PhotodynamicTherapy

Sun exposure accumulates quietly. Some of the damage shows as spots and texture; some of it has not surfaced yet. Photodynamic Therapy addresses both, which makes it unusual among treatments: a genuine skin cancer prevention measure that also improves how the skin looks and behaves.

For Fresno patients with a long history of sun, it is one of the most useful appointments we offer.

Treatment begins with a topical application of a photosensitizing agent. A therapeutic wavelength of light then activates the agent, producing a form of oxygen within the skin that destroys the targeted cells.

The selectivity is the point. Both visible and not-yet-visible skin damage are targeted while the surrounding healthy skin cells are left untreated. Photodynamic Therapy is indicated to seek and destroy precancerous and cancerous lesions, to kill microbial cells such as the acne-causing P. acnes bacteria, and to help reverse the sun damage behind wrinkles, skin laxity and uneven skin tone.

Your provider will design the treatment around your specific concerns, from lesion clearance to broader sun-damage repair, and suggest complementary treatments where they would strengthen the result.

The treatment itself is non-invasive: an application, a period under the therapeutic light, and you are done.

A history of significant sun exposure, known precancerous lesions, stubborn acne or visible sun damage are each reason enough to consider it.

Talk to us about what your skin has accumulated. We will tell you whether Photodynamic Therapy, another treatment or a combination is the right response.