Topical ALA PDT for the treatment of severe acne vulgaris.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effectiveness of topical 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-medicated photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the treatment of severe acne vulgaris.


METHODS
A total of 78 Chinese patients with Grade 4 severe facial acne were treated with 1-3 courses of ALA PDT. ALA cream (10%) was applied topically to acne lesions for 3 h. The lesions were irradiated by a LED light of 633 nm at dose levels of 50-70 J/cm(2) at 66 mW/cm(2). Clinical assessment was conducted before and after treatment up to 6 months.


RESULTS
22% of patients showed excellent improvement after one-course treatment and another 34% showed excellent improvement after two-course. The rest (44%) required three-course treatment to further reduce the number and size of residual lesions. Adverse effects were minimal. The symptoms and signs in recurrent cases (14%) were much milder and responded well to conventional topical medication.


CONCLUSIONS
ALA PDT is a simple, safe and effective therapeutic option for the treatment of severe acne. Further studies to fully understand its mechanisms and optimize its effectiveness are needed.
Shanghai Skin Diseases and STD Hospital, Shanghai 200050, PR China. xlwang2001@yahoo.cn
Xiu-Li
XL
Wang
Hong-Wei
HW
Wang
Ling-Lin
LL
Zhang
Ming-Xia
MX
Guo
Zheng
Z
Huang
D000152:Acne Vulgaris / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D000287:Administration, Topical; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010778:Photochemotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid