There is some limited evidence to suggest that red and blue light therapy may be useful for people with moderate to severe acne (1) but the use of pulsed yellow light therapy gives mixed results (1)
Laser treatment - both ablative and non ablative - does appear to be useful in treating acne-related scarring (2) but the routine use of laser or light treatment is not currently prescribed in the UK.
Photodynamic therapy may be considered for patients who are over 18 years old with moderate to severe acne if other treatments are ineffective, not tolerated, or contraindicated. (3)
References:
1. Barbaric J et al. Light therapies for acne. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016 Sep 27;9(9):CD007917.
2. Ong MW, Bashir SJ. Fractional laser resurfacing for acne scars: a review. Br J Dermatol. 2012 Jun;166(6):1160-9.
3. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Acne vulgaris: management. Dec 2023
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