Acne vulgaris
Red light versus blue light randomized trial for mild-to-moderate acne
Li J, Li J, Zhang L, et al. Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine. 2022.
This randomized clinical study compared red and blue light therapy for mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris.
Evidence grade
low
Effect direction
positive
Panel relevance
partially-replicable
Key findings
- The authors concluded red and blue light had similar efficacy in mild-to-moderate acne, especially for inflammatory lesions.
- Red light had advantages in some tolerability or practical dimensions reported by the trial.
- This supports red light as an adjunctive acne option, but not as a replacement for standard acne care.
Protocol details
| Wavelengths | Not reported nm |
|---|---|
| Irradiance | Not reported mW/cm2 |
| Fluence | Not reported J/cm2 |
| Session time | Not reported minutes |
| Frequency | Not reported |
| Duration | Not reported |
| Treatment area | Acne-affected skin |
| Device type | Red and blue light acne phototherapy devices |
Caveats
- Protocol details need full-text extraction before translating to a home-mask schedule.
- Mild-to-moderate acne findings should not be generalized to severe, scarring, or cystic acne.