Acne Lights and Heat Treatment
Hehe, I’ve been reading up about acne light therapy and some other hi-tech acne treatments lately. I’m not really talking about the laser treatment that Dermatologists perform with million-dollar equipment, but rather the do-it-yourself kits that involve radiating your own skin in the comfort (or non-comfort) of your own home. I’m always skeptical of new products, especially those found only on the internet (like mine ^_^), but one’s skepticism naturally rises when the product in question combines big promises with a big price tag.
The latest hi-tech acne treatment devices include ongoing versions of the acne lights that we’ve been seeing for a while, as well as the heat therapy units that have more recently cropped up. It’s hard to find much info about heat therapy products such as Zeno, but what I’ve been able to glean from forums doesn’t paint a pretty picture. To be fair, many people that post in acne forums do so simply to vent, and there may be other people out there who are very happy with a product and simply never speak up. However, it’s obvious that heat therapy simply doesn’t work for a number of users, and the price seems rather steep for something that might be at best a temporary acne fix. It’s this last element that makes me wonder why anyone would spend hundreds of dollars on such a device. Anything that simply nukes the surface of your skin is going to be useless when it comes to preventing acne. Only an internal treatment that has the ability to regulate your skin oil levels can prevent acne before it forms, and isn’t this the real goal? Who wants to keep having to blast a new zit every day when you can prevent acne from happening in the first place?
Light therapy has more information available, but seems less appealing to the casual acne sufferer. There are some who will attest that this treatment works over time, but for many users the wait can be up to 3 months, if they see results at all. B5 can also take this long to kick in for a small percent of users, but at least it works below the surface and results in real prevention. Light therapy is again a skin-deep solution, and an expensive one. Moreover, with so many people worried about over-dosing on a non-toxic, water-soluble vitamin; the idea of exposing one’s self to constant ongoing radiation sounds crazy. Add to that the inconvenience of having to sit everyday in front of your acne light, and you have a business I’m glad I’m not in.
It’s either B5 or Accutane if you want to really prevent acne and maintain clear skin. However, I realize that there is also a need for faster solutions that can get rid of unsightly acne here and now, prevention or not. For these situations, you don’t need to spend a fortune on acne gadgets. What works even better for most people is simply benzoyl peroxide. I don’t recommend this as a permanent acne fix, because it’s not. Constant use can result in skin damage and BP losing its effectiveness as your skin adapts. However, BP is a great spot-treatment for temporary acne relief. I may even offer it in the future to help starters, but for right now the BP gel at acne.org is probably the best product you’ll find for the money. I can certainly recommend it over the latest cutting-edge acne technology…
