Abstract
Acne is a disease of the pilosebaceous unit affecting both teenagers and adults. The treatment of acne is sometimes frustrating due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance, skin irritation and lack of novel therapy. Light and vacuum devices, also known as photopneumatic therapy, have been shown promising as a generally well-tolerated adjunctive treatment of acne vulgaris. We conducted a clinical study using such device to assess the efficacy and safety as an adjunctive treatment of acne in Taiwanese patients. Twenty patients received six sequential treatments every one to two weeks in the facial region. A 4 × 4 cm2 area on cheek was chosen as a control area and was not treated with photopneumatic device. Safety parameters and adverse events were recorded. VISIA Complexion Analysis System was used for image analysis on the improvement of four parameters, namely, pigmentation, pore reduction, redness and porphyrin levels. There was an overall improvement in pigmentation, pore size, redness and porphyrin levels on treatment areas. The treatment areas showed statistically significant improvement (p < 0.05) in pigmentation and pore sizes compared with the control areas using paired samples T-test. Mild and self-limiting localized adverse events, mostly focal petechiae or mild irritation, were reported. Our study has demonstrated that photopneumatic therapy is an effective, safe and relatively well-tolerated procedure in Taiwanese acne patients.
Highlights
Acne is a disease of the pilosebaceous unit affecting both teenagers and adults
Pulse light device with aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and intense pulsed lights devices (IPLs) are common devices used in treatment of acne vulgaris, by eliminating Propionibacterium acnes [4][7]
It generates up to 3 psi pressure in a confined treatment area which effectively lifts the dermal structures towards the epidermis and expels follicular contents onto the skin’s surface thereby clearing the pore
Summary
Acne is a disease of the pilosebaceous unit affecting both teenagers and adults It is one of the most common disorders treated by the medical professions as well as self-treatment using over the counter remedies. All acne lesions start with the formation of a microcomedone created by hyperproliferation of the follicular epithelium [2] At this early stage, inflammatory processes and activation of the vascular endothelium occur, resulting from various reasons. The effect of vacuum stretches the skin 25% - 35%, reducing effective melanin concentration in the epidermis, which increases the transmission of energy to the targeted structures This elevation of the pilosebaceous unit results in more light delivered to target structures more efficiently as less energy is lost in the process of transmission. Studies on Asian populations and other ethnic skin are minimal [9] [10]
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