San Diego Skin Care Practice Adds New Facial Rejuvenation Treatment

    LA JOLLA, CA, December 10, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Board-certified dermatologist and San Diego facial rejuvenation specialist Dr. Susan M. Stuart (www.lajollaskin.com) now offers BLU-U photodynamic therapy, a new treatment system that safely corrects acne, rosacea and certain types of actinic keratoses - pre-cancerous lesions caused by sun exposure.

"We pride ourselves on offering some of the most cutting-edge and effective solutions available, so we're very happy to add the BLU-U to our lineup," says Dr. Stuart, who specializes in the use of medical lasers for skin care. "The San Diego BLU-U treatment is convenient and comfortable for patients, and it's proving to be highly effective."

BLU-U uses a special light-activated chemical together with a laser-like device to destroy acne bacteria and actinic keratoses (AKs), common but dangerous precancerous growths that give skin a rough, scaly appearance. AKs pose a high enough risk that national organizations such as the American Cancer Society advocate immediate treatment, but until recently patients had to choose among liquid nitrogen, a scraping device or powerful chemicals to remove the compromised tissues. Unlike these ablative techniques, the BLU-U system for skin care in San Diego destroys AKs with a minimum of discomfort, and penetrates deeper skin layers more thoroughly.

"The typical patient can expect to see 75 to 100 percent eradication of acne or actinic keratoses after their treatment series, and the procedure itself is very quick," says Dr. Stuart. "Even other laser treatments tend to be less thorough and far less comfortable."

Unlike older chemical treatments, the BLU-U has minimal effect on healthy tissues, since the light-activated solution is allowed to absorb into the problem tissues only. Although the results take 2 to 3 months to develop fully, the treatment is fast and gentle enough that it does not interfere with daily activities and can be appropriate for both younger and older patients. Treatments require minimal downtime - no sun exposure for 48 hours along with mild temporary redness of treated skin.

"Many of my patients with acne and AKs are concerned with how their skin will look afterward, but this system does a good job of avoiding the aesthetic problems of ablative methods," says Dr. Stuart. "Chemical peels and other options can damage surrounding tissues noticeably, but laser skin care treatments like this one are precise enough that patients generally don't need to worry that their treatment will be obvious."

For patients who want to correct the evidence of past acne, Dr. Stuart can supplement BLU-U with San Diego acne scar treatment. She also offers a number of diagnosis and treatment options for patients who have already developed a skin cancer, but strongly urges against waiting until "benign" keratoses become malignant.

"These lesions can remain dormant for years, so it's very easy but very dangerous to ignore them," she says. "The risk is real, and with gentle treatments like the BLU-U available, there's really no excuse to wait."

Dr. Susan M. Stuart (www.lajollaskin.com) is a board-certified dermatologist offering laser skin care, skin cancer therapies, laser hair removal, and other skin rejuvenating procedures alongside her husband and practice partner, triple board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Richard Chaffoo. After receiving her MD from Tulane University School of Medicine, Dr. Stuart completed a competitive internship at Mercy Hospital Center in San Diego followed by a residency and fellowship in dermatology. Dr. Stuart is highly respected as a faculty member at UCSD Medical Center, has held numerous prestigious professional appointments, and has been selected as one of America's Top Physicians in dermatology.

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