris. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther 10(4), 583-90 (2013).
- Mei X, Shi W, Piao Y. Effectiveness of photodynamic therapy with topical 5-aminolevulinic acid and intense pulsed light in Chinese acne vulgaris patients. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 29(2), 90-6 (2013).
- Nicklas C, Rubio R, Cárdenas C, Hasson A. Comparison of efficacy of aminolaevulinic acid photodynamic therapy vs. adapalene gel plus oral doxycycline for treatment of moderate acne vulgaris- A simple, blind, randomized, and controlled trial. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 35(1), 3-10 (2019).
- Orringer JS, Sachs DL, Bailey E, Kang S, Hamilton T, Voorhees JJ. Photodynamic therapy for acne vulgaris: a randomized, controlled, split-face clinical trial of topical aminolevulinic acid and pulsed dye laser therapy. J Cosmet Dermatol. 9(1), 28-34 (2010).