|
Photodynamic Therapy is the best current treatment for removing sun damage, brown spots, and precancerous areas while simultaneously improving skin texture. It consists of the combination of Levulan, a photosensitiving chemical, and treatment with an Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) or other light source.
 
Our patient who had a combination of sun spots & precancerous areas before & after Photodynamic Therapy Photos by C. Elliott MD
For those who have scaly precancerous spots or actinic keratoses, IPL with Levulan works as well in 1 week as the prescription cream that causes crusting for up to 4 weeks. It has also been found to be excellent for treating acne, usually decreasing breakouts for several months after a series of 3 treatments.
 
Before and after Photodynamic Therapy, Photo by C. Elliott, MD
What to expect from Photodynamic Therapy: In order to give you the best results, we perform a a microdermabrasion first so that the photosensitizing medication Levulan penetrates as deep as possible. The Levulan is applied & then removed after 1 hour. To make the treatment comfortable, we then apply a cream anesthetic which is removed after about 15 minutes. This is followed by a treatment with the IPL device as described above in the laser treatment discussion, requiring about 20 minutes to perform. There is a snapping sensation when the treatment is done but the anesthetic cream will usually make the procedure painless.
Recovery and complications from Photodynamic Therapy: Following treatment the skin is often red and may feel sunburned for the first 2 days. The skin becomes tight and brown spots appear darker until days 3-5, when peeling occurs. Because of the intense photosensitization that increases the effectiveness of the IPL device, sun exposure is to be strictly avoided for 48 hours after treatment.
|
