Light treatment and photodynamic therapy in acne patients with pigmented skin

Abstract

Acne vulgaris is one of the most common dermatological disorders encountered in everyday practice. It is routinely treated with a variety of topical and systemic medications; however, factors such as antibiotic resistance, patient needs for faster results, and adverse effects associated with some drugs have led researchers to seek out alternative therapies. Newer technologies have recently emerged to aid physicians in their treatment of patients with acne. A variety of lasers and light sources have been shown to be useful as therapy for a variety of conditions including moderate-to-severe acne vulgaris. Light sources including blue light and intense pulsed lights are becoming regular in addition to routine medical management in order to enhance the therapeutic response in these patients. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) may change many of the acne vulgaris paradigms as its place in the therapeutic armamentarium becomes cemented in the treatment of moderate-to-severe inflammatory acne vulgaris, with increasing numbers of clinical studies around the world showing the effectiveness of using external photosensitizers like 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) or methyl aminolevulinate in combination with light (PDT) in this patient group. The use of these techniques may have different outcomes and clinical results in different skin types and, in particular, in patients with non-Caucasian, ethnic pigmented skin; however, the experience with these devices in Latin America is limited because the cost of both the technologies and photosensitizers are prohibitive. © 2009 Springer-Verlag London.