Efficacy of a Novel Combination of Pneumatic Energy and Broadband Light for the Treatment of Acne

Introduction: A novel photopneumatic platform (Isolaz, Pleasanton, CA), combining vacuum pressure with a broadband light source device has been designed to attack multiple targets for the effective treatment of acne.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of photopneumatic technology for the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris.

Methods: Eleven subjects (7 women) aged 15 to 54 years with skin types 1 to 4 presented with mild to moderate facial acne (defined as 15 or more facial inflammatory or noninflammatory lesions) were recruited to the study. All subjects underwent 4 photopneumatic treatments at 3-week intervals with follow-up visits at 1 and 3 months.

Results: Inflammatory lesion counts continued to decrease for at least 3 months after the final treatment. At 3 months, reductions in lesion counts were significant for both inflammatory (P=.0137) and noninflammatory (P=.0383) lesions. Mean scores between visits consistently dropped sharply from their immediate posttreatment values for pain, erythema, and edema. Nine subjects (82%) were moderately satisfied to very satisfied with treatment.

Conclusion: Results suggest that the photopneumatic device is a safe and effective modality for the treatment of mild to moderate inflammatory and comedonal acne vulgaris.