Blue Light Therapy
Blue Light Therapy in Delray Beach
Blue light therapy is the common term used to describe the process of treating pre-cancers or certain superficial skin cancers with photodynamic therapy. Photodynamic therapy utilizes Levulan (Aminolevulinic acid 20%), a naturally occurring photosensitizing compound, which has been approved by the FDA to treat precancerous skin lesions called actinic keratoses.
Applied to the skin, Levulan is subsequently activated by specific wavelengths of light. The purpose of activating Levulan with light is to treat precancerous lesions. Improvement of the appearance of your skin (such as acne or sun damage/solar lentigines) may occasionally, but not consistently, occur as a secondary, unintended consequence.
How Does Blue Light Therapy Work?
Your doctor may choose to dermabrade (sand) your skin before applying Levulan in order to allow it to incubate for 60-90 minutes. Subsequently, the area will also be treated with a specific wavelength of light (blue light) to activate the Levulan. During blue light therapy, the patient may feel slight stinging, pain and discomfort for the 16 minutes of therapy. Occasionally, this treatment may need to be repeated in two months if some lesions persist.
Interested in Learning More? Call Us!
Blue light therapy helps to reduce the number of bacteria found on your skin while also reducing the inflammation seen in acne and other types of skin lesions. Getting blue light therapy in a clinical setting allows you to treat larger areas at a time when compared to the available at-home blue light treatments. To learn more about the benefits of blue light therapy in our Delray Beach clinic, contact Hacker Dermatology today to request a consultation with our board-certified dermatologist.