Say Goodbye to Acne with Blue Light Treatments

By Nena Korunda, MD, FACP and Aldo Guevara, MD, Korunda Medical Institute

If you suffer with unsightly acne problems and have not responded well to other methods of acne treatment, you are not alone. But don’t be discouraged, there is hope and it comes in the form of blue light. The recent development of acne blue light therapy has had significant benefits for patients who have exhausted all other acne treatments with no success.

Before we dive into this non-invasive, painless acne treatment, let’s first get a better understanding of what acne is and why so many people have acne problems. Acne is a common, chronic skin condition caused by inflammation of oil-producing sebaceous glands that affects many men, women and adolescents alike. Acne breakouts are most common on the face, but they can also occur on the back, shoulders, neck, chest, scalp, upper arms and legs.

Acne develops when skin cells do not shed properly – they stick together and plug up the pores. An acne breakout starts in the skin’s pores. It takes about two to three weeks before a blemish shows up on the skin’s surface. This blockage encourages an oil called sebum and a bacteria called propionibacterium (P. acnes) to build up in the skin pores, leading to inflammation. The oil is produced by the sebaceous glands.

Deep within each pore is a sebaceous gland that works to produce sebum, an oil that keeps skin soft and moist. As the skin renews itself, old skin cells die and are shed off. Under the best circumstances this happens evenly and gradually, making way for fresh new skin. But some people shed skin unevenly and as a result, dead cells mix with sebum and clump together to form a sticky plug. This plug traps oil and bacteria inside the pore – the beginning of a blemish. During puberty, hormones accelerate oil-producing sebaceous glands into hyperdrive, putting teen skin at particular risk for acne.

A build-up of P. acnes can cause:

• Blackheads and whiteheads, also known as comedones; comedones are enlarged pores filled with sebum. Blackheads are comedones that have opened onto the skin surface. Whiteheads are comedones that are closed on the surface.
• Pimples, also known as pustules; these inflamed follicles occur when the P. acnes bacteria in the follicle attracts infection-fighting cells. The follicle may rupture, spilling its contents into the surrounding skin, causing further inflammation.
• Nodules and cysts, which are more severe forms of acne that go deeper into the skin, forming firm, deep bumps and swellings; similar to pimples, they result from increased sebum production, which leads to bacterial growth, irritation and redness. Korunda Medical Institute is proud to offer patients the effective, pain-free Blu-U Light Treatment to eliminate those unsightly acne breakouts. This high-tech blue light treatment goes to the core of acne and easily wipes it away.

 

How do the Blu-U Light Treatments work?

The Blu-U Blue Light Therapy uses a unique high-intensity blue-violet light that destroys P. acnes bacteria in your skin. Visible violet light, present in sunlight, in the range 405-420nm activates porphyrins in P. acnes. This starts a chemical reaction that produces peroxide which, in turn, destroys the P. acnes bacteria. The treatment itself requires that the client sit in front of the blue light system for a designated period of time.

Care is taken to ensure that the skin is cleansed with soap and water prior to the treatment so that the skin is free of any oil. Special goggles are worn to protect the eyes during the treatment. Each blue light treatment session lasts around 15 minutes or so and can be done on a weekly basis. The length of time in which it takes to remove all acne will depend on the severity and prevalence of the acne condition. More and more individuals are expressing an interest in this non-invasive treatment due to its positive and quick results.

The blue light acne removal treatment can be used on its own or in conjunction with acne medications. It is a great alternative for those who grow weary of the countless acne ointments and who wish to pursue a quick and easy remedy to their acne condition. If acne is a problem for you, which it is for many men, women and children, Blu-U Light Treatment at the Korunda Medical Institute is the solution you have been searching for.

Call (239) 431-6464 for more information about Blu-U Light Treatments or to find out if it is an option for your acne problems.