Your dermatologist is treating you with Levulan Kerastick (aminolevulinic acid HCI) for Topical Solution, 20%, which is part of a unique photodynamic therapy (PDT) system to treat your actinic keratoses (AKs). This brochure has been designed to help give you a better understanding of this unique system and how it is used. It will answer some of the most commonly asked questions about Levulan PST system, and about the importance of treating AKs promptly and effectively.

What are actinic keratoses?

Actinic keratoses (AKs) are rough scaly patches on the skin, caused by excessive exposure to the sun, that can sometimes progress into dangerous skin cancers. More than 5 million Americans live with these lesions, and far too many people ignore them, leaving them untreated. This can have serious consequences. Doctors estimate that 40% of squamous cell carcinomas, the second leading cause of skin cancer deaths in the United States, begin as AKs.

Levulan Kerastick

What is the Levulan PDT system?

The Levulan PDT system is an advanced 2-step treatment for nonhyperkeratotic Ads (AKs that have not yet become enlarged and thick) of the face or scalp. The system is unique because it’s the only one that uses light to destroy AKs.

How effective is it? The Levulan PDT system has been proven effective in clinical testing. Eight weeks after treatment, it had cleared 100% of AKs in about 2/3 patients. The system more effectively cleared AKs of the face the face than those of the scalp. Clinical studies did not examine what happened to completely cleared AKs more than 12 weeks after treatment. 

The Levulan PDT system

How does the Levulan PDT system work?

STEP 1

The first step in the Levulan PDT system is when your dermatologist applies Levualn Kerastick (aminolevulinic acid HCI) for Topical Solution, 20% to individual AKs on your skin. This unique solution is an acid that occurs naturally in your body; it makes the AKs more sensitive to light. This application prepares them for step 2 in the Levulan treatment.

STEP 2

After waiting 30 minutes to one hour, you return to your dermatologist’s office. The dermatologist then exposes the AKs treated in step 1 to a special blue light. This light then destroys these AKs, whether they are precancerous or not.

Are there any precautions I should take during the treatment?

Because step 1 makes the treated areas more sensitive to light, it is important that you avoid bright light during the 30 minutes to one hour between step 1 and step 2. Sunscreens will not protect these treated areas. Stay out of sunlight or bright indoor light, and wear light protecting clothing such as a wide-brimmed hat.

What will I experience during treatment?

During step 2 (the blue light therapy), at least half of the patients in the clinical studies felt a stinging and/or burning in the treated areas. Usually, this improved immediately after treatment and ended within 24 hours. (Less than 3% of patients discontinued therapy because of this discomfort).

After treatment, almost all patients experienced some temporary reddening and some patients had swelling of the AKs and surrounding skin, which generally was completely gone by 4 weeks after treatment.

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