Q. I have acne. It’s embarrassing. I can’t believe with all the washing I do that I have embarrassing breakouts. Is there any solution?

A. BLU-U photodynamic therapy can help. Acne affects more than 80% of the world’s population at some time over the course of their lifetime. Americans spend billions of dollars on annti-acne medications. Some treatments, particularly oral acne treatments like Accutane® and other antibiotics have serious side effects. Blu-U acne light therapy is effective, painless, and has no known side effects.

This procedure involves no medication, is non-invasive and pain free. Full face and neck treatments take approximately 15 minutes. Plus BLU-U acne light works for all skin types killing bacteria. There is no downtime involved in this treatment either. As soon as it’s over you can return to your normal activities.

Q. Does BLU-U take more than one treatment?

A. Typically, treatment sessions are approximately 15 minutes long twice a week for 4 weeks. You wear protective safety goggles and simply sit with your face close to the light for a short time, usually 15 minutes. It’s safe. It’s not hot. It’s not painful at all. After some weeks, the blue light can control your acne, or clear it up for a very long period. The BLU-U was cleared by the FDA in 2003 for the treatment of moderate inflammatory acne vulgaris.

Q. What is acne vulgaris?

A. Acne vulgaris is the most common type of acne, the type that most people experience at one time of their life or another.
Just beneath the surface of the skin lie hundreds of tiny glands called sebaceous glands. Their function is to collect and excrete the oily substance called sebum, to keep the skin healthy. Acne is created when the tiny pathway meant for the sebum to escape becomes clogged, and a bacterium called p. acnes grows inside. In a short time, the area swells up, and forms a pimple on the skin. At certain times of life, this process becomes more active than other times.

Q. Does BLU-U resolve other kinds of skin problems besides acne?

A. BLU-U® Blue Light Photodynamic Therapy was US-FDA approved in September of 2003 for the treatment of acne and for the treatment of actinic keratoses (AK’s). Actinic keratoses are caused by sun damage and look like scaly patches of slightly reddened skin. They are rough to the touch.

Using BLU-U, the porphyrins (chemicals produced by the bacteria that cause acne) are activated and thus destroy the bacteria. In treating AKs, BLU-U is used with Levulan® Kerastick® (aminolevulinic acid HCl, aka ALA) to treat the damaged areas of the face and scalp. The Levulan Kerastick, which is a wand with an applicator tip used to dab on the product, is applied to the skin and absorbed. Once absorbed it is changed into a porphyrin similar to what destroys the bacteria in acne, which is then activated by the Blu-U. This causes the AK’s to peel off in the week following treatment.

Q. Do I do anything differently after my BLU-U treatment?

A. Most patients experience mild sunburn like redness and or peeling after the BLU-U acne treatment with Levulan that can last for a few days. Once Levulan is applied the area will be sensitive to sunlight or other intense light sources for 48 hours. Therefore, it is important that following a treatment a sunscreen with zinc oxide and SPF# 30 or higher is used regularly for the 48 hours following treatment. Failure to do this can result in redness and peeling that may last up to 10 days.

When BLU-U acne Blue Light treatments are medically necessary as deemed by your.

Q. Is BLU-U safe? Are there any side-effects?

A. The BLU-U treatment is very safe. The blue-violet light penetrates just deep enough into the tissue to reach the acne target. It only affects the P. acnes bacteria, not the normal tissue. Women who are pregnant or breast feeding should not get BLU-U treatments.

Q. Do I have to do anything before coming in for my BLU-U treatment?

A. The face should be cleansed with soap and water and free of any oil. The paramedic aestheticians at Rocky Mountain Laser Aesthetics will give you a skin preparation pad, a cleaning pad, to cleanse the oils from your face prior to treatment. Once treatment is over, you can reapply makeup.