New Treatments
Recently, new modalities targeting the sebaceous glands have been developed for the treatment of acne and have been shown the selective necrosis of the sebaceous glands. These are photodynamic therapies,13 diode laser devices,14 and nonablative radio frequency devices.15
A study evaluated the sebum excretion by sebum-absorvent tape method after 31,450 diode laser treatments. The maximal observed effect was a reduction by 18% in number of sebum producing follicles at 6 weeks.16 The same method was used in another study to evaluated the effect of topical aminolevulinic acid-photodynamic therapy (PDT) on sebaceous glands. Multiple PDT caused far lower sebum excretion than single PDT at the longest follow-up time (20 weeks). On histology, sebaceous glands showed acute damage and were smaller 20 weeks after PDT.17 This study obtained a prolonged suppression of sebaceous gland function.
A recent uncontrolled clinical assessment study evaluated the efficacy of selective electrothermolysis of the sebaceous glands to the treatment of facial oily skin and showed a mean reduction rate of skin surface lipids of 31.5%.18
Therapeutic options for oily skin should target the sebaceous glands. As more knowledge is gained about the complex function of the sebaceous gland, novel therapies will hopefully be developed to more effectively treat oily skin and reduce side effects.
https://www.dermquest.com/expert-opinions/surgery-and-cosmetics/2012/treatment-options-for-oily-skin/
