Your Guide to Blue Light Therapy for Acne Treatment

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What is Blue Light Acne Treatment?
Risks & Benefits of Blue Light Therapy for Acne
How Does Blue Light Work?
Frequently Asked Questions About Acne Light Therapy
How to Find the Acne Light You Need at a Price You Can Afford
How to Choose Between Our Acne Lights
Research & Technical Details

What is Blue Light Acne Treatment?

“[Blue light treatment] is a major breakthrough and could be an excellent alternative for those patients who have had minimal success with traditional therapies…” — Dr. Arielle N.B. Kauva

Blue light acne treatment uses blue light to kill acne bacteria instead of topical or oral medications. Throughout the treatment, the skin is exposed to a blue light source for a short period of time ranging from only a few seconds up to 15 minutes depending on the product.

In-home treatments are recommended daily until acne is either cleared or under control, then the frequency is reduced to maintenance treatments twice to three times per week.

Risks & Benefits of Blue Light Therapy for Acne

Benefits:

100% natural and non-invasive
drug-free with no adverse side effects, short or long term
safe for all ages and safe for daily use
great for back & body acne, too
painless
easily self-administered in your own home
no down-time
does not stop working over time
may work on even antibiotic resistant strains of acne causing bacteria

Risks:

The only significant risk of blue light therapy is the risk of overexposure of blue light to the eyes. For this reason, eye protection is provided free with almost every in-home acne light and should be worn during each treatment. Please read this article for a full discussion of possible safety concerns.

How Does Blue Light Work?

Blue light kills acne bacteria. How? When blue light strikes acne bacteria cells, it sets off a chemical reaction that causes the bacteria to self-destruct. No harm is done to any other cells on or in the skin. Here is the scientific explanation from the American Academy of Dermatology:

“[Blue] Light gets at the core of what causes acne eruptions: P. acnes, the bacterial responsible for causing acne inflammation, pumps out tiny molecules called porphyrins. When those porphyrin are exposed to certain wavelengths of light, they produce free radicals that kill the bacteria. Without P. acnes around to cause inflammation, acne clears up.” American Academy of Dermatology 2002

Blue light is one of the best acne treatments available today, because it kills acne bacteria naturally, fast, and without side effects. However, the combination of blue and red light is even better.

Frequently Asked Questions About Acne Light Therapy

What is light therapy?

What is blue light therapy?

What is red light therapy?

Is Light Therapy an Acne Cure?

No, light therapy is not an acne cure.

Blue or blue/red light therapy won’t impact your hormones or the other factors that actually cause the bacteria to be there in the first place. However, light therapy is different from other acne treatments as the light is capable of penetrating beneath the skin, killing acne bacteria before it has a chance to cause visible acne.

Our line of acne lights are easy to use as a regular part of your ongoing acne treatment regimen, just like good hygiene and proper nutrition. The number of regular treatments you’ll need per week will depend on your skin type and condition, but it won’t take you long to discover the perfect balance to stay ahead of your breakouts and keep your skin clear

Will acne light therapy work for me? What kind of results can I expect?

Studies have shown that acne light therapy is effective for about 86% of people, so there is a very good chance it will work for you, too.

Results vary widely by individual and depend on such things as the type and severity of acne you have, your hygene, diet, exposure to natural daylight, and other things contributing to your overall hormone balance. All that being said, you should start to notice results within the first 2 weeks of consistent treatment. After 4 weeks of consistent treatment most people notice about 60% reduction in visible acne. After 12 weeks those participating in the original research experienced clearing of about 76%. Many people do experience total clearing at or after 8 weeks of consistent treatment, however, maintenance treatments will still be required on a reduced schedule to stay ahead of breakouts.

Will my acne get worse before it gets better?

The majority of people using light therapy do not report that their acne worsens before it improves, though there has been the occasional instance. No research or clinical study has reported any evidence that acne gets worse before it gets better.

The key is to properly follow the directions provided for acne light therapy, just as you should for any other health therapy. The directions that come with the light are designed specifically to prevent acne from getting worse at any time, and to ensure the most rapid improvement.

Are there any side effects ore precautions?

There are no adverse side effects reported.
Precautions:

The Peak 415™ and Tri Peak™ do contain a small amount of UVA (blacklight,) as did the lights used in the original research reported on in the original research reported on in the British Journal of Dermatology. PDF Use only as directed.
Do not use light therapy while you are taking any medication that causes photosensitivity. Please consult your pharmacist for each medication in question.
Recent studies have indicated that overexposure to blue light may be harmful to the eyes – please wear the provided goggles for your protection.
High Power LEDs are very bright. Do not look directly into the light. Always wear eye provided eye protection.

Is light therapy good for back and body acne?

What about using ALA or Levulan? (PDT or Photodynamic Therapy.)

Can I use your acne light therapy products with other topical acne medications?

Yes, you can, but should you? Blue and red light therapy is a natural acne treatment, and it works best with other natural acne treatments.

The purpose of blue light is to kill the acne bacteria on and under the surface of your skin. If that is also the purpose of your topical acne medication, then there is no need for it, and this is a good opportunity to give your skin a break from the harsh chemicals. For mild to moderate inflammatory acne, blue or red/blue light should be the only acne treatment you need.

If you choose to continue your topical acne treatment, then be sure your skin is clean and free of any topical medication before each treatment.

Can I use your acne light therapy products with other oral acne medications?

Please consult your doctor or dermatologist about this. Some oral medications may cause your skin to be oversensitive to light (photosensitive). Again, blue light is a natural acne treatment, and it works best with other natural treatments. Any oral medication will effect you on a cellular level, and may result in your light therapy being less effective, or ineffective. If your doctor recommends it, you should stop oral acne treatments for 2 weeks before beginning blue or blue/red light therapy.

How to Find the Acne Light You Need at a Price You Can Afford

When it comes to choosing an acne light, you have two major decisions to make:

Hand-held or table top?
Blue and red light separately or together?

Here’s how you decide:

Hand Held or Table Top?

If you get one zit at a time now and then, you want a hand-held acne light.

If you have mild acne in one or two areas, a hand-held light would also be best for you.

If you have moderate to severe acne, you would benefit more from a table top light, because it will cover more of your face at once and keep your daily treatments to a reasonable amount of time.

If you have back acne, honestly, our lights are best for you, because they can easily reach your back.

Blue and red light separately, or together?

If you want to use light therapy for acne treatment only and just be done with it, get a light that puts out red and blue together. Combination blue and red acne lights are effective and convenient.

If you want “maximum strength” light therapy for acne treatment, or if you would like to use light therapy for more than just acne treatment, then you want blue and red light separately. That way the full power of each light is dedicated to one purpose.

For example, a lot of people want to use red light for anti-aging, in addition to acne treatment. The color you need for anti-aging is red. Blue light does nothing for anti-aging. So if you try to do an anti-aging treatment with a light that is half blue, you are wasting half the energy of the light, and really only getting half of the potential anti-aging treatment. If you have blue and red lights separately, then you have the full power of blue when you need an acne treatment, and the full power of red for anti-aging.

What Not to Buy

We used to maintain comparison charts of hand held and table top acne lights, but today there are simply too many on the market to make that practical. We’ll be writing some reviews of acne lights soon, but until then here’s a quick idea of what not to buy. Do not buy:

Any product that is disposable. Light therapy should be a one-time investment.
Any light that requires replacement heads. High quality products should not need to be frequently replaced.
Any light that requires replacement batteries, like a flashlight. Recurring expenses don’t make sense.
Any light that relies on any type of topical substance for its effectiveness. Light therapy works all by itself.

How to Choose Between Our Acne Lights

In our product line, there are two ways you can blue and red light therapy for acne treatment: maximum strength, or maximum convenience.

Maximum Strength

The Peak 415™ is our original acne light. It emits only peak 415 nm blue light, the wavelength proven most effective against acne bacteria. Because the full power of this light is devoted to 415 nm light, this is the strongest acne light in our line. Learn more about the Peak 415™.

The Pure Red HP LED Powerhead brings the healing and scar reduction power of red light therapy to your acne treatment. It is the perfect complement to the Peak 415™, and the pair gives you the most complete, most powerful acne treatment. Learn more about the Pure Red HP LED Powerhead.

Maximum Convenience

The Tri Peak™ combines three specific wavelengths of blue and red light into a single unit. It is specifically designed to kill the most acne bacteria in the least amount of time, without the hassle of swapping lights. Learn more about the Tri Peak™

Research & Technical Details

Research Leading to Approval of Blue and Red Light Therapy for Acne Treatment

Research Leading to FDA Approval of Blue Light for Acne Treatment

Almost every blue light for acne on the market today bases its marketing on this study, done at the Imperial College of London, and published in the British Journal of Dermatology in 2000. Based on this research and similar studies, the first blue light acne treatment “system”, ClearLight, gained FDA approval in 2002. Here are the highlights:

107 patients with mild-moderate inflammatory acne (acne vulgaris) participated in the trial.
The blue light peaked at 415nm, the red light peaked at 660nm (What does this mean?)
Patients used the lights in-home for 15 minutes daily
There was a 76% drop in visible acne over 12 weeks
Combination Red and Blue light therapy was ‘significantly superior’ to blue light alone or benzoyl peroxide.
Blue & Red light improve acne by combining anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory action.
Red & Blue light phototherapy is a safe and effective treatment for acne vulgaris.

Click here to read the full study. Since then, many smaller studies have been done all over the world, all confirming the effectiveness and safety of blue and blue & red light acne treatment. Here are a few:

UCLA

April 2006 – UCLA School of Medicine This open-label study suggests the therapeutic efficacy of high-intensity LED pure blue light in the treatment of acne vulgaris with no reported side effects. Read the full study »

NHS

2005 – Department of Dermatology, Falkirk Royal Infirmary, Falkirk, UK Blue light phototherapy using a narrow band LED light source appears to be a safe and effective additional therapy for mild to moderate acne. Read the full study »

SLSS

June 2006 – Skin Laser & Surgery Specialists of New York/New Jersey, and Department of Dermatology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY Combination blue (415nm) and red (633nm) LED therapy appears to have excellent potential in the treatment of mild to severe acne. Treatment appears to be both pain- and side effect-free. Read the full study »

SNU

October 2007 – Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea This study shows that red light phototherapy alone can be a new therapeutic option for acne vulgaris. Read the full study »

Research Supporting Red Light For Acne

SEOUL

Red light phototherapy alone is effective for acne vulgaris: randomized, single-blinded clinical trial. 2007 Oct; 33(10):1228-33; discussion 1233. “The percent improvement in noninflammatory and inflammatory lesion counts of the treated side was significant compared to the control side (p<.005). VAS decreased from 3.9 to 1.9 on the treatment side and the difference between the treatment and control sides was significant at Week 8.” Read the full study @ PubMed.gov »

Imperial College London

Phototherapy with blue (415 nm) and red (660 nm) light in the treatment of acne vulgaris. 2000 May; 142(5):973-8. “Assessments were performed every 4 weeks. After 12 weeks of active treatment a mean improvement of 76% (95% confidence interval 66-87) in inflammatory lesions was achieved by the combined blue-red light phototherapy; this was significantly superior to that achieved by blue light (at weeks 4 and 8 but not week 12)” Read more @ PubMed.gov »

MSSM

Combination blue (415 nm) and red (633 nm) LED phototherapy in the treatment of mild to severe acne vulgaris. PubMed.gov – 2006 Jun; 8(2):71-5. Combination blue and red LED therapy appears to have excellent potential in the treatment of mild to severe acne. Treatment appears to be both pain- and side effect-free. Read more @ PubMed.gov »