Amy Forman Taub1. 1. Advanced Dermatology, Lincolnshire, IL 60069, USA. drtaub@skinfo.com
Abstract
BACKGROUND:Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is an emerging modality for the treatment of acne vulgaris. However, optimal therapeutic protocols have not been established. OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacies of 3 different light sources for activating ALA-induced protoporphyrin IX for the treatment of acne vulgaris. METHODS:Twenty-two patients with moderate to severe acne vulgaris were randomly assigned to receive ALA-PDT with photoactivation by intense pulsed light (IPL, 600-850 nm), a combination of IPL (580-980 nm) and bipolar radiofrequency (RF) energies, or blue light (417 nm). Each patient received 3 ALA-PDT sessions at 2-week intervals. Follow-up evaluations were conducted 1 and 3 months after the final treatment. RESULTS: At 1 month and 3 months, median lesion count reduction percentages were highest with IPL activation and lowest with blue light activation, although the differences did not reach statistical significance. At 1 month and 3 months, median investigator-assessed improvements were highest with IPL activation and lowest with blue light activation. The variability of responses was significantly smaller with IPL activation than with either RF-IPL or blue light activation. CONCLUSION: ALA-PDT with activation by IPL appears to provide greater, longer-lasting, and more consistent improvement than either RF-IPL or blue light activation in the treatment of moderate to severe acne vulgaris.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is an emerging modality for the treatment of acne vulgaris. However, optimal therapeutic protocols have not been established. OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacies of 3 different light sources for activating ALA-induced protoporphyrin IX for the treatment of acne vulgaris. METHODS: Twenty-two patients with moderate to severe acne vulgaris were randomly assigned to receive ALA-PDT with photoactivation by intense pulsed light (IPL, 600-850 nm), a combination of IPL (580-980 nm) and bipolar radiofrequency (RF) energies, or blue light (417 nm). Each patient received 3 ALA-PDT sessions at 2-week intervals. Follow-up evaluations were conducted 1 and 3 months after the final treatment. RESULTS: At 1 month and 3 months, median lesion count reduction percentages were highest with IPL activation and lowest with blue light activation, although the differences did not reach statistical significance. At 1 month and 3 months, median investigator-assessed improvements were highest with IPL activation and lowest with blue light activation. The variability of responses was significantly smaller with IPL activation than with either RF-IPL or blue light activation. CONCLUSION:ALA-PDT with activation by IPL appears to provide greater, longer-lasting, and more consistent improvement than either RF-IPL or blue light activation in the treatment of moderate to severe acne vulgaris.
Authors: Jelena Barbaric; Rachel Abbott; Pawel Posadzki; Mate Car; Laura H Gunn; Alison M Layton; Azeem Majeed; Josip Car Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2016-09-27