Lasers are clearing my acne

(Woman, Monday 10, March 2003)

Treatment for acne usually involves long-term antibiotics therapy or drugs, such as Roaccutane, which can have unpleasant, even serious, side-effects. But now a new laser treatment is proving a quick and effective way to clear acne for months at a time.

Nicky Laycock, 39, from Ridgeway in Derbyshire has suffered from painful acne for around 13 years. " I was 26 when I first developed it - mostly on my neck. It's mainly caused by stress and can be really sore. I try to make light of it but when it's really bad I don't want to leave the house."

Nicky tried long-term antibiotics for four years, but without success. Roaccutane did help, but her GP was reluctant to keep prescribing it because it's so expensive. Then, last November, she heard about NLite, a non surgical laser treatment that has been shown to reduce and remove thread veins and birthmarks.

Clinical trials by leading dermatologist and acne expert Dr Tony Chu at the Hammersmith Hospital in London , show NLite can successfully treat acne in a few minutes. "It's brilliant", says Dr Chu. 'It not only removes acne but also scarring.'

The trials show NLite can reduce acne lesions by 50 per cent for up to 12 weeks by destroying the bacteria in acne and stimulating the skin's wound healing process.

Nicky had two treatments and is delighted with the results. 'You put on black glasses and they apply a laser pen, which feels like a pin touching your skin. It does not hurt, but it does make you jump! It only takes about 20 minutes and leaves your skin looking slightly red afterwards.' Nicky, who's married to Gary and has three children, paid £300 for each treatment and has booked one more.

'I know it's expensive but although my acne's not completely gone, it has improved. And my skin does not feel as lumpy as it did.'

Acne is on the increase, but a breakthrough treatment is offering new hope for sufferers.

(The Sunday Times, Sunday 23, February 2003)

Everyone knows acne is a teenage problem, right? Try telling that to the Hollywood superstar Cameron Diaz, whose skin was so bad before the London premiere of her most recent film, Gangs of New York, that she cancelled the trip and remained holed up at home. "She is very honest about her condition" said a close friend.

In fact, acne is the most common skin disease in the world. Eighty per cent of us will be affected at some point in our life and, although it is often an adolescent problem, 30% of us will continue to get acne in adult life.

Like Diaz, many of us know the feeling of not wanting to be seen in public because everyone will be staring at our spots. And while we might not be faced with an A-list bash, it often seems to happen before a big event such as a wedding or a job interview.

Why? Experts believe that stress could be a factor. "Stress increases the adrenal hormones, which stimulates the sebaceous glands and allow acne-producing bacteria to thrive," says Dr Nick Lowe of the Cranley Clinic.

Dr Tony Chu, a consultant dermatologist, agrees: "Stressed career women are particularly prone to acne." It is increasingly common for thirty and forty something women to be desperate for treatment.

"We still don't know why acne eventually resolves," says Trish Coates of the Skin Research Centre at Lee ds University . "And research shows that no acne treatment works to the same degree for everyone."

Roaccutane, a vitamin A derivative has long been the dermatologist favourite "cure". While the drug can have a dramatic and permanent effect on some, it provides only temporary relief for others, and side effects, including dry eyes and lips, and possible liver damage, birth defects and depression, have been well documented.

Those who have looked to antibiotics are also beginning to find a loophole in their treatment. According from study from Lee ds University , resistance to antibiotics for acne, both in oral and topical applications, has increased from 30% in 1992 to 70% in 1997. "No antibiotics work brilliantly on acne," says Professor Hywel Williams.

The lack of satisfactory acne cure explains why dermatologists are so excited by the new N-Lite laser treatment. Dr Chu who has carried out trials on the procedure at the Hammersmith Hospital calls it "the first big advance for 30 years".

The N-Lite laser works by emitting a pulsed beam of yellow light that, when absorbed by the skin, generates heat. This, in turn, encourages the release of chemicals that stimulate the skin's natural healing response and the production of oxygen, which is toxic to bacteria. The N-Lite laser also produces natural collagen, the skin-plumping substance that works to improve texture and soften acne scars.

Specific breakout areas such as the chin or cheeks can be treated during one painless 10-minute session, and the overall "wound healing cascade", as Chu poetically calls it, appears to result in that mysterious turning-off of the acne switch.

Results of Chu 's double-blind trial, in which patients were treated with placebo laser, have just been released and show that one treatment can suppress acne for three months with no side effects. Meanwhile, 58% of patients reported a 50% improvement in their acne. While hardly a miracle cure, it is an important breakthrough for sufferers, who appear to be running out of options.

"The worst years of my life were also the spottiest" says a 29-year-old PA, Marina Tsangarides, who recently underwent N-Lite treatments. "I had teenage spots that disappeared when I was 20, but came back when I was 25 during a particular stressful period." After antibiotics, she cut out sugar and tried facials, as well as expensive glycolic peels, cleansers and sunblock - all to no avail. Her confidence, already damaged by years of acne was at an all time low.

"After my first N-Lite treatment, the spots under my skin came to surface the next day and disappeared within a week," she says. A second treatment a month later resulted in clear, healthy skin. "I'm amazed. The scars from acne are much less noticeable - a tiny dent is still here, but it's much reduced and the skin that surrounds it is perfect."

Putting the spotlight on saving face
(FT, Saturday/Sunday 22/23, February 2003)

It is not a pretty topic, but a timely one. Say acne and people think of spotty teenagers. But it's adult acne that is on the increase. According to Dr Nicholas Perricone, a New York-based dermatologist, 50 per cent of adults between the ages of 20 and 40 suffer from persistent low-grade acne. The cause? "It's stress related" says Dr Anthony Chu, a consultant dermatologist at the Hammersmith Hospital .

"It's assumed that acne sufferers have hormonal problems, but in fact they have a hypersensitivity to testerone, which both men and women have, and the skin reacts" says Chu. The pore becomes blocked as cells prevent the oil from the surfacing on the skin. The oil then pools and multiplies, which causes inflammation and emerges on the skin as acne."

Until now, the cures have been controversial. Roaccutane - or Accutane in the US - is unpopular due to depressive side effects (there are claims that it has led to suicides). Over time, antibiotics learn to love the bacteria they are meant to fight. And the contraceptive pill only suits the women.

Now, a new study conducted by Chu has found that a laser, originally used in the beauty industry to regenerate skin, seems to be 70 per cent successful clearing up acne without pain and also without side effects.

NLite increases collagen and is used for cosmetic photo-rejuvenation, but while it was being used on patients who had acne scarring, practitioners realised it turned off acne too. Chu, who himself suffered from acne, believes N-Lite - which uses yellow light, thought to penetrate the skin deeply, killing all present bacteria - is a major breakthrough.

"We're still not exactly sure how N-Lite works" admits Chu , whose study is so new it has only been submitted to the Lancet. "But all my patients want to know is that it does work after one treatment with no side effects.

Dr Perricone says:"The reasons people get acne is because hormones fluctuate and cause stimulation of the sebaceous glands." Whereas Chu believes diet is irrelevant, Perricone believes it is all-important. "When you control insulin levels, you control inflammation and that affects the process of acne; I also believe eating high fat foods may trigger acne to begin with, or at least make it worse."

How a laser can make acne vanish
(Daily Mail, Tuesday 28, January 2003)

Laser treatment can reduce acne and in some cases clear it up completely, according to hospital researchers.

A system developed for use on birthmarks and wrinkles produced 'significant improvements' for four out of five volunteers with the condition.

In a quarter of cases the condition vanished completely after treatment. The laser heats small blood vessels to provoke a natural heating response and collagen production.

Forty-one patients had a single five-minute session with the so-called NLite laser at the Hammersmith Hospital in West London .

Dr Tony Chu, a consultants dermatologist at the hospital and founder of the Acne Support Group, said: "The results were stunning. I was a complete sceptic but now I'm completely converted. This really is the first major advance in acne treatment in 30 years.

Sixteen men and 25 women took part in the trial. All had mild to moderate acne, and failed to respond to other treatments. They were given one NLite treatment and monitored for 12 weeks. By the end of the study period 81 per cent showed a significant improvement, and in 58 per cent spots were reduced by 50 per cent.
Ten of the patients were cleared of acne.

The NLite, developed at the University of Wales to tackle birthmarks and wrinkles, is being used to treat acne at about 25 private clinics around Britain .

Presenting the findings in London yesterday, Dr Chu said: 'The most important thing is it has a prolonged effect. A single treatment has an effect that lasts three months.' Dr Chu acknowledged that more work was needed to confirm the findings.

Rachel White, 21, from Ely, Cambridgeshire, turned to the NLite treatment after antibiotics and creams failed. She said: ' On good days I don't have any spots at all, it's completely clear. I feel much more confident now.'

Spot on laser cure for acne
(Daily Express, Tuesday 28, January 2003)

Laser therapy looks set to revolutionise the treatment of acne.

After stunning results on 41 patients, Dr Tony Chu, a consultant dermatologist at Hammersmith Hospital , London , yesterday declared it to be the biggest advance in spot treatment for decades.

The pilot study showed that one five-minutes session with NLite laser can achieve a 50 per cent reduction in a patient's acne. Ten of the patients saw their spots completely disappear.

Laser that can zap acne at £300 a go
(Metro, Tuesday 28, January 2003)

A laser that wipes out spots was hailed yesterday as the biggest step forward in acne treatment for 30 years.

In test on 41 sufferers, a single five minutes session with NLite laser dramatically improved blemished skin.

Ten volunteers were completely cleared of the skin complaint, the most common in the world. In 58 per cent of cases, acne lesions were halved.

The NLite was originally developed to tackle birth marks and wrinkles and works by heating small blood vessels to trigger healing of the skin.

Trials proved such a success it is now being offered at 25 private clinics, with a single treatment costing about £300. The patients in the trial - 16 men and 25 women - were given one NLite treatment and monitored for 12 weeks.

Dr Tony Chu, from Hammersmith Hospital in London , said: 'The results were stunning. The most important thing is that the treatment has a prolonged effect.'

Laser cure for the curse of teenagers
(Daily Telegraph, Tuesday 28, January 2003)

Laser treatment for acne is having the most dramatic effect on the battle against spots for 30 years.

A pilot study of forty-one volunteers found that a single five-minutes dose was enough to clear up half the spots treated.

Ten of the patients who took part in the trial at the Hammersmith Hospital in West London were free from acne in weeks.

The trial was carried out by Dr Tony Chu, a consultant dermatologist at the hospital and founder of the Acne Support Group. "The results were stunning" he said. "I was a complete sceptic but now I'm completely converted. This really is the first major advance in acne treatment in 30 years". "The effect of a single treatment lasts three months."

The NLite laser was developed at the University of Wales as a way of removing wrinkles. Doctors noticed that it also cleared up pimples.

It is now being used at about 25 private clinics, where a single facial session costs around £300.

Acne is the most common skin disease in the worlds, affecting 90 per cent of adolescents and many people in their forties and fifties.

For about 70 per cent of teenagers, the condition clears up of its own accord after four to five years, although it may leave permanent scarring. For 30 per cent of sufferers, the condition continues long into adult life.

Antibiotics can help for some people, while hormone treatment can be prescribed for some women. Past studies have shown that light treatment can be beneficial by promoting the production of collagen and encouraging the skin's natural healing process .

Dr Chu gave a single dose of NLite to 31 men and women with mild to moderate acne who failed to respond to conventional drugs and compared the results with a control group of 10 people given a sham treatment.

After 12 weeks, 81 per cent of the laser group showed significant improvement.
Eighteen patients lost at least half their spots and 10 lost them altogether.

Dr Chu acknowledged that more work and larger studies were needed to confirm the findings.

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