Intense Pulsed Light to Treat Rosacea

Intense pulsed light (IPL) can treat hyperpigmentation and erythema associated with rosacea. IPL has been cleared for this application by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Rosacea involves vascular changes and results in a characteristic erythema, or redness, that appears in the skin as a response to many conditions and processes. The most well-known case is melasma, a darkening around the eyes that often affects women during pregnancy. External factors, such as weather and diet, may cause significant flare-ups.

Unlike a laser, IPL is a broad band of light that can utilize many wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. As a result, both pigmented lesions and capillaries absorb the light simultaneously, allowing for the clearance of pigmentation and vascularity. IPL supplies high levels of nonlaser light power in precision-measured pulses, controlled to one ten-thousandth of a second. IPL and IPL devices were developed by Lumenis Ltd. (Yokneam, Israel).

"Now, Lumenis IPL treatments provide a long-term solution to sufferers of this persistent skin condition who have traditionally been treated by special diets or topical creams with limited degrees of success,” said Alon Maor, executive vice president of Lumenis. The company develops and markets laser and IPL devices that can be used in a variety of aesthetic, ophthalmic, surgical, and dental applications.




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