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According to a 2020 study published in the microbiology journal mSphere1 porphyrins are intermediate molecules in biosynthesis of key compounds in nature; in bacteria these tend to be proinflammatory. Thus, the management of porphyrins would be a key component to many skin therapies as one aspect of managing inflammation.
Farhan Taghizadeh, MD, medical director of Arizona Facial Plastics (Scottsdale, Ariz.), completed a trial* looking at the impact that treatment with the ADVATx laser system from Advalight (Copenhagen, Denmark) had on erythema, texture, tone and porphyrin levels in skin over the course of three treatment sessions. Dr. Taghizadeh measured the levels of these facial skin characteristics both before and after ADVATx treatment using the VISIA skin visualization device from Canfield Scientific (Parsippany, N.J.). Visible improvement was yielded on all four.
Requiring no consumables, the ADVATx platform can emit both 589 nm and 1319 nm wavelengths, individually, or in tandem via proprietary PulSync Technology. It starts with a 1319 nm beam which, when passed through a YAG crystal and combined with a second beam (which is then passed through a Q-switch, then a non-linear LBO crystal), forms the 589 nm beam. Users rely on the 1319 nm wavelength to promote neocollagenesis as water is its chromophore; however according to Dr. Taghizadeh, it is the 589 which has the most effect on porphyrins, as shown by his research. “The wavelength is especially disruptive to the P. acnes bacterium,” he explained. “What you are essentially targeting with the 589 nm wavelength is the porphyrins themselves, and by reducing the porphyrins you are creating space to reduce inflammation of the skin, and that is very significant in terms of a host of inflammatory conditions of the skin.
“Reduction of inflammation is foundational to clinical improvement for so many skin conditions and a major focus among many fields of medicine,” Dr. Taghizadeh continued. “It is a goal for just about every patient we see. The effect of the 589 nm is harmonious with that of the 1319 nm for improving skin, but to me, it is the 589’s capacity to reduce inflammation that is so essential to what we are doing in our practices. It also provides a basis for additional work in combination protocols for a better overall outcome.
“And while most lasers will just target a chromophore in skin, certain wavelengths such as the 589 nm in ADVATx tend to be very effective for reducing inflammation,” he added. “In our patients we have generally seen that improvement in tone and texture in very short order, plus reduction in the porphyrins and other inflammatory markers promotes their consistently high willingness to fulfill a complete course of therapy and get the maximum improvement we can deliver for them.”
ADVATx is also easy to integrate into one’s practice; it weighs less than 200 pounds and runs on standard 120 V power. The intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) is easy to learn and use, and the handpiece allows on-the-fly settings modulation.
Reference:
1. Barnard E, Johnson T, Ngo T, et al. Porphyrin production and regulation in cutaneous propionibacteria. mSphere 2020 Jan 15;5(1):e00793-19.
*Data on file, Advalight (Copenhagen, Denmark)
