The Science of Blue Light Acne Treatment
“[Blue light treatment] is a major breakthrough and could be an excellent alternative for those patients who have had minimal success with traditional therapies…”
-- Dr. Arielle N.B. Kauvar
What is Blue Light?
Blue light acne treatment was featured at the last Sci\ART Global Chromotherapy workshop. |
As discussed on the Overview page, blue light is powerful electromagnetic energy as part of the visible electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths ranging from 400nm-495nm. You may have noticed that those wavelengths encompass violet and indigo as well, but most people viewing a color in that wavelength range would call it all “blue.” In fact, the studies done with light in those wavelengths call it all "blue," or, "low-level blue."
Why Does Blue Light Work?
Blue light is closely related to Ultraviolet (UV) light on the electromagnetic spectrum. It is not surprising then, that blue light retains many of the same antibacterial and germicidal properties of UV. The closer the blue light's wavelength is to the UV range (400nm and below), the more effective it will be. The further the blue light is from UV, the less effective it becomes; though because of the longer wavelength, it will penetrate more deeply into the skin, reaching into cystic type acne.
How Does Blue Light Acne Treatment Work?
Although there are many websites to wade through, and even more products to choose from, blue light acne treatment is as simple as this: blue light kills acne bacteria. When blue light strikes acne bacteria cells it sets off a chemical reaction that causes the bacteria to self-destruct.
"Light gets at the core of what causes acne eruptions: P. acnes, the bacterial responsible for causing acne inflammation, pumps out tiny molecules called porphyrins. When those porphyrin are exposed to certain wavelengths of light, they produce free radicals that kill the bacteria. Without P. acnes around to cause inflammation, acne clears up."
"A low intensity blue light source (405 nm to 420 nm) has been studied for the treatment of mild to moderate inflammatory acne. In the study, two 15-minute exposures a week for a period of four weeks produced a 60 percent reduction in acne in 80 percent of patients. Reported remissions from acne lasted as long as three to eight months." October 2002 - American Academy of Dermatology
Based on this research similar studies, the first blue light acne treatment 'system', ClearLight, gained FDA approval in 2002.
Blue Light And LightWave CS™
LightWave CS™ peaks twice in the blue spectrum, once at 405nm, and once at 450nm. Having done your research, you know why 405nm is included. But why did we make a full half of the blue light 450nm?
Visible blue light (400-495nm) kills acne bacteria. The shorter the wavelength (closer to 400nm) the more effective it is. The longer the wavelength (closer to 495nm), the deeper it penetrates the skin. The research you’ve been reading published that the most effective wavelengths are 405-420nm. But that does not mean 420nm+ wavelengths are not effective, it only means they are less effective when compared to the shorter ones. Since blue light of longer wavelengths penetrate deeper into the skin, they can reach into deeper into the zit, killing more bacteria than the 405nm light can reach. This is especially beneficial for killing a zit before it ever reaches the surface of your skin, and for treating deeper types of acne, like cystic acne.
