The first large scale, long term look at IPL that I’ve seen. The news is good, IPL is gaining more and more professional weight as a mainstream rosacea treatment. Also see the end of this article for links to more leading edge information on IPL.
Effective treatment of rosacea using intense pulsed light systems. Dermatologic Surgery. 2005 Oct;31(10):1285-9., Schroeter CA, Haaf-von Below S, Neumann HA., Department of Laser Therapy, Medical Centre Maastricht, Becanusstraat 17 A05, 6216 BX Maastricht, the Netherlands.
BACKGROUND: To date, a variety of lasers have been used for treating vascular skin lesions. Intense pulsed light (IPL) is a proven technology for vascular lesion management, such as rosacea.
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of IPL in treating vascular facial lesions in rosacea patients.
METHODS: Sixty patients presenting with telangiectasia owing to facial rosacea were selected randomly from the patient population in the Department of Laser Therapy at the Medical Centre Maastricht, the Netherlands. Patients of various skin types (Fitzpatrick I-IV) were selected with an average age of 44.2 years. Five hundred eight sites were treated, with a mean of 4.1 treatments per site and an IPL spectrum ranging from 515 to 1,200 nm with different pulse durations between 4.3 and 6.5 milliseconds. The energy density varied from 25 to 35 J/cm2.
RESULTS: Patients were assessed clinically and photographically. A mean clearance of 77.8% was achieved and was maintained for a follow-up period averaging 51.6 months (range 12-99 months). No correlation was found between the clearance of rosacea and patient-related or technical data. For approximately 3 years post-treatment, lesion recurrence was noted in 4 of the 508 treated facial sites.
DISCUSSION: This study demonstrated that IPL treatment of facial rosacea is effective in obtaining clearance of 77.8%, with minimal side effects, and that treatment effects are maintained.
CONCLUSION: The IPL system, with its broad range of technical variables, is an effective tool in achieving meaningful and lasting rosacea clearance.
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Feedback: What has your experience been with IPL ? Would you recommend going through a series of treatments ? How did you find a good clinic ? Feel free to leave a comment below.
9 comments ↓
Dear Sir/Madam
I have had Rocacea for 2 yrs now and have tried everything.
Antibiotics made things worst.
Herbal medicin got rid of the lumps.
My redness in the effected area has gone from Red to pink, but i am still not happy.
I wanted to ask:
a) Is IPL dangerious/is it 100% safe?
b) My nose and right cheek is
currently a pink/red colour… more
pink than red, so will IPL reduce the
pinkness to white?
“Hope you can give me some feed back on this”
Kind Regards
Mr John Bruce Bedford
IPL
Dear Sir, It has been my experience, after having dealt with rosacea for over 10 years (and having tried everything), that one to three treatments of IPL, in conjunction with two to three Vbeam (gentle YAG laser) treatments spaced about a month apart, will have great therapeutic results. Of course your mileage may vary. Go to a real board certified dermatologist - not one of the “spa” places that happens to have a laser. You will end up spending $1500 to $2000 on these treatments, so you want to get your money’s worth and have the treatments done by a true professional. I live near Charlotte NC, and am seeing Dr. Rostan. The main thing to remember is that one treatment alone isn’t going to do much, so don’t expect miracles on your first visit. And of course, stay out of the sun, use sunscreen, avoid rosacea triggers as always. But in the end, I think you’ll find these treatments valuable. Also keep in mind that after all is said and done, you may have to have another round of treatments in a couple or three years to keep the rosacea at bay. Good luck.
TO ROSS WARREN: I live near Charlotte,NC too. Does insurance generally cover this treatment?
Thanks,
Melissa
No insurence does not usually cover IPL for rosacea. Its a cosmetic procedure.
Hi Guys
I have my third treatment next week, so far i have noticed an improvement with the texture of my skin however the redness is still very bad. I’ve been to see a dermy today that wants me to try Tetracycline 250mg. What do you guys think? should i stop the laser treatment and try these tablets.
Im currently paying £220 per a treatment.
Thanks,
Chris
Hi All,
I have had rosacea for about 5 years now (used to think it was just acne) and as I get older it’s getting worse (I’m 36 now) I have been through three IPL treatments and am using the Obagi skin care system and nothing seems to be helping; in fact, my skin sensitivity and burning seems to be getting worse. I’m almost at my wits end over this!
Hi everyone,
I was diagnosed 17 years ago at the age of 26. At that time I was given Tetracycline pills which cleared up the acne and calmed my skin down but my skin still remained pink, but I was no longer bright red.
I had to drastically change my diet in order to stop the flushing: no chocolate, no tomato products, no vinegar, no nuts, no orange juice & no coffee, etc.
Cold weather always made my face flush and made the rosacea worse.
As I got older the acne went away, and the flushing feeling has gone away, however my face is still pink and the broken capillaries are now more visable.
Three days ago I went to a spa expecting to get my first IPL Laser Photo Rejuvenation treatment. When I got there they told me that their Fraxel treatment was just like the Photo Rejuvenation treatment and would treat my rosacea as well as my age spots and sun spots.
When I got home I did research on the web about Fraxel and I do not see it recommended for Rosacea anywhere on the web. There is a lot on the web about IPL for Rosacea. Now I am confused and concerned should I go back for the rest of the Fraxel treatments or should I switch to a different place that offers IPL Photo Facials?
Has anyone tried or heard of Fraxel being good for Rosacea?
Orlando Deb
Hello everyone,
I have had rosacea for about 3 years now…I am 34 years old. It seems to continue to get worse with age.
I live in Florida, and have found that the heat makes my rosacea flare up. Not only does my face look flush because of the heat, it breaks out really bad. It seems like I have had to completly change my lifestyle because of rosacea. I am going to the doctor this week for my third IPL treatment; so far, it hasen’t seemed to help. The good thing is, the treatments are covered under my health insurance. I noticed that some of you are paying out-of-pocket for your IPL treatments. Ya’ll might want to check with your insurance company to see if they cover your treatments…this is NOT cosmetic!
I am at my wits end with my breakouts… Any suggestions? Do oral antibiotics help?
Hi Emily,
Oral antibiotics do work for most people and work best for the inflammatory parts of rosacea - the papules and pustules. You might like to investigate a low dose doxycycline like Oracea or generic periostat as a lower-risk alternative.
davidp.
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