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.
21 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.
Hi Orlando Deb,
Deb, I just wanted to make a quick comment regarding your question about Fraxil laser treatments. I have a friend who went to a dermatologist for this treatment. She completely got rid of all of her symptoms of rosacea (redness, papules and pustules around her nose and mouth) after 1 treatment with no reoccurance after one year. My question to you, though: did you feel as though your face was being “blowtorched” by the laser? (a term used by my friend) She could hardly stand the 20 min procedure and had to stay home for a week till the redness/swelling went down. I just wondered if the treatment you had at a spa was as effective as having it at a dermatologist. I would suggest that you, at least, talk to a doctor to discuss this before returning to the spa for any additional treatments. Good luck!
Pain management is often a concern for laser treatments. Topical usually works.
Hi Emily,
We do IPL at our clinic (we also do Fraxel and Laser Vein treatments). Some IPLs are better than others when it comes to treating Redness and Rosaceo.
What type of IPL is your doctor using? How much does insurance reimburse for the treatment?
There are two components to Rosacea. The pimples and papules are treated with oral antibiotics and the redness is treated with light therapy (IPL and other types of Lasers).
Hope this helps.
I am looking forward to learn a lot from interacting on this site.
I’ve had rosacea since I was a teenager, but I didn’t konw it. For years I suffered but was only diagnosed about 5 years ago. I now live in the UK and two years ago started IPL with the UK’s top rosacea specialist, but I got my hopes up and if I’m being totally honest it really didn’t do that much. I have no will power so I can’t cut out beer, hot foods, etc. And that is what flairs it. The ONLY thing I have tried (and I have tried EVERYTHING) and found to work is the full sweep of Eucerin for rosacea products -in the UK I think it’s called ‘for facial redness’. I use the facewash, nightcream (evne in the day) and spf cream on top of that. If I had found this years ago it would have made such a difference. It has licorice root in it, and that must be what makes it work. It’s the only thing that makes my skin look like I’m slightly normal. i want to start a UK campaign to get top class rosacea treatment paid for by the NHS. It’s not cosmetic, it’s painful and horendous.
Hey Dave,
I was wondering what your opinion was on IPL and lasers. I am wondering which is better, IPL or smoothbeam and gentle yag lasers for rosacea?
Thanks,
David T.
I had my first IPL treatment yesterday. It was immediately followed by 15 minutes under red light. There was a visible improvement as soon as it was finished. Today there is even less redness. I’ve had rosacea for three years (perhaps longer, but I’ve been diagnosed for 3 years). I have papules, pustules, swelling on my cheeks and forehead. My forehead has been covered with papules for a year. The swelling has reduced considerably in all areas and the burning and itching is gone since the IPL.
I have sufferred from rosacea for years but it has substantially worsened over time…redness, papules & pustules all over face and neck. Nonresponsive to abx and topicals. I went to a dermatologist who recommended Pulse Dye Laser ($800.00) and have appt. for Sept. 1, 2009 but I’m scared. Too much information confuses me about best choice. Hope for the best…..
Hello,
I have had rosacea now for about 4 years, and am now 41. I have had a lot of laser treatments, but i haven’t gone for some time , because of the expenses. I recently bought the Hairmax premium laser comb.I am loosing hair . Today i used it on my jaw, for a short while, since it was itching, thinking if it did not help, it would not harm either. The itching stopped right after. Is there anyone who knows about it? Or has tried it as well?
I had IPL a couple of years ago with not much success but am now trying again with a different practitioner who is also giving me a very light skin peel beforehand which is apparently very gentle and suitable for rosacea. I have had 2 sessions 3 weeks apart and am due for my third next week. I was so scared that I asked for a local anaesthetic to apply beforehand but they refused saying that the tolerance of the sensation is a good indicator of the level at which to set the machine. I braved it nervously and started off at level 24 on the first session which was absolutely fine. Hardly felt anything. ( I am a complete baby) Second session was up to 26 and that was also fine. No pain…just a couple of slightly uncomfortable zaps on sensitive areas…much like flicking an elastic band against the face but not hard and only made me flinch a little on a couple of zaps. At its absolute worst the sensation is probably like having a hot just extinguished match stick to your skin for a second. It just feels more scary because you have stickers covering your eyes and you are never sure which zaps are going to be the ones that make you flinch. 80% of the zaps were nothing. My friend commented how good my skin looked after the first session and it feels and looks even better now. I can’t wait to ‘zap’ it further on session 3. Highest setting for me is 32 ( I have v.fair skin that tans very slightly). I am having the treatment in my lunch hours and go back to work afterwards with no after affects. It helps if the practitioner that you have is pleasant and understanding.If anyone wants to know where I am having the treatment, please let me know.
IPL was a terrible decision for me–it made my skin very saggy. I just compared two photos–one taken a week before 5 IPL treatments and one taken after about 6 weeks of treatment–I look a lot older! It changed the way my skin reacts–now my skin is paper thin, bleeds easily, and flakes constantly when it is not broken out.
Do not do this.
I only had about 3-4 treatments about 2 yrs ago and I, too, noticed my skin lost elasticity – or something – afterwards. To be honest the treatments did not improve my redness enough enough for me to want to pay £350 a pop for more.
What I have realised from doing a 3-week detox (CLEAN by Dr Junger) is that rosacea is directly related to toxins and the bowel. If you have a clean bowel, your rosacea is almost non existent. Combine clean eating (see the ‘elimination diet’ CLEAN) with this skin care regime which after 10-15 yrs of suffering like the rest of you, I have found ACTUALLY works: 1) facewash of your choice, but I used Checks and Balances by Origins 2) Weil for Origins Mega Mushroom Treatment Lotion (it’s like a toner, but does not irritate, great for getting that toned and refreshed feeling after wash) 3) Weil Mega Mushroom Face Lotion (like a serum) 4) then skip the rest of the Mega-Mushroom products and use Eucerin Anti-redness NIGHT cream -labeled ‘for rosacea’ in the USA, I think – I use it during the day and put on anti-redness spf 15 (without green pigment – hard to find) on top for sun protection.) This works and you will notice an immediate difference. Also hydro colonics work wonders. It’s all about the bowel!!!
I was diagnosed with Rosacea in 2003, very few pimples/pustules – but terrible flushing that has gotten worse and more unpredictable in the last 6 months – even avoiding triggers has stopped being effective. I have been in the throes of a flush since Monday and am going for my first IPL photofacial session tonight. I’m currently pinkish with some mild stinging/itchiness – so I’ll report back later this week on how the treatment went and what the after effects are like. It’s being performed by a GP and is not covered by insurance, 375$ per session and have been told I will likely need 5.
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