How Light therapy Works

Many people who suffer from acne have observed that the condition improves in the summer when their skin is exposed to sunlight. What they didn’t know is why the sunlight helped. Unfortunately, the downside of sitting in the sun for long periods of time can cause a great deal of lasting skin damage including skin cancer.

Understanding Light Therapy

Light therapy uses the principles that some wavelengths of light have an anti-bacterial effect, or they kill bacteria that are found within the skin. In particular, blue-violet light has been shown to kill Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) that is found within blocked pores of the skin. Although P. acnes is a naturally occurring type of bacteria on the skin, and is very important in protecting the skin from more harmful types of bacteria, it is one of the causes of the skin inflammations that lead to acne.

When pores become blocked within the skin, P. acnes can be trapped deep in the skin with excess oil. This in turn can cause the pore, and surrounding skin cells, to become inflamed. Once this happens, the body’s immune system begins to attack the bacteria to remove it from the skin. Based on the amount and severity of inflammation, a number of different blemishes can occur from pimples (pustules and papules) to severe cysts and nodules.

How Does Light Therapy Work?

During a light therapy treatment, blue-violet light that is found in sunlight is shone directly onto the inflamed skin. This wavelength of light activates a compound called porphyrin, which is produced by the bacteria. When the porphyrin is activated, it produces and releases oxygen. P. acnes, which survives best in an environment that is anaerobic, or without oxygen. The oxygen that is released by the porphyrin kills the bacteria, which stops the inflammation.

Using Light Therapy with Proactiv

Light therapy only targets one cause of acne (bacterial infection), therefore most people will want to continue to use a topical treatment while still undergoing the light therapy. Blocked pores and excess oil are not treated by light therapy. Light therapy targets acne that is inflamed and contains bacteria, so blackheads and whiteheads will not be removed by this type of treatment.

Also, blue-violet light therapy does not go on indefinitely. In most cases, the patient will have the treatment once or twice a week for eight to twelve weeks. This is usually the length of time needed to kill off all the bacteria in the skin and allow the pimples to be broken down. There are a small percentage of people (10%) who do not see any results, but the vast majority (90%) does see marked improvements in their skin. Unfortunately, after about three to four months, the acne does usually return as the bacteria are not removed forever.

Continuing to use Proactiv will help to maintain clear skin when the treatments have stopped. In some cases, it has also helped to keep skin clearer for longer, so that the return to the dermatologist for the light therapy does not have to happen as often compared to when not using the Proactiv treatments.