A comparative study designed to evaluate the efficacy of weekly blue and red LED treatments vs. twice-weekly alternating blue and red LED treatments for moderate-to-severe acne found equivalent outcomes, suggesting the more convenient regimen for patients does not diminish outcomes. Published online February 4, 2021, in the Journal of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, the study included 20 subjects with moderate-to-severe acne as defined by Burton's grading score.
The subjects were randomly divided into two groups with one group receiving alternating blue (470 nm) and red (640 nm) light in two visits per week for four consecutive weeks and the other group receiving blue and red light treatments consecutively on the same weekly visit for four consecutive weeks. During the duration of the study, subjects were prohibited from receiving conventional treatments. Researchers performed clinical assessments by lesion counts and blinded comparative photographs before treatment and at one, four and eight weeks after the final treatment.
Both regimens provided marked improvement only for inflammatory lesions. The median percentage of acne reduction was significantly demonstrated one week after finishing the course of treatment, and it was sustained until the end of the study. There were no side effects noted throughout the study period. Overall, researchers found no statistically significant difference between once and alternating twice-weekly regimens. Hence, once-weekly treatment could be considered as an alternative choice for patient's convenience.
Read the full study here.
