One of the areas of medicine that has benefited from technology is dermatology. The emergence of biotechnology, LEDs and laser has allowed scientists to develop some of the best acne treatments that man has ever seen. Arguably, technology is the best thing that has ever happened to medicine.
The discovery of LEDs, lasers and fluorescent lighting has led to the development of the use of visible light in treating acne, a process better known as phototherapy. This method of treatment has been shown to reduce 64 percent of acne lesions when used twice a week. The method apparently works better when combined with red visible light. The combination has been found to reduce lesions by 76 percent after three months of daily use.
Laser surgery is already used in reducing scars caused by acne and researchers are now focusing on whether the same method can be employed to prevent the actual formation of acne. Laser technology is currently being developed to burn away follicle sac and sebaceous gland and induce the formation of oxygen in the bacteria to kill them. As of 2005, these scenarios remain in the research stage and are not yet established as definite treatment methods.
Another area of high technology that presents a lot of promise for treating acne is biotechnology, particularly the fields tied with genetics. Since acne is believed to be linked with heredity, whole-genome DNA sequencing has been the focus of some research efforts. The aim is to understand the body mechanisms involve in acne formation. The use of gene therapy to alter the DNA of the skin also seems to be a not too far possibility.
Technology has provided us with some of the best acne treatments ever known to man. More possibilities are still waiting to be discovered and 21st century science is on the verge of making all these possibilities a reality.
