ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Dermatology
The Efficacy of Red and Blue Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Phototherapy Combined with Oral Minocycline for Acne Conglobata: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Air Force Medical Center, Beijing, China
- 2First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
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Objective: Acne conglobata (AC) is a severe inflammatory skin condition with limited therapeutic options that can provide rapid and sustained remission. This retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of a combination therapy of twice-weekly red-blue light-emitting diode (LED) phototherapy with a shortened 4-week course of oral minocycline, compared to a conventional polypharmacy regimen for AC. Methods: We analyzed clinical data from 28 outpatients diagnosed with AC. The study group (n=15) received LED phototherapy (640 nm red and 460 nm blue light) and oral minocycline (100 mg/day for 4 weeks). The control group (n=13) was treated with a heterogeneous conventional regimen, including oral isotretinoin and/or extended minocycline (8 weeks) plus topical agents. Efficacy outcomes, including Symptom Score Reduction Index (SSRI), Global Acne Grading System (GAGS), and Pruritus Visual Analog Scale (P-VAS), were assessed by blinded dermatologists at baseline and over 8 weeks. Safety and tolerability were also evaluated. Results: Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. The LED-minocycline combination resulted in significantly superior and more rapid clinical improvement. At week 8, 100% of patients in the study group achieved cure (SSRI ≥90%), versus 0% in the control group (P<0.001). The mean SSRI in the study group was 92.1±2.37% compared to 23.1±4.35% in the control group (P<0.001). The study group also showed significantly lower post-treatment GAGS scores (7.01±2.01 vs. 9.03±2.36; P=0.022) and P-VAS scores (1.2±0.6 vs. 4.8±1.1; P<0.001). Adverse events were mild and transient, with no significant difference in the incidence of skin irritation between groups (93.3% vs. 84.6%; P=0.583). Conclusion: Combining red-blue LED phototherapy with a 4-week course of minocycline is a rapid, highly effective, and safe therapeutic strategy for AC, outperforming conventional polypharmacy while halving the duration of systemic antibiotic exposure. Despite the inherent limitations of a retrospective design, these findings support the integration of LED therapy to optimize the management of severe acne.
Keywords: Acne conglobata, Phototherapy, Light-emitting diode therapy, Minocycline, Retrospective study
Received: 18 Sep 2025; Accepted: 07 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hao, Zou, Gao, Xing and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Chengxin Li, licx56@163.com
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