Clinical efficacy of home-use blue-light therapy for mild-to moderate acne

INTRODUCTION: Blue-light light-emitting diode (LED) therapy has become widely used for the treatment of inflammatory acne. In this study we evaluated the efficacy of a home use blue-light LED application in improving lesions and shortening their time to clearance. METHODS: This was an IRB approved randomized self-control study. For each patient (n = 30), 2 similar lesions, one of each side of the face were chosen for treatment with either a blue-light LED hand-held or sham device. Treatments (n = 4) were conducted twice daily in the clinic and lesions were followed-up till resolution. Reduction in blemishes size and erythema and the overall improvement were evaluated by both the physician and the patients. Time to lesion resolution was recorded. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the response of lesions to the blue-light LED application as opposed to the placebo in terms of reduction in lesion size and lesion erythema as well as the improvement in the overall skin condition (p < 0.025). Signs of improvement were observed as early as post 2 treatments. Time to resolution was significantly shorter for the blue-light LED therapy. CONCLUSION: The results support the effectiveness of using blue-light LED therapy on a daily basis for better improvement and faster resolution of inflammatory acne lesions.