Am I a good candidate for laser acne therapy if I have darker skin type?

As we may or may not know that acne is quite a common concern in people with darker skin. In fact, lasers have been avoided for acne treatment for those with darker skin because of the risk of potentially disfiguring complications such as acne scarring, keloids, and skin discoloration.

However, the advances in technology today have made laser treatments for acne safer for those with darker skin types. For instance, there are some acne treatments, i.e. using both lasers and intense pulsed light devices that are being tested and have shown encouraging results for acne on the face and on the chest and back for those with darker skin. It is important to note that as with other skin types, maintenance acne treatments such as by using retinoids, topical acne antibiotics, and benzoyl peroxide, are usually needed to minimize the recurrence of acne.

It was reported that lasers and intense pulsed light devices that are being used to treat acne for this purpose, i.e. in people with darker skin included:

• ClearLight (blue: 405 to 420-nm);
• Aura laser (532-nm KTP laser, green light); and
• Aurora (an intense pulsed light/radiofrequency kind of combination device)