Skin treatments using IPL

What is IPL?

The initials IPL stand for Intense Pulse Light.  With an IPL machine a filter system is used to produce a beam of light that consists of a number or band of wavelengths (colours).  Different filters can be used to produce different bands of light and these in turn can be used for different clinical applications.

What can be treated?

Most skin conditions can be treated however, the effectiveness of treatment will depend on the type of filter and the specifications of the IPL machine.  For example a 400nm+ filter can target acne; a 470nm+ filter can target pigment and blood vessel problems whilst an 1000nm+ filter can stimulate collagen growth.

Which IPL is best?

IPL is not new technology, it has been around since the Photoderm machine in 1994.  There are many different IPL machines manufactured worldwide with many claiming to be the best and using various marketing names such as VPL (Variable Pulsed Light), SIPL (Super Intense Pulse Light) and UPL (Ultra Pulsed Light).  IPL systems do vary significantly in their technical specifications such as power density, beam size, pulse width, repetition rate and contact cooling.  How long the lamps that produce the light last can also significantly impact on running costs and hence cost to the patient.  Generally speaking, the most effective IPL systems are what could be termed medical grade.  Whilst more expensive to purchase than many of the cheaper IPL systems used in the beauty industry the medical grade IPLs are technically superior and hence much more effective.

Recent IPL improvements

In recent times the development of double filter technology for IPL systems has resulted in much narrower bands of wavelengths for each filter.  This has allowed the treatment results for some conditions to improve both in terms of overall result and in requiring fewer treatments.  Another advance is the development of platform technology where in one machine you can have a number of IPL filter systems plus laser handpieces and possibly also other technology such as radiofrequency.

When to use IPL

IPL systems usually result in less skin reaction than laser systems.  This can be an advantage when minimal downtime after treatment is an important consideration.  However, to get the same end result you will usually need more treatments with an IPL system compared to a comparable laser system.  One area where we prefer to use an IPL system over a laser system is in the area of photorejuvenation where it is an advantage to treat pigment, blood vessel and skin texture problems at the same time.

For more information see Photorejuvenation.