Intense Pulsed Light Therapy is a non-invasive treatment used for improving the appearance of the face and for hair removal. It is also known by various other names like Intense Pulse Light Therapy, PhotoFacial, Flashlamp Therapy or IPL in short. This treatment is used for curing problems like spider angiomas, rosy cheeks, Rosacea, broken facial veins, and red thread veins of the legs. It is also used to remove wrinkles, age marks and fine lines of the face, and unwanted hair. It differs from laser treatment by emitting light of varying wavelengths in each pulse.
Results obtained from the IPL treatment are not too stellar, as it is a non-ablative treatment (affecting the inner layer of the skin without harming the outer one). Hence, some treatments can be combined with this procedure to enhance the results.
Rosacea Treatments
Laser lights can be used to resurface the skin and to treat conditions of Rosacea-induced persistent redness, Rhinophyma (thickening of skin on cheeks or nose regions) and dilated blood vessels. Pulsed dye laser is used to treat such conditions. This causes temporary bruising, which eventually reduces the redness and symptoms of Rosacea. Apart from this, KTP laser, diode laser, CO2laser, erbium:YAG laser and Nd:YAG laser care can be used to treat various conditions of Rosacea. IPL also can be used to treat such symptoms. Hence, the results can be significant if these treatments are combined with an interval of time.
Nd: YAG Laser
Patient satisfaction and clinical results are found to improve when Nd:YAG laser is used in combination with the IPL treatments. When combined treatment is given, significant improvement of ectatic blood vessels and dermal collagen is noticeable. Thus, a combination of IPL and Nd:YAG laser can be used in order to achieve visible enhancement of the facial appearance by reducing the visible or broken blood capillaries, spider veins, age spots, wrinkles and fine lines.
Tattoo Removal
Tattoos and pigmentation in the epidermis or dermis can be treated with laser and IPL treatments. Laser can be used to remove tattoos. However, results vary with the nature of the tattoo ink. Hence, for effective tattoo removal, Q-switched laser and IPL treatments are combined. This combination is also effective for the melanocytic nevi removal.
Microdermabrasion
Here, tiny crystals are used to scrub and peel the outer surface of the skin. Thus, it helps to reduce the outermost scars and wrinkles through microdemabrasion rather than IPL, which acts at various depths of the skin. Both these can be combined to produce improvement in the appearance of the skin.
Word of Caution
Deciding and undergoing various treatments without proper consultation with your dermatologist can prove to be harmful to your skin. Select an experienced cosmetologist with experience in IPL treatment. Consult with your physician about your skin type, frequency of skin infection (if any), skin treatments underwent, and adverse reactions followed (if any) in order to help your doctor to decide the combination treatment based on your requirement and skin condition.
