Laser Treatment – Burning Acne Away Without Harming You?

The fight against acne is one that has been going on since the time of the Ancient Romans, and is one that is set to continue for a while yet. Acne is not a syndrome that takes the punishment lying down, and as a result the keenest minds in dermatology have as yet delivered only short-term fixes and imperfect solutions. One way that is being looked at as a potential preventative against acne formation is laser technology. Currently used in the removal and reduction of acne scarring, it has been earmarked by scientists as a potential weapon in the “war on acne”

The idea behind this laser therapy is that the laser will burn away the follicle sac in which hair grows along with the sebaceous gland where the oil is produced, as a result causing oxygen to form in the bacteria, killing them at a stroke. There are concerns, which may be obvious to those who understand how lasers work. The danger is that heat damage to the skin may cause long-term dryness and spots. The United States Food and Drug Adminstration has approved the small-scale use of lasers for the treatment of acne, and results have so far been mixed.

Among other problems, it has emerged that some of the laser devices were affected by coolant failure, causing patients to suffer painful burning injuries. The treatment is quite expensive due to its small-scale operation and as yet the technology has not been perfected. It is not being ruled out for potential future use, but laser treatment is, for now, not a solution that is broadly available.

What does the future hold for acne sufferers?

There are plans constantly afoot to develop a “silver bullet” in the fight against acne, and these plans are getting closer incrementally, perhaps a day at a time. The latest plan to be seen as a potential winning blow in the battle is a vaccine tested on mice in 2008 which has had reported good results. As yet there is no definitive proof that this vaccine would be effective in preventing acne in humans, but there is continuing work being carried out to ensure that any discrepancies are ironed out. If the vaccine were to be perfected, scientists believe it could be the answer to many of the problems with other acne treatments.

Long term antibiotic therapy has been found to have side-effects including gastro-intestinal problems. For acne sufferers, much of the recent past has been about making a decision on what they most want to be rid of -–the acne which has blighted their lives for a considerable period of time, or the side-effects which exact such a heavy toll that they need to be taken as a fresh health problem in and of themselves. It would therefore be ideal if a vaccine could be developed which would bypass the trouble spots of other medications.

Other methods are of course constantly being considered and honed, with the inclusion of continuing efforts to create a pill that will have the positive effects of the more powerful compounds available without causing side-effects that outstrip the acne in terms of discomfort. It is a painstaking process, however, and it may yet be years before anything conclusive is announced.