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Intense pulsed light can be said to be a standard feature of all beauty salons, clinics and hospitals. It has a wide range of treatments, a high market penetration rate, and high acceptance among beauty seekers. It is the favorite project for entry-level beauty seekers in medical beauty.

For clinical workers and users of intense pulsed light equipment, they must be proficient in the operation and application of intense pulsed light.

Today, let’s share the key points, difficulties and key points of IPL treatment!

Principles of Intense Pulsed Light Therapy.

Laser is light that amplifies energy after being excited. The spectrum is very narrow, and different wavelengths have special targets. For example, lasers for treating pigmentation usually use monochromatic lasers of 532nm, 755nm, and 1064nm. Its main characteristics are: narrow spectrum and high energy.

Intense pulsed light does not belong to laser. IPL is a wide-spectrum light formed by focusing and filtering a high-intensity light source. Its spectrum is usually 400-1200nm in the visible light and near-infrared part of the spectrum. The corresponding skin problems are solved by combining different filters. Its main characteristics are: wide spectrum and multiple effects.

Parameter selection and endpoint response for IPL treatment.

IPL facial rejuvenation and photoaging.

Parameter selection: People with darker skin color should choose smaller energy, longer pulse width, and more pulses, while those with lighter skin color should choose the opposite. The energy should be appropriately lowered for the forehead, temporal region, and lower eyelids, and the energy can be appropriately increased for the nose; long-term treatment is suitable if it does not affect normal life after surgery. End point reaction: The patient feels warm. Usually 2 to 3 IPL treatments are required to achieve a more ideal effect. If a better effect is to be achieved, a course of treatment (at least 5 times) is required.

If the treatment is mainly for pigmented and vascular skin lesions, a shorter wavelength filter (515 to 590 nm) can be selected; when treating pigmented diseases, a short pulse width is selected; when treating vascular diseases, the pulse width is adjusted according to the diameter of the blood vessels, and a short pulse width is used for thin blood vessels and a long pulse width is used for thick blood vessels; if the treatment is mainly for improving skin quality, fine wrinkles, etc., a longer wavelength filter (640 nm) and a long pulse width should be selected.

Treatment endpoint reaction: When treating pigmented diseases, the endpoint is when the pigmented spots become more obvious and there is slight edema around the pigmented spots; when treating mild superficial capillary dilation, the endpoint is when the blood vessels become lighter, blurred, temporarily disappear, or turn light gray; when treating lesions with changes in dermal structure, the endpoint is when the patient feels warmth.

Table 1 Intense pulsed light for facial rejuvenation and photoaging treatment objectives and parameters

IPL treatment of pigmented lesions.

Parameter selection: It is suitable for IPL treatment of pigmentary diseases mainly in the epidermis and superficial dermis, such as freckles, solar lentigo and other pigmentary diseases. It can partially improve diseases such as coffee spots, chloasma and pigmentation, and can be used as one of the means to improve melanosis, but the effect is uncertain.

The effect of treating freckles and solar lentigo is relatively ideal, but generally requires multiple (3) treatments, and cannot prevent recurrence. The effect is good for patients with white skin, dark rash color, clear boundaries, obvious contrast with normal skin, and no combined chloasma. The effect is poor for patients with light skin lesions, dark skin color, and combined chloasma.

Treatment parameters: The key to setting is based on the patient’s skin color, sensitivity, and tolerance. For patients with white skin, lighter skin lesions, and better tolerance, the pulse width needs to be appropriately narrowed, the interval time needs to be shortened, and the energy density needs to be increased in order to obtain satisfactory clinical results. On the contrary, for patients with darker skin or darker pigment spots, the pulse width and interval time need to be correspondingly extended to improve safety and reduce adverse reactions.

Table 2 Common indications and parameters of intense pulsed light therapy for pigmentary diseases

IPL Hair Removal.

IPL hair removal has a definite effect and mild adverse reactions. It is still one of the main means of hair removal. Its indications are hirsutism and excessive hair. The treatment interval is 4 to 6 weeks, and the best time for re-treatment is when the hair grows 2 to 3 mm.

Wavelength and pulse width: The spectrum with a wavelength of 600 to 1,100 nm can penetrate to the depth of the hair follicle and is well absorbed by melanin, which is the ideal wavelength range for laser hair removal. The ideal pulse width range for IPL hair removal is 10 to 100 ms or even longer.

Table 3 Common indications and parameters for intense pulsed light hair removal

Note: The pulse interval is 30~50ms for fair skin, 50~80ms for medium skin, and 80~120ms for dark skin.

IPL treatment of vascular diseases.

Parameter selection: The wavelength of 577 nm is better absorbed by blood vessels, but considering the absorption rate of the wavelength, a 560 nm filter is often used in clinical practice, which has better results. IPL is mainly for blood vessels with thin diameters, so the heating time does not need to be very long.

For patients with dark skin, the pulse width of IPL is relatively wide, and it can be set as small as possible within a safe range, which is conducive to improving the intensity of treatment.

Treatment endpoint: The parameter setting is reasonable, and the treatment can often be completed with just one scan. If the local reaction is limited after surgery, the treatment can be strengthened as appropriate.

IPL treatment for acne and rosacea.

Acne: Parameters are adjusted according to the characteristics of the patient’s inflammatory skin lesions, skin color, and tolerance. Use 560 nm/590 nm/640 nm filters, double pulse or triple pulse, pulse width 3.0 ~ 4.5 ms, pulse delay time 20 ~ 40 ms, energy density 15 ~ 18 J/cm2. Single treatments do not overlap, and mild redness of the lesions is the treatment endpoint reaction.

Rosacea: The parameters before treatment are the same as acne. Parameters are adjusted according to the patient’s capillary dilation, skin color, and tolerance. The energy is low, and the skin is slightly hot and slightly flushed as the treatment endpoint.

Key points for operating the intense pulsed light machine.

Test light spot, skin test.

When testing the light spot, apply the cold gel to the mandibular angle area with a thickness of 1~2mm, irradiate 2~3 light spots according to the selected treatment parameters, and observe the skin reaction.

Energy regulation is progressive.

Starting from the lowest value of the recommended parameters, the energy density is adjusted by 1-2J/cm2 each time; if the skin is slightly red, the energy density is used as the treatment parameter. If there is no reaction, increase it by 1~2J/cm2, and if it is already purple, reduce it by 1~2J/cm2. In this way, 1/4 of the face is treated one by one, and ice gauze is applied wet until the treatment of the whole face is completed. For type V~VI skin, there should be no erythema reaction during the intense pulsed light treatment. The skin in the bony areas such as the forehead and cheekbones is thinner and more sensitive, and the energy density should be 1-2J/cm2 lower than that of the face.

Operation sequence, treatment techniques.

Light is emitted from outside to inside and from bottom to top in a stamping style. Avoid light leakage or light spot overlap (during skin rejuvenation and anti-aging treatment, the light spots can overlap by 10-20%). A large light spot treatment head can be used for cheeks/large parts, a small light spot adapter can be used for small parts such as the forehead, nose, and philtrum, and a small round light spot adapter can be used for local fine treatment. Except for vascular lesions (red blood streaks, vascular nevi, sensitive skin, etc.), before the treatment light is emitted, the epidermal cooling system at the light outlet of the treatment handle can be used to slide and cool the epidermis for 3-5 seconds before emitting light. It can improve the comfort and safety of the treatment process. During treatment, the skin may have a delayed reaction of 5-10 minutes. Especially for those who seek beauty with pigmentation, dull skin, and severe photoaging, it is necessary to extend the skin observation time to 10-15 and increase the number of treatments.

IPL treatment summary.

1. Use ice packs immediately after treatment to cool the treatment area, reduce edema and relieve discomfort. It is recommended not to use hot water within 12 hours after treatment, as hot water can cause blisters in patients with more severe treatments.
2. Absolute contraindications: photosensitive skin and diseases related to photosensitivity; skin lesions in the treatment area are precancerous lesions or malignant tumors; infection in the treatment area; open wounds in the treatment area; patients with excessively high treatment expectations.

IPL Treatment Frequently Asked Questions.

Q: What is IPL treatment?
A: IPL treatment refers to the use of an IPL machine to perform certain skin improvement treatments, such as photorejuvenation, IPL acne treatment, IPL anti-aging, IPL hair removal, etc., all of which are IPL treatments.

Q: How to master IPL treatment?
A: IPL treatment requires not only a high-quality intense pulsed light machine, but also a professional operator. Therefore, operators who use IPL machines for treatment need to receive professional beauty technology training and thoroughly master the IPL laser treatment plan for all skin problems.

Q: How long is the recovery period for IPL treatment?
A: Normally, if you use IPL for skin rejuvenation, the downtime is one month. The treatment cycle of photorejuvenation is once a month. If it is IPL hair removal, the downtime is 3 months, because IPL hair removal requires periodic hair removal, which requires three consecutive hair removals, each with a 3-month interval, to achieve significant results.

Q: How much does IPL treatment cost?
A: The cost of treatment for different projects varies in different countries. Photorejuvenation costs $1,000 per session, and IPL acne scar removal costs $1,200. IPL hair removal costs $800.

How to choose a high-quality IPL treatment machine?

To perform IPL treatment well, in addition to professional training for the operator and strict and safe treatment parameters, a good device is also required. The intense pulsed light machine uses the photothermal effect as the main treatment principle and acts on the target cells of the skin. For the IPL machine, the most important parts are the stability of the laser bar and the cleanliness of the water flow system. Because the IPL light needs to be emitted from the laser bar and irradiated through the water flow, the water flow of the IPL machine must be distilled water to ensure that the IPL light source is the purest.

If you need a professional IPL machine, you can consider Litonlaser, a medical equipment manufacturer with 20 years of experience. We have various styles of IPL equipment, multi-band equipment, DPL, OPT, SHR, etc. We have a deep understanding and testing of various IPL beauty treatments.