Hand Held Acne Blue Light Therapy Devices – Do They Work As a Natural Acne Solution?

Do you suffer from acne but do not like using chemical based acne solutions? You are probably eager to find a natural acne solution that works to use at home. A Hand Held Acne Blue Light Therapy Device may be the answer to your search. Blue Light has been used in dermatology clinics for many years but the professional devices are expensive and not suited for home based use. The only way to get blue light treatment used to be at a dermatology clinic and it was costly. Recent advances in LED technology have now changed that and made affordable hand held units and bulbs to fit your own lamps available for home use.

How does Acne Blue Light Therapy work?

It has been known for many years that sunlight can have a beneficial effect on acne but unfortunately long term exposure damages the skin. Research into ultraviolet light has found that some of the visible violet light present in sunlight (in the range 405-420 nm that does not have the potentially damaging UV) targets to kill propionibacterium acne’s or the bacteria associated with acne. Studies have also found that using blue light therapy for 3 consecutive days has been shown to reduce bacteria in the pores by up to 99.9% with up to 80% of patients showing overall improvement over 3 months, although 10% of patients did not find any improvement at all.

In July 2000 doctors at Hammersmith Hospital in London (UK) used blue and red light therapy produced by a light-box on patients with mild to moderate acne for 15 minutes a day over a 12 week period. The results showed that on average there was a 76% decrease in the number of spots visible in the area treated on these patients.

The trial was led by Doctor Tony Chu who claims that the combination of the red and blue light therapy attacks the bacteria contributing to the acne and promotes healing.

Not all are convinced though, Dr Richard Pojar, Director of skin research unit ant Leeds University (UK) said the state of mind of the patients could have a pronounced effect on the disease.

The Journal of Drugs in Dermatology also has published a paper by Manhattan dermatologist Doctor Neil Sadick. Doctor Sadick wrote that though the exact mode of action was still unclear, it was believed that photo-therapy destroyed propionibacterium acne’s, the slow-growing bacteria linked to acne. Patients in his study used Omnilux Clear-U blue- and red-light therapies. Eight weeks after a month-long treatment course, Sadick said, acne lesions were reduced by 69 per cent.

In August 2002 FDA approved blue light therapy for acne treatment.

So it seems that acne blue light therapy is worth considering as a natural acne solution especially as it is getting very positive response from the home users and professional bodies. It is also now possible to get the red and blue light therapy LED bulbs that fit your own lamps for under $50.