What is Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)?
Photodynamic therapy uses a photo sensitizer which, when applied to the skin, is absorbed by the hair follicles. When skin is treated with Blue Light or IPL it results in destruction of the acne pimple. Photodynamic Therapy has been shown to be very effective for the treatment of severe acne and does not have the side effects of Accutane. PDT has also been effective in the treatment of pre-cancerous lesions, sun damaged skin, and many other diseases.
Photodynamic therapy is a kind of ternary treatment for cancer involving three key components:A photosensitising drug, light, and tissue oxygen. It is also being investigated for treatment of psoriasis and acne, and is an approved treatment for wet macular degeneration. In photodynamic therapy, first a photosensitising drug is administered to the patient.Approximately 24 to 72 later, the cancerous tissue to be treated is exposed to laser light which targets cancerous cells. The laser light activates the photosensitising drug destroying the cancerous cells without damaging the surrounding normal tissue. In addition to directly killing cancer cells, PDT appears to shrink or destroy tumors in two other ways. The photosensitizer can damage blood vessels in the tumor, thereby preventing the cancer from receiving necessary nutrients. In addition, PDT may activate the immune system to attack the tumor cells. What types of cancer are currently treated with PDT? Food and Drug Administration (FD
