title: Efficacy of 3.6% topical ALA-PDT for the treatment of severe acne vulgaris.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy and safety of topical 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the treatment of severe acne vulgaris.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 125 patients with Pillsbury III-IV severe facial acne were treated with 3 courses of ALA-PDT with an interval of 2 weeks. ALA gel (3.6%) was applied topically to acne lesions for 1.5 h. The lesions were irradiated by a LED light of 633 nm with a light intensity of 66 mW/cm² and a light dose of 126 J/cm². Patients were evaluated for efficacy and safety at weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 after the initial treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total effective rates were 1.6%, 24.8%, 68.8%, 89.6% and 88.8% at the 2- 4- 6- 8- and 12-week after the initial treatment respectively. The clinical outcomes were the best at 4 weeks after the final treatment. The best effective rate and cure rate were 89.6% and 44% respectively. 26 patients and 16 patients showed apparent exacerbation of acne lesions before the 2nd and 3rd treatment respectively, but all of them showed good or excellent improvement after 3-course treatment. Adverse reactions were mild and transient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  3.6% ALA-PDT is a simple, safe and effective therapeutic option for the treatment of severe acne vulgaris.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Wuxi No. 2 People's Hospital, Wuxi, China. 13915321981@163.com.
authors.forename: S-Q
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: R-S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: L-J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000152:Acne Vulgaris / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid