Can Laser Fabric Cure Acne?

A team of French dermatologists is taking a new approach to photodynamic therapy (PDT) for acne. Designed by scientists at Texinov Medical Textiles, the Fluxmedicare is a device made of optical fibers woven into fabric. “Until now medical treatments involving light used rigid panels,” explains Nadege Boucard, MD, research and development general manager at Texinov. “Transferring this light onto textiles makes it possible to offer numerous advantages such as conformability, comfort, portability of the system, [and] reduction of pain. This makes treatment conditions better, and thus facilitates care and makes it more accessible to all.”

Before Fluxmedicare is applied, the patient’s skin is covered with photosensitizer cream that absorbs light. A laser fabric is then wrapped around the skin and its optical fibers work in tandem with the oxygen and cream to heal the skin. The treatment lasts around 150 minutes, and so far, patients have reported minimal discomfort.

"Previous PDT was unsatisfactory in many ways,” said Dr. Boucard. "Not only did patients report a pain ranking of at least 7/10 as well as burns and redness persisting for several days, but also, coming from a flat source, a lot of the emitted light was 'lost'."

Another potential advantage of Fluxmedicare is ease of use. “Since you don't need to be protected from the laser treatment, you can put your feet up and watch TV during the treatment,” notes Dr. Boucard.