Blue light Therapy for Acne- Another Gimmick? Part 4

When should I get blue light therapy?

First, blue light therapy is very expensive with no guarantee of results and should never be first line therapy. The first therapy of acne should be to keep the skin clean of all oil, avoid squeezing the pimples and try over the counter products. In the majority of cases, acne will resolve spontaneously without any treatment. For moderate acne, there are a few drugs including Accutane and antibiotics that should be the next step. Blue light therapy should only be an option for those who have failed the above treatments.

Is treatment covered by Insurance?

Blue light treatment is considered cosmetic and neither Medicare nor any Medical Insurance Carrier covers this therapy.

Final Word

Blue light therapy is just another fad that has come along for treating acne. There is nothing magical about it. Antibiotics have been used to kill bacteria to prevent acne for half a century and acne still occurs. So blue light is only a cosmetic gimmick. In the majority of studies concerning Blue light, physicians who market the product were involved in the small-scale non-randomized trials. Therefore, the results are dubious at best.

For those of you who have precious little money and acne, save your hard earned money and continue using other acne care remedies. For those of you who have money to burn, go vacation to France. Perhaps the sun and water in the Mediterranean may help cure your acne because one can bet, blue light certainly will not.