Laser Acne Treatment: What is it and What are the Side Effects?

In the past, if a person suffered from numerous amounts of whiteheads, blackheads or any type of unsightly blemish, topical creams and lotions were the only solutions. Often times, though, if the acne was severe, these topical creams and lotions delivered mediocre results. Recently, advanced technology has brought about another possible solution for those burdened by pimples: laser acne treatment.

Laser acne treatment has become an alternative for those who have literally tried every possible treatment on the market. It is also an alternative for those who don’t want to take oral medications from fear of some potentially serious side effects like nausea and depression.

Acne is caused when your body produces an excess amount of sebum and dead skin cells. When the hair follicle gathers a large amount of sebum and dead skin cells, it begins to solidify and eventually cause the follicle wall to burst, inevitably causing more oil and cells to gather. Acne treatments usually work by reducing oil production and removing dead skin cells. Some laser acne treatment options damage oil glands to reduce oil production, while others target the bacteria that cause acne.

These are a few examples of laser acne treatment and light therapy:

• Blue light therapy—is thought to destroy the acne-causing-bacteria. It causes redness and dryness in treated areas.
• Pulsed light and heat energy therapy—this laser acne treatment is also thought to combat the bacteria and reduce oil production by shrinking the oil glands.
• Diode laser treatment—this laser acne treatment is believed to reduce the amount of oil glands in the body.