The short version
Strong evidence for its approved medical use in precancerous spots; off-label use for acne and photorejuvenation is supported by weaker evidence. It is a real treatment with a real reaction.
What the cost figure means
No reliable cosmetic estimate; medical PDT for actinic keratoses is often billed to insurance. Medical use follows insurance billing; cosmetic or off-label use is self-pay and set by the clinic. No society publishes a cosmetic average.
Advertised prices on file
$650 per treatment (one practice)
One dermatology practice's published cosmetic PDT price, with 4–6 treatments advised; medical PDT for precancers is billed through insurance.
Read from 1 published U.S. clinic menu on September 1, 2026. A convenience sample, not a national survey: prices vary by city and provider, packages are usually cheaper per session, and menus change without notice.
Total course = per-session fee × planned sessions + consultation + product, cartridge, or serum + anesthesia or facility + prescriptions and aftercare + expected maintenance. Ask for the plan price in writing.
Healing and results timeline
- Appointment
- About 1–3 hours including drug incubation and light exposure
- Downtime
- Redness, swelling, and peeling for 3–7 days; strict light avoidance for 48 hours
- Healing
- A sunburn-like reaction peaks over 1–3 days, followed by peeling through about a week. The skin remains photosensitive for about 48 hours, so indoor light avoidance is required.
- Results appear
- Actinic keratoses clear over weeks; acne improvement over 1–3 months
- Duration and maintenance
- Months for acne; actinic keratoses recur with ongoing sun exposure
Benefits, limitations, and risks
Realistic benefits
- Field treatment of many precancerous spots at once
- Can reduce acne without systemic medication
- Some improvement in texture and tone
Limitations
- Painful during light exposure
- A week of visible reaction
- Acne relapse is common without maintenance
Common effects
- Burning during treatment
- Redness and swelling
- Peeling and crusting
Serious risks
- Severe phototoxic reaction from light exposure after treatment
- Infection or herpes reactivation
- Pigment change, more likely in deeper skin tones
Candidacy and pause signs
Usually considered for: Adults with actinic keratoses under medical care, or with moderate acne who cannot use or prefer to avoid systemic medication.
You have porphyria or a photosensitive condition, take photosensitizing medication, cannot avoid light for 48 hours, or the treatment is being sold as a routine 'glow facial'.
Operator, setting, and regulation
Who performs it in the U.S.: Dermatologists and clinicians under physician oversight. The photosensitizer is a prescription drug.
Regulatory status: Specific photosensitizer-and-light combinations are FDA approved for actinic keratoses; acne and photorejuvenation are off-label uses that physicians may offer with informed consent.
Rules differ by state and by country. A product approved in one market may be unapproved in another, and the same device can be used within or outside its cleared indication.
Questions to ask before you pay a deposit
- What are you treating, and is it the approved indication or off-label?
- What incubation time and light source will you use, and how will pain be managed?
- What exactly must I avoid for 48 hours afterwards?
Sources on file
These links support the claims above. Reviewed September 1, 2026. Where a figure comes from a survey, the caveat is in the file, not in a footnote.
- American Society for Dermatologic Surgery — photodynamic therapy (opens in a new tab)
- J Cutan Med Surg 2025 — photodynamic therapy in acne vulgaris: systematic review (PubMed) (opens in a new tab)
- Aesthetic Plast Surg 2011 — dermaplaning, topical oxygen, and photodynamic therapy: systematic review (PubMed) (opens in a new tab)
- American Academy of Dermatology — lasers and lights for acne (opens in a new tab)