Manhattan Acne Treatment

Q: I have had vbeam treatments for acne which has not been so successful. How is ths acne photodynamic therapy different? I am looking for a better option than the vbeam. Thanks.


A:There a few kinds of laser and light treatment for acne. They include light/laser therapy alone such as with the VBeam, blue light, red light or Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) . I prefer a treatment called “photodynamic therapy” (PDT) for most of my acne patients. This involves applying a topical solution called aminolevulinic acid (aka Levulan) to the face and leaving in on the skin for several minutes (15 to 30 usually). This medicine gets absorbed by the acne bacteria and also by the oil glands on the face and ends up modifying the glands so they are lose prone to harbor the bacteria that causes acne. Must of my patients do 2-4 treatments with success and have long-lasting acne reduction. It also helps clear up the brown spots that are remnants of the past acne lesions. The majority of my patients usually do a series of PDT treatments and light alone treatments.

-Dr. Schweiger
Manhattan Dermatologist