Photodynamic therapy, or Blue Light, is a treatment that uses special drugs, called photosensitizing agents, along with light to kill targeted cells. The procedure can effectively treat early changes in the skin that may lead to skin cancer.
A natural chemical Aminolevulinic acid (Levulan® Kerastick) is a solution that is applied directly to the lesions or spots on the face or scalp to treat actinic keratosis lesions, and causes the lesions to become sensitive to the light. At a prescribed interval after the drug is applied, the nurse will expose the area being treated to a blue light for a period of minutes determined by the doctor. During the light therapy you will wear protective eyewear. You may feel stinging or burning once the area is exposed to the blue light, but it should go away within a day or so. The treated area may get red and scale and crust for up to2-4 weeks before healing.
To achieve maximum improvement of pre-cancerous sun damaged skin, a series of treatments 2 to 4 weeks apart is most effective. After a series of treatments have been completed, treatments can be done at periodic intervals in the future to maintain the rejuvenated appearance of the skin.
