Photodynamic Therapy for Photodamage, Actinic Keratosis, and Acne in the Cosmetic Practice.

Photodynamic therapy is the combination of the initial application of a photosensitive chemical on the skin and then using typically a blue filter light of varying spectrums. This treatment protocol has been more useful and functional than other chemical peels and lasers for a variety of conditions. There has been efficacy in antiviral treatments, such as herpetic lesions; malignant cancers of the head and neck; and lung, bladder, and skin cancers. It has been tested for prostate cancers, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, vaginal cancer, gliomas, and erythroplasia of Queyrat.