Bryan C. Schultz, M.D. - Treatments

ClearLight™ - spider veins - moles & melanoma - skin cancer faq

NEW CLEARLIGHT™ SYSTEM FOR ACNE

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We have installed the new ClearLight™ system for acne treatment that was recently approved by the FDA; you may have seen this discussed on recent TV broadcasts and in magazine articles. We are one of only two dermatology practices in metropolitan Chicago that now uses this safe, light-based therapy.

The results obtained in clinical trials that led to recent FDA approval of ClearLight™ are quite encouraging. It has the potential to decrease P. acnes bacteria safely without the side effects of other treatments. Patients with mild or moderate inflammatory acne who cannot tolerate many topicals or orals due to drying, allergy, GI upset, yeast infections, BCP interactions, etc., may be ideal candidates for this treatment. In addition, it may help many patients who follow other prescribed topical, oral or physical regimens such as chemical peels, whitehead/blackhead removal or microdermabrasion. As with almost every treatment, we usually expect reasonable improvement in some, but certainly not all, patients. Many patients who participated in the trials had improvement that lasted months beyond the final treatment.

I have measured ultraviolet light in Chicago for over 20 years and have worked with Tom Skilling at WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune for over a decade reporting daily ultraviolet intensity and its effects on human skin. ClearLight™ emits an intense blue-violet light that does not have any of the cancer/skin-aging effects of ultraviolet. I consider this a very safe modality for our patients.

ClearLight™ is not covered by insurance but we are initially charging substantially less than the manufacturer's suggested fee to make this new treatment more accessible for our patients.

In summary, I am very excited about this new instrument and its ability to complement current treatment strategies. I do not expect it, or any treatment, to be a panacea or even the sole therapy for acne. However, we are very encouraged that we can now offer many patients a unique and new technology that can help treat their acne more effectively.

References:

Shalita, A.R., Harth, Y., Clinical Application Notes Vol. 9, No. 1,2001.

Hirsch RJ, Cosmetic Dermatology, Vol. 15 (9): September 2002.

For more information visit the manufacturer's patient website or download a pamphlet (Adobe Acrobat 4.0 or later required)

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NEW CLEARLIGHT™ SYSTEM FOR ACNE

To print: Click here or Select File and then Print from your browser's menu.

We have installed the new ClearLight™ system for acne treatment that was recently approved by the FDA; you may have seen this discussed on recent TV broadcasts and in magazine articles. We are one of only two dermatology practices in metropolitan Chicago that now uses this safe, light-based therapy.

The results obtained in clinical trials that led to recent FDA approval of ClearLight™ are quite encouraging. It has the potential to decrease P. acnes bacteria safely without the side effects of other treatments. Patients with mild or moderate inflammatory acne who cannot tolerate many topicals or orals due to drying, allergy, GI upset, yeast infections, BCP interactions, etc., may be ideal candidates for this treatment. In addition, it may help many patients who follow other prescribed topical, oral or physical regimens such as chemical peels, whitehead/blackhead removal or microdermabrasion. As with almost every treatment, we usually expect reasonable improvement in some, but certainly not all, patients. Many patients who participated in the trials had improvement that lasted months beyond the final treatment.

I have measured ultraviolet light in Chicago for over 20 years and have worked with Tom Skilling at WGN-TV/Chicago Tribune for over a decade reporting daily ultraviolet intensity and its effects on human skin. ClearLight™ emits an intense blue-violet light that does not have any of the cancer/skin-aging effects of ultraviolet. I consider this a very safe modality for our patients.

ClearLight™ is not covered by insurance but we are initially charging substantially less than the manufacturer's suggested fee to make this new treatment more accessible for our patients.

In summary, I am very excited about this new instrument and its ability to complement current treatment strategies. I do not expect it, or any treatment, to be a panacea or even the sole therapy for acne. However, we are very encouraged that we can now offer many patients a unique and new technology that can help treat their acne more effectively.

References:

Shalita, A.R., Harth, Y., Clinical Application Notes Vol. 9, No. 1,2001.

Hirsch RJ, Cosmetic Dermatology, Vol. 15 (9): September 2002.

For more information visit the manufacturer's patient website or download a pamphlet (Adobe Acrobat 4.0 or later required)