Objective To explore the efficacy and safety of narrow spectrum intense pulsed light super photon in acne patients. Methods A total of 80 acne patients admitted to Yinchuan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from December 2023 to January 2024 were selected as the research subjects, and they were divided into the control group and the observation group by the random number table method, with 40 patients in each group. The control group was treated with tretinoin cream, and the observation group was treated with narrow spectrum intense pulsed light (DPL super photon). The treatment effect, adverse reactions, skin barrier function and skin status were compared between the two groups. Results The total effective rate of treatment in the observation group (95.00%) was higher than that in the control group (75.00%) (P <0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group (2.50%) was lower than that in the control group (25.00%) (P <0.05). After treatment, the transepidermal water loss of the observation group was lower than that of the control group, and the epidermal water content was higher than that of the control group (P <0.05). The symptom score, pruritus score and lesion score of the observation group were all lower than those of the control group (P <0.05). Conclusion Narrow spectrum intense pulsed light super photon technology can effectively improve the treatment effect of acne patients, enhance skin status, and improve skin barrier function, with high safety.