Weekend Acne Cure sm

Laser Treatment for Acne a Reality

Alert: The “I Pledge” Program requirements are extremely strict for Oral Isotretinoin therapy (Accutane®). For numerous reasons, many people with severe acne are not candidates for the five or six months of therapy with oral isotretinoin. Laser Photodynamic Therapy is a potential alternative for treating and stopping scarring acne.

Dermatologists are no longer in control of prescription Isotretinoin therapy for scarring acne, the government and insurance companies are. Women who might become pregnant are not candidates for oral isotretinoin, approved for scarring acne that has been resistant first line acne therapies. Many other people are unable to get the drug because of bureaucracy or cost. Once you are on it, if you are one week late getting blood drawn for monthly lab work dictated by the FDA-Industry created I Pledge program, I Pledge cancels your ability to get Isotretinoin.

There have been many problems with the isotretinoin industry run I Pledge program and many patients are unnecessarily developing acne scars, when they should be receiving oral Isotretinoin.

As a stop gap, or as an alternative to Isotretinoin therapy, dermatologists are borrowing FDA approved Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) for pre-skin cancers, and using it for facial scarring acne. An FDA approved product called Levulan® is applied to the face with emphasis on both active acne, and the recent scars. Levulan® binds to the oil gland tissues, and becomes a “photoactive” product. Laser light is then used to activate the photoactive complexes with the PDT treatment.

In our experience two treatments a month apart is most effective and tends to produce lasting results. Typically performed on a Thursday or a Friday, with recovery over the weekend, I have begun to call this service our Weekend Acne Cure®. This is a trademark name, not a description. Facial acne is addressed over a weekend with Laser PDT, but scarring acne on the trunk ultimately needs oral Isotretinoin. But stopping scarring facial acne with lasers is now a reality. FDA trials are ongoing, and once the FDA approves Levulan® for acne (months or years), we expect health insurance to cover it.

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