Low-Dose Topical 5-Aminolevulinic Acid Photodynamic Therapy in the Treatment of Different Severity of Acne Vulgaris
Abstract
The objective of this article is to investigate the effectiveness and safety of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with 3.6 % topical aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and a short incubation time with red light in moderate to severe acne. One hundred and thirty-six patients with moderate to severe acne were treated with 3.6 % topical ALA-PDT for three sessions with an interval of 2 weeks. Patients were evaluated for efficacy and safety on week 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 after the initial treatment. Most patients showed apparent clearance of acne lesions at the treated site after three sessions. The effective treatment rates were increased after the multiple therapies. The clinical outcomes are the best at 4 weeks after the final treatment. The total effectiveness rate and cure rate of the low-dose ALA-PDT procedure is 92.65 and 47.06 %, respectively. Thirty-one patients and nineteen patients showed apparent exacerbation of acne lesions before the 2nd and 3rd treatment, respectively, but all of them showed good or excellent improvement after a three-course treatment. A few patients showed mild relapse including papules and comedos at 8 weeks after the final treatment. No significant differences are found in the effects of different acne severity and different genders. Adverse reactions are mild and transient. A 3.6 % topical ALA-PDT with a short time incubation with red light is a simple and an effective treatment option for moderate to severe acne with mild side effects in Chinese people.
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For the treatment of acne, the total dose of red light needs to be adjusted for FST.
“For the treatment of acne, the total dose of red light needs to be adjusted for FST as discussed by multiple authors for patients of Asian origin.65,118–120”
From Effect of skin color on optical properties and the implications for medical optical technologies: a review (2024) · cites this paper as [118]
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Setchfield, K., Gorman, A., Simpson, A. H. R. W., Somekh, M. G., & Wright, A. J. (2024) · Journal of Biomedical Optics · doi:10.1117/1.jbo.29.1.010901 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
- Authors
- Tao, S.-Q., Li, F., Cao, L., Xia, R.-S., Fan, H., Fan, Y., Sun, H., Jing, C., & Yang, L.-J.
- Affiliations
- Wuxi No.2 People's Hospital (CN)
- Venue
- Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics
- Published
- 2015-05-27
- Volume
- 73
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 701-706
- ISSN
- 1085-9195 (ISSN-L)
- 1559-0283
- OpenAlex
- W417266888
- Cited by
- 25
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 3
- FWCI
- 4.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Dermatology › Acne and Rosacea Treatments and Effects
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Photodynamic Therapy Research Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Dermatology › Dermatologic Treatments and Research
- Keywords
- acne, photodynamic therapy, moderate to severe acne, treatment efficacy, treatment safety, acne relapse, comedones, Chinese patients
- MeSH terms
- Acne Vulgaris, Administration, Topical, Adolescent, Adult, Aminolevulinic Acid, Female, Humans, Male, Photochemotherapy
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