Gold PTT, a New Approach to Acne Treatment
Hello, I'm Dr. Lee Sang-ju, a dermatologist. Today, we will delve into Gold PTT, one of the latest methods for acne treatment. Gold PTT has been known for about two years and is gaining attention not only in Korea but also in the US and Europe. It is considered a method that overcomes the shortcomings of existing oral medications or acne treatments with short-lasting effects. I will explain Gold PTT based on my presentations at academic conferences.
Gold PTT, Started in Cancer Treatment
Gold PTT was not originally developed for acne treatment. This treatment method was initially researched for cancer treatment. As shown in the figure, when Gold PTT is injected into the cancerous area of an experimental animal and an 808nm laser is irradiated externally, the laser light reacts with the gold, generating heat in that area. If the temperature of the cancerous area rises above 65 degrees, as shown in the right figure, cancer proteins denature, leading to the death of cancer cells. Gold PTT, which was developed for cancer treatment, is now actively applied to acne treatment.
How is Gold PTT for Acne Treatment Performed?
While gold is directly injected for cancer treatment, injections are not required for acne treatment. Gold PTT is performed by penetrating gold through the pores.
- Gold Application: First, gold is applied to the skin surface.
- Ultrasound Penetration: Ultrasound is used to deeply penetrate each gold particle into the pores.
- Laser Irradiation: Afterward, a laser is irradiated externally.
- Sebaceous Gland Destruction: The gold reacts with the laser light to generate heat, and this heat stimulates and destroys not only the surrounding acne bacteria but also the sebaceous glands, which are the root cause of acne.
After penetrating gold into the skin, any remaining gold on the skin surface is wiped off. Therefore, since gold particles are present only within the sebaceous glands, it has the advantage of selectively destroying only the sebaceous glands that cause acne with less pain and almost no impact on the skin surface compared to other laser treatments.
Special Advantages of Gold PTT
Gold PTT offers several advantages compared to existing acne treatments.
- No Oral Medication Required: Treatment is possible without taking oral medication.
- Long-Lasting Effect: Since it removes the sebaceous glands, the root cause of acne, the treatment effect can last relatively long.
- Immediate Return to Daily Life After Treatment: Unlike conventional photodynamic therapy (PDT), there is no issue of medication reacting with sunlight, allowing for an immediate return to daily life after the procedure.
- Simple Procedure: The procedure time is short, pain is relatively low, the effect is good, and recurrence is less common.
Gold PTT can be considered a simple and effective acne treatment method as it selectively destroys the sebaceous glands, the root cause of acne, without medication, suppresses recurrence, and allows for an immediate return to daily life after the procedure.
What are the Actual Effects of Gold PTT?
Our group conducted research to verify the treatment efficacy of Gold PTT. As a result of experiments on the back skin of volunteers, the side where gold was not applied (right) showed no change, but on the side where gold was applied (left), the surrounding sebaceous glands were visibly destroyed. Through this reaction, we can expect the effect of sebaceous gland destruction and suppression of acne recurrence.
In this session, we have thoroughly examined acne treatment using Gold PTT.