Many patients ask about the “Blue light treatment”. Why? It is commonly used to treat actinic keratosis. It is a relatively simple procedure. Let me explain.
- A medication is applied to the skin.
- One must wait at least one hour before exposed to light
- One goes under a blue light (literally a light that has blue color, although a similar medication can be used that requires a red light) for approximately 16 minutes. An alternative to this is going into INDIRECT sunlight with equal results.
Is blue light treatment the best treatment for actinic keratosis (“pre-cancers”)?
The short answer is NO in terms of cure rate. For patients with compliance issues, it may be best.
Why is blue light treatment so commonly used?
The short answer is, profit. The provider charges to see the patient and put them under the light. For some patients this can be cost effective, if one has no remaining deductible for medical care.
Is the blue light treatment a good option for actinic keratosis?
Yes, it is. It is a very effective treatment. Medicare patients benefit as all of the charges are applied towards the medical portion of their insurance (Part B), and not the prescription portion where higher deductibles apply. For others with commercial insurance or with a higher deductible, the fees will be much higher than other available treatment options.
What treatment is the best for actinic keratosis?
The treatment proven to be most effective for actinic keratosis is 5-fluorouracil combined with calcipotriene. These creams when purchased from a pharmacy can be expensive. Very expensive. Unnecessarily so as they are inexpensive to manufacture. A compound pharmacy can make this combination up for as little as $40.
What treatment is least expensive for actinic keratosis?
Imiquimod has been used for the treatment of actinic keratosis with excellent results. Using a savings card, such as goodrx.com, this cream costs approximately $18. The results are excellent and close to that of the blue light treatment at a fraction of the cost.
What is the advantage of blue light treatment for actinic keratosis?
One of the biggest problems with any treatment that is done at home, is compliance. Patients do not always follow instructions. This treatment avoids that problem for the most part. The medication is applied in office by the provider. The light is applied in the office. The patient just need to avoid sun exposure for 24 hours. For this reason, there are no compliance issues other than the need for sun avoidance.
Does Dr. Bader recommend Blue light treatment?
Yes, in some cases. It is an effective treatment, but not the most effective treatment. For Medicare patients it might have less out of pocket costs than other treatments. So in cases where compliance is an issue or cost in some cases, this is a very good option. Should it be used on everyone, absolutely not.