Photopneumatic technology for the treatment of acne vulgaris.

OBJECTIVE

Treatment of acne vulgaris with light sources necessitates multiple targets including Propionibacterium acnes and sebaceous glands. Traditional light sources such as blue light capitalize on P acnes bacteria as targets while infrared lasers and radiofrequency devices target the sebaceous gland. A novel device combining vacuum and a unique broadband light source was designed to combine multiple targets for the effective treatment of acne. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of a novel device that uses a combination of broadband light and pneumatic energy for the treatment of acne vulgaris.

METHODS

In a retrospective multicenter study, clinical data were collected from 56 patients with mild to severe acne. Patients had been treated 2 to 4 times with a portable photopneumatic device (Aesthera PPx, Aesthera Corporation, Pleasanton, CA) that delivers broadband light (400 to 1200 nm) to the treatment site via a hand piece. For 11 of the 56 patients, 3 independent physicians blinded to the study treatment or duration evaluated PPx efficacy by comparing photographs taken before and after PPx treatment.

RESULTS

For the 56 patients, the median physician-rated clearance increased from 50% after a single treatment to 90% after the fourth treatment, whereas the median patient-rated clearance improved from 50% after a single treatment to 78% after the fourth treatment. On a 4-point scale, both physician-rated and patient-rated median overall satisfaction levels increased from a 3 after a single treatment, to 4 after the second, third, and fourth treatments. Clinically significant adverse events were not observed. For the 11 patients evaluated by photography, the median papule and pustule lesion counts decreased from 8 to 3 and from 2 to 0, respectively. Median acne severity (Burton scale) decreased from 4 before treatment to 2 after the final treatment, and the median improvement was 4.5 (scale 1-5). The median erythema rating decreased from 2 before treatment to 1 after the final treatment (scale 1-4). Adverse events were limited to mild erythema. The median acne clearance was 3 (scale 1-4).

CONCLUSION

Photopneumatic technology provides a safe and effective treatment of mild to severe acne vulgaris.