IPL
The IPL or Intense Pulsed Light may also be called flash lamp therapy. The IPL is not a laser, but produces pulses of high intensities of light in short durations, to minimize damage to non target tissues and minimize discomfort. The light emitted is filtered through different settings for its indicated use. This filtered light is flashed from a rectangular hand piece onto the skin, targeting pigment or redness. IPL is intended to cause thermal and mechanical damage to the pigment or redness without affecting the surrounding tissue. While IPL is used for permanent hair reduction, it is best used to treat sun damage, pigmentation, poikiloderma of civatte, rosacea, broken capillaries and vascular pigmented birth marks.
IPL is known by various names such as Fotofacial, Photofacial, Photoderm, Epilight and Plasmalight to name a few. The computer system of these devices can be customized to treat various skin anomalies such as facial flushing, redness, broken capillaries, spider veins, freckles, port wine stains, age spots and hair removal. Many report a reduction of pore size and smoother skin. Not everyone is a candidate for IPL and those who respond best to treatments are of European descent or fair in color. Side effects may include scabbing, blistering, hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation. Olive, dark or tanned skin, along with those who are prone to keloids may not be a candidate for this procedure. For those who are the IPL offers minimal discomfort and no downtime. |
