Acne vulgaris is one of the most common skin diseases in adolescents. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of topical 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the treatment of severe acne in Chinese adolescent patients. Twenty-one Chinese adolescent patients aged 12-18 years with Pillsbury III-IV severe facial acne were treated with three courses of ALA-PDT. A 5% ALA lotion was applied topically for 60 min followed by irradiation with light-emitting diode light at 633 nm with a light intensity of 75-80 mW/cm(2) and a light dose of 90-96 J/cm(2) . Clinical assessment was conducted before and after each treatment, and at each follow-up session. The total effective rates were 85.71%, 90.48%, and 95.23% after the three PDT sessions, and at the 4- and 8-week follow ups, respectively. ALA-PDT is an effective treatment for severe adolescent acne vulgaris, and is associated with mild and reversible side-effects.
Keywords: adolescent acne; aminolevulinic acid; photodynamic therapy.
© 2015 Japanese Dermatological Association.