It was found that some of the visible violet light, present in sunlight, in the range 405-420nm activates a porphyrin (Coproporphyrin III) in Propionibacterium acnes which damages and ultimately kills the bacteria by releasing singlet oxygen. A total of 320J/cm^2 of light within this range renders the bacteria non viable . This part of the spectrum is just outside the ultraviolet and produces little if any tanning or sunburn. Application of the light for 3 consecutive days has been shown to reduce the bacteria in the pores by 99.9%. Since there are few porphyrins naturally found in the skin, the treatment is believed safe except in patients with porphyria; although eye protection is necessary due to light sensitive chemicals in the retina. The light is usually created by fluorescent lamps, bright LEDs or dichroic filament bulbs. Treatment is often accompanied with application of red light which has been shown to activate ATP in human skin cells (essentially a photobiomodulation effect), and seems to improve response rates. Overall improvements of on average 76% for 80% of patients occurs over 3 months; most studies show that it performs better than Benzoyl peroxide but treatment is far better tolerated. However, approximately 10% of users see no improvement. The Caribbean Sun Box Red and Blue Light Therapy Acne Treatment Professional Model RB-PRO offers FDA approved therapy using blue light to destroy acne while, at the same time, uses red light to reduce inflammation, increase blood circulation below the skin accelerating healing and soothing the skin. Research has shown that this treatment is extremely effective reducing acne on an average of 75 to 80%. The Caribbean Sun Box Red Blue Light Therapy Acne Treatment Sun Box is Green Earth Friendly and only uses 9 watts of power yet operates on 100-240V without a voltage converter.
