The Combination of Red and Blue Light, Radiofrequency and Intense Pulsed Light for the Treatment of Facial Postacne Erythema

Abstract

Introduction: Postacne erythema, also referred to as postinflammatory erythema, is a common sequela in acne patients. At present, there is no specific treatment for postacne erythema, and some treatment drugs can even aggravate facial erythema. Objective: Our research sought to evaluate the efficacy of a combination therapy of LED red and blue light, radiofrequency (RF) and intense pulsed light (IPL) for the treatment of postacne erythema. Methods: Patients were treated with red and blue light for 2 weeks, followed by RF for 4 treatments over 8 weeks. Finally, patients were treated with intense pulsed light for 16 weeks. Therapeutic outcomes were evaluated by erythema index, postacne erythema severity grading and clinical photography. Results: After 3 stages of treatment, the percentage of excellent subjects was 79.2%, the percentage of good subjects was 17.2%, and the total effective rate was 96.4%. The mean erythema index decreased from 496.17±79.11 to 89.32±81.58 (p<0.01) after treatment. The postacne erythema lesions were rated clear in 22.4%, faint erythema in 74.4%, dull red in 2.8% and deep red only in 0.4% of subjects after three-stage treatments. Conclusion: Our results show that the combination of red and blue light therapy, RF therapy and IPL therapy is more effective than other treatments reported for facial postacne erythema.