An age old problem, acne, now has new age treatment with laser therapy to both treat existing acne and to rid patients of acne scars. For millions of patients who have battled acne with soaps, gels, and peels, acne laser treatment offers new hope to prevent, control, and eliminate blemishes that result from both non-inflammatory and inflammatory causes of pimples, papules, and skin scars.
Laser therapy has long been used to treat other skin conditions such as scars and vascular lesions. It has also been used more recently to remove unwanted body hair and reduce wrinkles. Usually prescribed by a dermatologist specializing in acne therapies, acne laser skin treatment uses a wavelength of 1450 nm. This beam kills the bacteria in the sebaceous gland and alters the sebaceous gland to prevent further inflammation. Skin sculpturing and rejuvenation can also be performed on those patients who have scars left from years of suffering with cases of really bad acne.
While dermatologists involved in studying the laser and its effects on acne have reported amazing results, some insurance companies are not buying this as a better therapy. Pointing to studies that show laser treatment for acne is only equally as successful to those results achieved with topical medications, many insurance companies will not cover the cost of therapy. This means the standard $500 per treatment must be paid by the patient. Most patients require three to four treatments making this a very expensive treatment option.
Each treatment requires twenty to thirty minutes of time and feels a bit like the skin is being popped lightly with a rubber band. If this is too uncomfortable for the patient, a topical anesthetic gel is applied to numb the skin several minutes before beginning the procedure. Some discoloration is to be expected in the first week following the procedure. This resolves quickly, and a clearing of up to 70% of the lesions is often reported after just one treatment.
Although some insurance companies refuse to pay for laser therapy in the case of acne, patients willing to undergo the procedure find it very successful. After struggling for years with soaps, creams, and solutions acne sufferers are happy to find something that provides a high chance of acne relief in a short period of time. When compared to the risk of hormonal medications and accutane or even the inconvenience of topical creams and washes which offer little benefit to severe acne sufferers, acne laser treatment is the twenty-first century way to treat, and possibly cure this age old problem.