Finding the right practitioner to treat you with IPL is not an easy task. This is a real dilemma for rosacea sufferers as we do know that IPL is Excellent for Rosacea.

Woman scarred by skin treatment

Kate Bastians, The West Australian, Updated January 21, 2012, 3:00 am

Perth women are being left with scars and severe burns caused by amateur beauty therapists performing a popular hair removal and skin treatment without proper training.

A Joondalup woman has told how her chest resembles a chequerboard of excruciatingly painful burns after receiving Intense Pulsed Light treatment for sun spots two weeks ago.

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The woman, who received the treatment from a woman who had set up a home business, feared she would be scarred for life and wanted to warn others about the complications that may arise from the treatment.

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The WA Australian Medical Association and the Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australasia have called on the Health Department to introduce standards for the booming IPL industry, which is unregulated.

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The Department of Consumer Protection received 21 inquiries and 10 complaints about IPL last year, which included reports of burns and scarring. That was up from 15 inquiries and one complaint in 2010.

Chris Goodwin, director of the Australian College of Beauty Therapy in Perth, said people were buying cheap IPL machines off the internet and using them on people without appropriate training.

"They think it sounds like a great money-making exercise and they get two days training and that’s it," she said. "There are too many cases where people are getting badly burnt and I think the Health Department needs to act."

AMA WA vice-president Richard Choong said there had been an increase in reports of people receiving burns from IPL treatment as it became more readily available.

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In 2008 we heard about Charlotte Cripps, a writer for the The Independent was badly burned by an IPL treatment at a London Spa.

Today we read a follow up article that tells us that Ms Cripps may be permanently scarred.  Ms Cripps has been awarded a `five-figure sum’ as compensation and is also calling for tighter controls on who can perform IPL treatments.

I may be permanently scarred: Woman left covered in burn marks after cosmetic treatment calls for tighter controls on private therapists

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Last updated at 8:16 AM on 6th December 2011

Charlotte Cripps was off to a private beauty therapist for a lovely session of pampering when a botched procedure left her forever ‘permanently scared’.

The arts writer underwent Intense Pulsed Light treatment – where light is used to smooth the complexion – for a newspaper story three years ago.

‘I couldn’t put a duvet over me or anything because it was just so raw and painful,’ she told the BBC’s Inside Out London programme, which was broadcast last night at 7.30pm.

The writer for The Independent spent months in pain after the treatment in 2008 and has now been given a five-figure sum in compensation by the spa’s insurers.

She said: ‘I think there should be laws brought in so you can’t have IPL or Botox unless it is administered under the supervision of a doctor.’

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The medical authority behind the article is Dr. Joseph Eviatar, medical director of Chelsea Eye and Cosmetic Surgery Associates in New York. Dr. Eviatar discusses the use of IPL, describing how the light acts as a “warm compress that unplugs glands, allowing tears to flow. It also reduces inflammation”. Dr. Eviatar says that the applicator is put along the lid margin and that he generally does two passes.

The story makes the point that using IPL to treat dry eye is not a FDA approved treatment.

Drop-Free Dry Eye Treatment

Off-Label Drop-Free Treatment Could Help 23 Million Who Deal With Dry Eye

It’s an annoying eye condition that impacts more than a quarter of the population. Dry eye forces nearly 23 million people to use drops several times a day, but could light therapy typically used to smooth the skin also stop the burning eye condition? Some patients are going off-label to find relief.

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"So unlike just using supplemental drops — which really doesn’t treat the condition, it just helps with the symptoms — the light therapy actually helps the cause of dry eye," Eviatar said.

In one study of 100 patients who didn’t respond to drops or other treatments, all reported some relief from light therapy, and it lasted for four to six months. Doctors say patients typically need four treatments over the course of a year. Each one costs about $250. Susan Tompkin says that’s less than she was paying for the drops she used six times a day, which still didn’t relieve the problem.

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Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) can improve symptoms and the meibomian gland’s function in the eye. The applicator is applied below the eyelash margin. Bright light acts as a powerful warm compress to liquefy the secretions plugging up the oil-secreting meibomian glands. Additionally, the IPL reduces inflammation

EyeWorld has a related case report;

Case report: Dry–eye symptoms improve with intense pulsed light treatment

.. a potential use for intense pulsed light treatment for dry-eye.

Our initial use of intense pulsed light for dry-eye patients began when a patient rosacea indicated improvement of dry-eye symptoms since receiving IPL treatment.

We suspect IPL treatment improved meibomian gland production due to either meibomian gland stimulation or effectively decreasing telangiectasia.

However, additional investigation is necessary to determine the exact effects of the IPL on surrounding tissue.

In October 2009 Rosacea News highlighted another television story this time from WSOC Charlotte, Carolina: IPL good for dry eyes too

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A recent segment on ABC-TV’s Good Morning America Health featured rosacea.

One slant put on this television story was promoted by a followup press release that highlights the use of Aesthera’s Isolaz technology.  In the past Aesthera’s combination of `pneumatic energy’ and broad band light has been used to treat the pustules and inflammation of acne.

Aesthera is now wanting to promote a `new tip’ on the Isolaz device which will allow it to target rosacea symptoms.

So the Isolaz treatment is IPL but with a suction head that reduces the pain usually associated with IPL treatments.

The Isolaz treatment hasn’t generated much discussion online. This is surprising considering such a high profile promotion on the ABC TV segment and that the treatment has been available since 2007. Dr. Day, a dermatologist from New York tells us that she herself has treated several hundred patients for acne and is now using the new treatment tip for rosacea.

User Reviews

If you are treated for rosacea with the Isolaz please do let us know how you got on in the comments below. How was the level of pain ? Did you see improvements ?

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Dr. Mannis in his interview for the RSRP had this to say about IPL and ocular rosacea.

Q: Do you think IPL treatment of the face usually improves ocular rosacea? What about patients who feel that it has made their ocular rosacea worse, eg more veins showing in the white of the eye, lids more sensitive, eyelashes falling out, hot compresses now cause the eyes to swell?

A: Unfortunately, as ophthalmologists, we have very little experience with IPL. That’s something that’s done by and large by dermatologists. I am not aware of any definite ocular side effects from facial treatments with IPL.

Q: Does ocular rosacea increase the likelihood of cataracts or other eye diseases such as macular degeneration, or central serrous corinopathy (retinopathy)?

A: No. But, if IPL is done, there needs to be eye protection. Any kind of laser treatment done on the skin around the eye requires the practitioner to use eye shields to be sure that the globe is not exposed to the intense light in any way. As long as it’s not, then the likelihood of any of those problems occurring is very small.

For more information on Dry Eye see the following articles: Dry Eye: Awareness, Diagnosis, and Management and Dry Eye Syndrome from Sunday Times Sri Lanka

Zapping Dry Eye

Posted: 12:23 pm EDT October 8, 2009

Christopher Coad, M.D., Ophthalmologist at Chelsea Eye & Cosmetic Surgery Associates in New York City, is using a technique for some dry eye patients called intense pulsed light therapy (IPL). IPL is sometimes used to reduce facial skin redness caused by growth of abnormal blood vessels in patients with rosacea. Doctors noticed that some rosacea patients reported easing of dry eye symptoms after getting IPL. That finding led physicians to try it for patients with dry eye.

First, eye shields and a cooling ultrasound gel are placed around the eyes to protect the eyes and surrounding skin. Then, the IPL is aimed under the lower lid, moving across the eyes. Two passes of the light are made. Then the gel and eye shields are removed.

Coad says IPL has three main effects on dry eye. First, the heat acts like a warm compress to liquefy the blocked oil that’s plugging the meibomian gland. Second, the small blood vessels that carry inflammatory cells to the site are sealed. Third, the light treatment improves the health and function of the meibomian gland, reducing the risk of further inflammation.

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This post-treatment therapy is in addition to some other recently published research that patients treated immediately after IPL with a LED device showed that their post-treatment redness subsided faster compared to not also being treated with LED.

We also know that 2% polyphenone in a hydrophilic cream has shown promise as a treatment for the papules and pustules of rosacea.

Topical polyphenolic antioxidants reduce the adverse effects of intense pulsed light therapy, J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2009 May 27:1-4, Freedman BM., Plastic Surgery Associates of Northern Virginia, McLean, Virginia, USA.

Background: Intense pulsed light therapy (IPL) has been associated with erythema and increased lipid peroxidation. Polyphenolic antioxidants have been shown to decrease inflammation and reduce oxidative stress in irradiated skin.

Objective: To determine whether the topical application of polyphenolic antioxidants to IPL-treated skin reduced the adverse effects of IPL exposure.

Methods: In a split-face study, 10 volunteers underwent three full-face IPL treatments (16 J/cm(2), 10ms, 560nm filter) spaced 3 weeks apart. A polyphenolic antioxidant solution was pneumatically applied to the left side of the face, beginning immediately before the first IPL treatment then weekly for six treatments. The lipid peroxide concentration, skin antioxidant level and skin moisture content were obtained before and after the study.

Results: Skin treated with IPL alone contained a significantly higher concentration of lipid peroxides when compared to skin treated with IPL plus polyphenolic antioxidants (p<0.05). Skin treated with IPL alone contained a significantly lower level of polyphenolic antioxidants and had a significantly lower moisture content (p<0.05).

Conclusions: In this study, the concurrent pneumatic topical application of polyphenolic antioxidants reduced lipid peroxidation and skin dehydration in IPL-treated skin. Polyphenolic antioxidants may confer a protective effect on facial skin and enhance the effects of IPL therapy.

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Intense Pulsed Light (IPL): miracle cure or waste of money?

It is a new reality of the high street that establishments formerly known as beauty salons are reinventing themselves as medical aestheticians, touting a quasi-scientific approach to skincare. Along with cosmetic dentists offering teeth-whitening treatments, this new breed are poised to transform the looks of the nation, catering less to regular maintenance regimes than to our growing reliance on instant makeovers and the holy grail of new technology.

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Reactions to IPL will vary according to skin type, but the majority of providers – when asking for your "informed consent" – play down both the discomfort and the potentially debilitating side-effects. Ask for a patch-test before embarking on the treatment. Either that, or plan to live in a cupboard for up to a week post-consultation, just in case.

Light therapy looks set to be a long-term trend, though the jury is still out on whether this is a miracle cure or a waste of cash. It’s certainly not for me. In fact, I’ve learned a valuable lesson: there is such a thing as a deal of pain for absolutely no gain at all.

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 The Independent newspaper in the UK has an article today in their Health & Wellbeing section detailing (seemingly) a reporter who was badly burned by an IPL treatment. The photos show large uneven red welts on her chest and areas of redness on her face also. The initial treatment was carried out by a technician at a `Top London Spa’. The correspondent was seduced by the promise of a `fast and effective way of removing the visible ravages of time without surgery’.

This is the second high profile newspaper report in recent times (see also News anchor gets burned by photo facial), and should serve as a warning to ensure that the person carrying out your IPL treatment is experienced in the sorts of treatments you are looking for. Try to get your practitioner at least being supervised by a doctor or dermatologist. Also discuss test patches on different areas with your doctor.

The IPL photo facial: more pain than gain?

It’s the must-have anti-ageing treatment for the Hollywood A-list. At 37, Charlotte Cripps couldn’t wait to try it. But less than an hour later, she was covered in burns. Here, she recounts a cautionary tale

When I got home and looked in the mirror at my chest for the first time since the treatment – only an hour later – I was horrified. Angry red rectangular burns covered my chest in a random grid. Little did I know when I’d set off that morning that I would return after my first exciting treatment scorched and traumatised. What made no sense to me was that the treatment had not been done uniformly which was more obvious on my chest where I looked like I’d been branded with a hot iron.

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"What you got was very irregular areas of burn from the pulse light. It looks as if large areas have been skipped. If these areas hadn’t been missed, then certainly the pulse light needs checking because it’s putting out huge amounts of variable energy," says Dr Lowe. "I see reactions like this quite often, but more commonly when people have been to a beauty parlour to have IPL or laser treatments for hair removal."

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The only problem now is that I have been left with tiny white spots across my chest, caused by a loss of pigmentation after my chest was burnt.

And while the original spa couldn’t explain the damage I had suffered and said it was not a common reaction at all, this was no consolation. It pointed out that I had signed a consent form, which had warned me against adverse reactions. I was left angry at the lack of regulation of these treatments in the UK.

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You may have noticed that your face flushes when you enter a warm room, but have you ever thought about how that process actually works ? Well, a nicely written article just released on the web goes into detail about how your body responds when you go from a cold room to a warm room. Colin Dahl, rosacea sufferer himself, from Australian Sciences has created this article to help rosacea sufferers understand the thermoregulatory roots of facial flushing in a simple, easy to read manner. The following couple of paragraphs from Chapter 1 give an accurate description of the contents of the booklet.

A Practical Understanding of Rosacea, Part 1: Heat Regulation and the Warm Room Flush Phenomenon, By Colin Dahl, Chief Scientist, Australian Sciences.

The simplified biological mechanics of rosacea have been explained in the booklet. Minimal medical terms have been used and may be further referenced online. I believe that a basic understanding of how the body deals with heat regulation and dilation of blood vessels is needed if you want to begin reversing this and other forms of facial flushing associated with rosacea.

It is not the intention of this booklet to name or deal with specific chemicals. The reason for this is simple, once you have excessive blood vessels and nerves in your skin, you will have an excess of numerous inflammatory chemicals. It is the intention of this booklet to highlight the systems involved, so that these systems can be used in your favor.

Often we see terms like nerve-mediated vasodilation, cutaneous nerves, angiogenesis (and a new one axonogenesis), sympathetic nerves, neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, nerve growth factors etc. thrown around. Finally here is a document that puts them together in context. Whatsmore, it is a pleasure to read.

I like that the document doesn’t suggest that IPL is the end-game for treating flushing. See the document for Mr. Dahl’s thoughts on how to enhance the effectiveness of IPL therapy.

If you go to the Products section of the web site you will also see that Australian Sciences have products related to rosacea in the development pipeline. From the PDF;

Australian Sciences is developing a range of effective products aimed at assisting in the reduction of excessive skin cell activity due to environmental factors such as sun exposure. Australian Sciences has conducted extensive research into the normalization of inflammatory skin cells with natural compounds such as silymarin, egcg, vitamin B12 and many others. Independent research has also showed these compounds to be effective for other inflammatory skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. We believe these products can help normalize skin cells and assist in the long-term reversal of excessive skin infrastructure.

Further benefits can be achieved through reducing the exposure of skin cells to environmental factors. A major contributor to excessive skin cell activity is sunlight. Not only is the ultraviolet radiation a major contributor, but the excessive heat energy delivered to skin cells is enough on its own to cause problems for those with rosacea.

Stay tuned for further information.

Read the document here: Australian Sciences Rosacea Page.

What do you think about this document ? Leave a comment below or discuss it online at the Blushing and Flushing Forum at the Rosacea Support Forum.

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11 News anchor Lucy Noland wanted to share her personal experience so that others can avoid getting burned.

A few weeks ago, I went in to get some freckles removed.

The result? I was left burned so badly that I couldn’t work for a week.

From the bright lights of the studio to the bright lights of a photo facial. The procedure looks and sounds safe enough.
The machines can do amazing things. Remove sun damage, reverse rosacea and acne and make your skin look and act younger.

But…

“It’s capable of doing some very dramatic things to improve the appearance of the skin, but also it’s capable of causing burn injuries,” said Dr. John Wolf of the Baylor College of Medicine.

That’s exactly what happened to me. Second degree burns striping my entire face. You know, it’s still scary to look at, but here’s what’s really frightening — what happened to me is compared to others, mild.

I’m lucky because doctors say I’m going to heal

“It’s extremely important to make sure that the person or persons who are actually treating you have been appropriately trained, have appropriate experience in using lasers,” said Dr. Wolf.

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