Years of sun exposure can lead to actinic keratoses and superficial precancerous changes in the skin. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) treats these conditions by combining a photosensitising medication with specific wavelengths of light. This targeted approach destroys abnormal cells while leaving surrounding healthy skin intact.
Photodynamic Therapy is a treatment that uses a combination of a light-sensitive medication and a specific type of light to target abnormal or damaged skin cells. We apply the medication to the affected area, where it is absorbed by cells, and then activate it with a controlled light source. This process triggers a reaction that helps destroy abnormal cells while leaving healthy tissue largely unaffected.
The treatment is precise and minimally invasive and allows us to treat affected areas while sparing surrounding healthy skin.
Photodynamic Therapy is a treatment that uses a combination of a light-sensitive medication and a specific type of light to target abnormal or damaged skin cells. We apply the medication to the affected area, where it is absorbed by cells, and then activate it with a controlled light source. This process triggers a reaction that helps destroy abnormal cells while leaving healthy tissue largely unaffected.
The treatment is precise and minimally invasive and allows us to treat affected areas while sparing surrounding healthy skin.
Photodynamic therapy is a targeted treatment that combines a light-sensitising solution with specific wavelengths of light to selectively destroy abnormal cells. This approach is particularly effective for treating sun-damaged skin where multiple areas of concern exist, allowing us to address widespread changes in a single session. PDT can treat various skin conditions, such as:
Photodynamic therapy offers benefits from treating precancerous changes and actinic keratoses to improving sun-damaged skin and overall skin texture. Before recommending treatment, we take time to understand what you hope to achieve and how PDT might fit into your treatment goals. This helps us determine the appropriate photosensitiser and light protocol for your skin condition.
PDT treats actinic keratoses (precancerous sun spots) and helps prevent their progression to skin cancer. This makes it a valuable preventive treatment for people with significant sun damage.
Unlike procedures that treat one spot at a time, PDT can address numerous lesions across a larger area in a single session. This is particularly beneficial for people with widespread sun damage.
The light-activated treatment specifically targets abnormal cells while leaving surrounding healthy skin largely unaffected. This selective approach minimises damage to normal tissue.
Beyond treating precancerous lesions, PDT can improve skin texture, reduce redness, minimise pore size, and create a more even tone. Many people notice their skin looks clearer and more rejuvenated after treatment.
For certain conditions, PDT can provide an effective non-surgical alternative, potentially avoiding more invasive procedures. This makes it an appealing option for appropriate candidates seeking less aggressive intervention.
We begin by assessing your skin condition to determine if PDT is the right approach. We’ll explain how the treatment works, the recovery process, and what results you can expect.
On treatment day, arrive with clean skin free from makeup, sunscreen, and skincare products. Avoid sun exposure for at least 48 hours beforehand. We apply a photosensitising solution to the treatment area, which stays on for one to three hours while abnormal cells absorb it. We then expose the area to red or blue LED light for ten to twenty minutes, activating the photosensitiser to destroy targeted cells.
After treatment, your skin will be sensitive and require careful protection during healing. Most people experience redness, peeling, and sun sensitivity for several days to a week. Plan for downtime and avoid important events during this recovery period. You’ll need to stay out of bright light immediately after treatment and use gentle skincare with broad-spectrum sunscreen as your skin heals.
If you have actinic keratoses, sun damage, or superficial skin cancers that need treatment, book a consultation at South Yarra Dermatology to discuss whether PDT is right for you.
Unlike lasers or LED therapy that use light alone, PDT requires both medication and light activation. The medication creates the selectivity. Because abnormal cells absorb more of the medication, they bear the brunt of the destruction while normal tissue is relatively spared. This makes PDT effective for sun damage, precancerous lesions, and certain superficial skin cancers.
Yes, PDT typically involves significant discomfort during the light exposure and afterwards during healing. During light activation, most patients experience sensations ranging from tingling, warmth, and stinging to intense burning.
How much it hurts varies considerably based on your pain tolerance, the extent of abnormal tissue present, and the specific treatment protocol. Over-the-counter pain medication helps manage the discomfort.
Avoid sun exposure to treatment areas for several days before your appointment. We cannot treat sunburnt or heavily tanned skin. Discontinue certain topical treatments in the area if we instruct you to, as some products may interfere with cream absorption or increase sensitivity.
Arrive with clean, makeup-free skin. Plan for a lengthy appointment, typically several hours, including incubation time. Arrange transportation if we are treating your face, as some protocols involve covering treated areas immediately afterward and avoiding light exposure on the journey home. Bring something to occupy yourself during the incubation period. Most importantly, clear your schedule for several days following treatment. The recovery period will affect both your appearance and your comfort.
mmediately after treatment, your skin will appear red and feel tender. Over the following one to two days, redness and swelling increase as treated cells begin to break down. You may experience crusting, peeling, or minor discharge during this phase.
Discomfort typically peaks within the first forty-eight hours before gradually subsiding. During the first week, your skin will show visible signs of treatment including redness, swelling, and eventual crusting or flaking. Most people require time off work and avoid social commitments during this period. Some experience disrupted sleep in the first few nights. Strict sun avoidance is essential throughout healing.
By one to two weeks, most visible effects resolve, though mild redness may persist longer. Once healing is complete, treated skin typically appears smoother and clearer.
Whether you will need additional treatments depends on a few things. How severe and extensive is your sun damage? How completely did the lesions clear after the first round? How does your body respond to the therapy? What specific condition are we treating?
Scarring from PDT is uncommon, but it can happen. It is more likely if healing gets complicated by infection, if you traumatise the area while it is healing, or if you are someone who tends toward abnormal scarring. The way PDT destroys cells is fairly controlled, so you can heal without significant scarring.
Some situations make PDT inappropriate or require very careful consideration. We cannot do PDT if you have photosensitivity disorders because the reaction risks are too severe. We typically postpone it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Immunosuppression, inability to avoid sun during recovery, history of keloid scarring, photosensitising medications, active skin infections in treatment areas, and very dark skin tones all need careful evaluation.
If you have unrealistic expectations about discomfort or recovery, you need better preparation first. Invasive or deep skin cancers require surgery, not PDT. During your consultation, we assess whether you are a good candidate or whether something else would work better for you.
A complete PDT appointment typically takes three to four hours or longer, accounting for preparation of treatment areas, application of photosensitising cream, incubation period of one to three hours, and light activation for ten to twenty minutes. Prolonged appointment is due primarily to the necessary incubation time allowing cellular uptake of the photosensitiser.
Most people need several days to a week off work after PDT. It depends on how extensive the treatment was and how visible the treated areas are. If we treated your face, the redness, swelling, and eventual crusting will be quite obvious for about five to seven days. If you have a public-facing job or situations where appearance matters, you need that time away.
If we only treated areas you can cover, like your scalp, you might get back to work sooner as long as the discomfort is manageable. Jobs that involve physical labor or outdoor work need longer recovery time.
