Levulan PDT
Why is Levulan PDT a good choice for you?
- Low downtime
- It's easy for you because:
- A qualified healthcare professional will administer the treatment
- No prescription to fill
- No daily medication to remember
- It's easy for you because:
- Flexible treatment:
- Appropriate for few AKs
- Appropriate for multiple AKs
- Benefits:
- Recovery begins right after your treatment with blue light ends
- High ratings for cosmetic response
- No scarring reported to date
How does Levulan PDT work?
Levulan Kerastick Topical Solution is applied to the AK. The solution is then absorbed by the AK cells where it is converted to a chemical that makes the cells extremely sensitive to light. When the AK cells are exposed to the BLU-U blue light illuminator, a reaction occurs which destroys the AK cells.The Levulan PDT Treatment
Treatment Step 1: Application of Levulan Kerastick Topical Solution- Levulan will be uniformly applied to your AK lesions.
- Your physician will direct you to wait the recommended time in order to allow the solution to penetrate the targeted cells. This can range from one hour to overnight. Then you will return for the second part of your treatment which includes illuminating your treated lesions with the BLU-U® blue light.
- You should not wash your face in between treatment steps.
- Avoid exposing the treated lesions to sunlight and other forms of bright light for at least 48 hours. Remember to wear sun protective clothing, such as a wide-brimmed hat, during this time.
- Your treatment with the BLU-U will take approximately 17 minutes.
- Protective eyewear should be worn during your BLU-U treatment.
- You will experience stinging or burning during your BLU-U treatment, but this will subside between 1 minute and 24 hours after the BLU-U is turned off. It will feel like a bad sunburn.
During BLU-U treatment
The BLU-U blue light is of low intensity and will not heat the skin. However, during the light treatment, you may experience sensations of burning, tingling, stinging, or prickling of the treated AKs. These feelings of discomfort should improve at the end of the BLU-U treatment and should subside as early as 1 minute after BLU-U treatment but may take up to 24 hours after the BLU-U is turned off. Following treatment, the AKs and to some degree the surrounding skin may redden, and swelling and scaling may also occur. It will look and feel like a bad sunburn. However, these effects are temporary. Less than 3 % of patients discontinued light treatment due to stinging and/or burning.Before Treatment Starts
- Be sure to tell your physician if you are taking any oral medications or using any topical prescription or non-prescription products on your face or scalp.
- Bring adequate sun-protective items with you to your appointment such as a wide-brimmed hat or umbrella.
After Treatment
- You need to apply moisturizer every 2 hours throughout the day.
- The most common side effects are:
- Burning/stinging, sunburn-like pain
- Redness and swelling
- Scaling/crusting
- For the most part, your skin is back to normal in 7-10 days, although the treated area may stay pink for longer
Who should NOT use Levulan?
Levulan Kerastick should not be used by patients who have cutaneous photosensitivity at wavelengths at 400-450 nm, porphyria, or known allergies to porphyrins, and in patients with known sensitivity to any of the components of the Levulan Kerastick for Topical Solution.Levulan Kerastick has not been tested on patients with inherited or acquired coagulation defects. It is possible that concomitant use of other known photosensitizing agents might increase the photosensitivity reaction of actinic keratoses treated with the Levulan Kerastick. It is important to tell our physician if you are taking any oral medications or using any topical prescription or non-prescription products on your face or scalp. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or nursing.
