Korean J Dermatol.  2020 Dec;58(10):681-687.

A Pilot Comparative Study of Alternating Blue and Red Light LED Phototherapy and Pulsed-dye Laser Therapy for Acne Vulgaris Treatment

• Jeon JW
• Bae JY
• Jung HJ
• Ahn J
• Park MY

Abstract

Background
Light-based and laser therapy have emerged as alternative therapies for the treatment of acne. Blue and red light-emitting diode (LED) phototherapy and pulsed dye laser (PDL) therapy are recognized as effective modalities in the treatment of acne vulgaris.
Objective
To compare the efficacy of LED phototherapy and PDL therapy in the treatment of acne.
Methods
We randomly allocated a total of 11 patients to receive LED combination therapy or PDL monotherapy. Outcome assessments included the number of inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions, investigator’s and subject’s assessment, Mexameter^TM and Corneometer^TM measurements.
Results
Five men and six women were enrolled in the study. After treatment, a greater improvement in the inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions was recorded in the LED treatment group. Erythema score decreased more in the PDL treatment group than in the LED treatment group. Patient’s self-satisfaction was better in the LED treatment group than in the PDL treatment group.
Conclusion
This study suggests that both combination LED phototherapy and PDL monotherapy could be effective in the treatment of acne. Additional large-scale studies should be conducted to compare the efficacy of these two treatments.

Keyword

Acne vulgaris; Low-level light therapy; Phototherapy; Lasers