Phototherapy of acne vulgaris with visible light.
BACKGROUND
Sun exposure has a beneficial effect on acne vulgaris, but it is not clear which wavelengths contribute to the favourable effect.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of visible light on acne vulgaris and define the most effective wavelengths.


METHODS
Thirty patients (15 men and 15 women) with mild to moderate acne vulgaris, involving the face and/or the back and/or the chest, were treated with three different light sources. They were treated 3 times a week, for a total of 7 weeks, each field for 20 min per session.


RESULTS
All the light sources using 'full spectrum', green and violet improved the acne, leading to 14% (p > 0.10), 22% (p < 0.05) and 30% (p < 0.02) improvement, respectively. No statistically significant differences between the three different light sources were found, although there was a tendency that violet light was better than the other light qualities. No side-effects were observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Visible light is a moderately effective alternative for treatment of acne vulgaris.
Sigurdsson
V
V
Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Utrecht, The Netherlands. V.Sigurdsson@digd.azu.nl
Knulst
A C
AC
van Weelden
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H
D000152:Acne Vulgaris / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001415:Back; D003116:Color; D005148:Facial Dermatoses / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010789:Phototherapy / Q000379:methods; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D012074:Remission Induction; D013909:Thorax