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Acne and Rosacea

My Experience with PPx

I am extremely pleased with the results our patients are experiencing with our Aesthera PPx acne and rosacea treatment.

I have come to almost invariably expect a visible difference after the very first treatment.

The chronic reddened skin which typically troubles acne patients generally seems to respond well and quickly to the treatment.

Photopneumatic therapy (PPx) as well as sending light energy into the skin, simultaneously uses gentle suction hence individual cysts and acne are gently ‘sucked’ into the light-head which improves the speed of results.

• What can you expect?

Treatments feel like a warm pad being applied to the skin. There is no need for numbing creams with Aesthera. A fine mist spray is used as a coolant if necessary to relieve any discomfort.

• How many treatments? How far apart?

I expect that almost invariably you will see visible results after the first treatment. Generally three to five treatments every three weeks will give a marked improvement. At that stage I usually suggest that the patient return in 4 to 8 weeks and we work out a treatment frequency which keeps the acne under good control. Because I am interested in nutrition and because it also does often make a real difference I will usually suggest some simple nutritional interventions.

• Can I return to work/school immediately following a treatment?

I usually treat my acne patients in the late afternoon and any redness usually settles after an hour or two and has resolved by later that evening facilitating return to work or school the next morning.

 

If you feel you would like some more technical information, below is a news release from the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery.

News Release from the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery

Study Finds Light Therapy with Pneumatic Energy Offers Patients Rapid Acne Clearing

Wausau, Wisconsin – April 13, 2007. Patients in an acne study using a new therapy that combines intense pulsed light (IPL) and pneumatic energy experienced a 65 percent to 80 percent improvement in their acne lesions after as few as two to three weekly treatments, according to new research presented today at the 27th Annual Conference of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) in Grapevine, TX. Traditional oral and topical therapies can typically take six to eight weeks to produce noticeable acne clearing.

The multi-center study, headed by Gilly Munavalli, MD, Medical Director of the Dermatology, Laser, and Vein Specialists of the Carolinas, Charlotte, NC, and Clinical Instructor of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, involved 15 patients with mild to severe acne who were treated with photopneumatic therapy (PPX). Unlike conventional pulsed light therapy, PPX technology features a vacuum suctioning technology that brings the sebaceous, or oil, glands closer to skin’s surface for more presumed exposure to broadband light to achieve a rapid regression of active acne.

"The primary cause of acne is over-activity of the oil glands, which we feel responds to pulsed-light energy by selectively heating the sebum in the oil glands and decreasing glandular activity. This study was designed to test whether adding the unique vacuum delivery component to the light treatment would aid in unclogging the pores and lead to greater clearing of active acne," said Dr. Munavalli. "In all subjects, the vacuum device was highly successful in what we refer to as ‘pore cleansing’ or eliminating the overgrowth of acne-causing bacteria that clogs the oil glands and proliferates on the skin of people prone to acne. As a result, we found a substantial clearing of active acne lesions and the prevention of new acne flares following treatment, even menstrual cycle-sensitive acne in female subjects."

Patients selected for the study previously failed to demonstrate improvement using other conventional medical acne therapies. Each participant was treated with a series of four full-face PPX treatments, performed one week apart. Each full-face treatment lasted an average of 10 to 20 minutes. The severity of the patients’ acne was graded on a standardized scale with blinded physician photographic assessment. To evaluate the success of this procedure, clinical photos of each patient were obtained before starting the treatment, prior to each subsequent treatment, and one month following the final treatment.

Dr. Munavalli reported that overall acne activity was markedly reduced and noticeable after two to three PPX treatments. Specifically, patients experienced 65 percent less inflammatory acne, papular and pustular lesions, as well as 70 percent to 80 percent less acne comedones, commonly referred to as whiteheads and blackheads. Since the vacuum technology enhances the pulsed-light effect, less energy is required with PPX than other laser therapies. Accordingly, patients reported only minimal pain accompanying the procedure. Dr. Munavalli noted that side effects and risks were minimal, with no blistering or pigmentation changes observed. Transient redness occurred but resolved within a few hours after treatment.

"PPX is an excellent new treatment option for patients who are frustrated by their chronic acne and in need of a therapy to jumpstart the clearing process," said Dr. Munavalli. "We’re finding that this treatment is extremely effective when used in combination with other, more traditional oral or topical therapies. Plus, patients are reporting reduced redness in acne scars following PPX treatments, which we will want to investigate more carefully."