Blu-U Light Acne Treatment

BLU-U® Blue Light Photodynamic Therapy

BLU-U® Blue Light Photodynamic Therapy was US-FDA approved in September of 2003 for the treatment of acne and actinic keratoses (AK’s). Actinic keratoses are caused by sun damage and look like scaly patches of slightly reddened skin that are rough to the touch. During acne treatment, Blu-U activates porphyrins (chemicals produced by the bacteria that cause acne), which then destroy the bacteria themselves. For AK’s, Blu-U is used in combination with Levulan® Kerastick® (aminolevulinic acid HCl, aka ALA) to treat the damaged areas of the face and scalp. It is an excellent tool when there are too many AK’s to treat efficiently with liquid nitrogen. The Levulan Kerastick is applied to the skin and absorbed. Once absorbed it is changed into a porphyrin similar to what destroys the bacteria in acne, which is then activated by the Blu-U. This causes the AK’s to peel off in the week following treatment.

Blu-U light treatment is extremely safe and painless and affects the problematic areas only. It involves treating the affected areas of skin while they are exposed to the light while wearing safety goggles. Typically in the treatment of acne, four sessions of 15 minutes each are needed over the first two weeks, and then as needed for the next 6 months. We use this in combination with oral (by mouth) and topical (applied on the skin) antibiotics. If the acne is more cystic and deep, ALA may be needed and applied for shorter exposure time than with AK’s. The ALA is applied 15 minutes before Blu-U activation using the Levulan Kerastick, which is a wand with an applicator tip used to dab on the product. The ALA is then activated for ~6 minutes using the Blu-U. Results should be evident in 8 weeks.

With AK’s, the ALA is applied 14-18 hours before activation with the Blu-U. One treatment session under the light lasts roughly 16 minutes. Eight weeks after treatment all or most of the sun damaged spots will be gone.

The only contraindications to BLU-U and ALA are: known allergies to porphyrins, porphyria, and skin photosensitivity to wavelengths of light from 400-500nm.

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