BOSTON -- Millions of Americans suffer from the ravages of acne and while it won't kill you, it can be disfiguring and take a toll on self-esteem.

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Watch Heather Unruh's Report LASER ACNE RESOURCES Dr. Thomas Rohrer (617) 731-1600 1244 Boylston St., Suite 302 Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467 American Academy of Dermatology Skin Care Physicians.com Acne.org acne-site.com Acne treatment information Natural Acne treatments Acne Support Group Kids Health On Acne

Now a Boston-area dermatologist is experimenting with a new technique that shows real promise in treating even the most stubborn acne.

Newscenter 5's Heather Unruh reported that Dr. Tom Rohrer is treating one patient's entire back and shoulder area with a smooth-beam laser, which is FDA-approved to treat wrinkles, but has not yet been approved for acne treatment.

"Our patient had acne on both sides of the back that was equal and you can see even a month later there's a couple of lesions there, but the majority of them have cleared out," said Rohrer.

He explains that the laser reduces the size of glands that can be affected by acne.

"And what this is doing is just heating the sebaceous glands and shrinking them down, and it's the sebaceous glands that are largely responsible for acne," said Rohrer.

The tiny laser pulses heat just beneath the skin's surface while numbing cream dulls, but doesn't eliminate, the pinching pain.

"What the laser tries to do to help it hurt less and to protect the top layer of skin, is it puts a little spray, a cryogen spray, which cools the surface of the skin down, protects it and helps the pain. But it's still going to hurt," said Rohrer.

The procedure and pain last only minutes, and may be worth it. Rohrer said a California researcher followed 17 patients with stubborn back acne through four treatments in as many months with impressive results.

"What we found even six months after the last treatment, of those 17 patients, 16 had no acne lesions, and one patient had two. And so, it was a 98 percent reduction in the acne lesions," he said.

All at a cost of $400 to $800, which is not covered by insurance.

When lasers are involved, there's always a risk of scarring, but Rohrer said it's a small risk and he hasn't seen any problems so far. In fact, he says, the new laser shows real promise in improving acne scarring.