Acne and laser therapy

Obviously you're unlikely to be able to get laser treatment at home, but we thought it worth writing about in this section for informational value. 

There are a number of methods for treating acne that have been used for quite a long period of time but the use of laser surgery for treating acne has been relatively new. Laser surgery has been mainly used for treating acne scars that have been left behind after acne but modern laser treatments can also help in preventing acne.

Laser is an intense beam of light that can destroy almost every living organism. It has been used in treating cancer because it can kill the cells that cause cancer. Similarly, it can also help in treating acne. Laser can destroy the sebaceous glands underneath the skin that produce sebum. As excess sebum production is one of the main causes of acne so laser therapy can help a great deal in treating acne.

Laser surgery not only helps in destroying sebaceous glands but it can also help in treating acne scars. Dermabrasion is a type of laser surgery that can remove scars on the surface and reduce the depth of deep scars. Photodynamic therapy is another therapy that can decrease the inflammatory acne pimples by 60 - 70 % within 4 weeks. The treatment begins with light micro dermabrasion to remove dead cells from the skin. Then, an acid is applied on the surface for an hour and then the skin is treated with laser. Although it gives positive long-term results but this treatment has been highly controversial.

Side effects

Laser therapy destroys the sebaceous glands that produce sebum so in the long term it can cause dryness of skin. It can also cause hyper pigmented spots on the face as well.

One of the major disadvantages of laser therapy is that it is quite expensive as well as compared to other methods for treating acne.