via d'amor

Sunday, March 9, 2008

the blue light


on a daily basis, i usually use a blue light to restore composite fills on pt's teeth. last wednesday, i was exposed to use it quite differently. i was at the dermotologist and they recommended the blue light peel. the peel begins with applying a thin layer of 20% salicyic acid on your face. the stuff stings so bad! after 30 sec, you wash it off with water. orange eyeglassess are worn to protect your eyes. then you place you face on a machine 4 x 2 ft that exposes blue light to your face for 20 min.


According to AcneNet this is what blue light is:


Blue-light therapy. The FDA approved narrow-band, high-intensity blue-light therapy for treating acne. Now widely advertised, this is probably the best-known light therapy for acne treatment. Blue light works by killing the acne-causing bacteria, P. acnes, and is being used to treat inflammatory acne vulgaris that has not responded to other acne therapies. The blue-light products of today do not contain ultraviolet (UV) light, which was a staple of former light therapy used to treat acne. UV light can damage skin and is no longer used to treat acne.
Patients receive blue-light therapy in increments. Generally, eight sessions are given over a four-week period, and each session lasts about 15 minutes. Side effects tend to be mild and include temporary pigment changes, swelling of the treated areas, and dryness.

pretty cool huh?

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