Among the light and laser therapies for acne, blue light acne treatment is perhaps the best known. The patient is exposed to a narrow-band, high-intensity blue light for about 15 minutes per treatment. The blue light treatment is performed in the dermatologist’s office twice a week for eight weeks. The frequency and length of treatment depends on the extent of the acne.

Blue light acne treatment is painless and does not harm surrounding skin tissues. Modern blue-light systems do not use ultraviolet light, so the skin damage associated with UV treatment does not occur. Most patients enjoy improved  skin condition and a reduced number of pustules after several treatments, though the treatment seems to be more effective in adults with inflammatory acne. Nodulocystic acne may resist blue light acne treatment.

Blue light acne treatment works by destroying the acne-causing bacteria P. acnes. The bacteria multiplies very quickly, so blue light treatment may need to be ongoing. Since blue light treatment’s only functional mechanism is killing the bacteria, improvement will only be evident when there are no other causal factors.

Possible temporary side effects of blue light acne treatment include redness and skin dryness, as well as changes in pigmentation. It is still a relatively new therapy, and long-term side effects are not known.

Research has shown that many patients respond to blue light acne treatment with 50% improvement. However, study samples so far have been too small to draw any firm conclusions. More and larger studies are needed to evaluate the therapy’s effectiveness and to determine any long-term side effects.

Lasers and blue light acne treatments are still in the early stages. They are probably not the first choice to cure pimples, but they can be used as alternative therapies for cases that do not respond well to conventional acne therapy or treatment protocols.