Intense pulsed light

Intense pulsed light (IPL) is a technology used by cosmetic and medical practitioners to perform various skin treatments for aesthetic and therapeutic purposes, including hair removal, photorejuvenation (e.g. the treatment of skin pigmentation, sun damage, and thread veins) as well as to alleviate dermatologic diseases such as acne.[1][2][3][4][citation needed] IPL is increasingly used in optometry and ophthalmology as well, to treat evaporative dry eye disease due to meibomian gland dysfunction.[5][6][7][8]

The technology uses a high-powered, hand-held, computer-controlled flashgun to deliver an intense, visible, broad-spectrum pulse of light, generally in the visible spectral range of 400 to 1200 nm. Various cutoff filters are commonly used to selectively filter out shorter wavelengths, especially potentially damaging ultraviolet light. The resulting light has a spectral range that targets specific structures and chromophores (e.g. melanin in hair, or oxyhemoglobin in blood vessels) that are heated to destruction and reabsorbed by the body. IPL shares some similarities with laser treatments, in that they both use light to heat and destroy their targets. But unlike lasers that use a single wavelength (color) of light which typically matches only one chromophore and hence only treats one condition, IPL uses a broad spectrum that when used with interchangeable filters, allowing it to be used against several conditions. This can be achieved when the IPL technician selects the appropriate filter that matches a specific chromophore.[9]

  1. ^ Kumaresan, M; Srinivas, C R (2010-01-01). "Efficacy of IPL in treatment of acne vulgaris : Comparison of single- and burst-pulse mode in IPL". Indian Journal of Dermatology. 55 (4): 370–372. doi:10.4103/0019-5154.74550. ISSN 0019-5154. PMC 3051300. PMID 21430893.
  2. ^ Wat, Heidi; Wu, Douglas C.; Rao, Jaggi; Goldman, Mitchel P. (2014-04-01). "Application of intense pulsed light in the treatment of dermatologic disease: a systematic review". Dermatologic Surgery. 40 (4): 359–377. doi:10.1111/dsu.12424. ISSN 1524-4725. PMID 24495252. S2CID 205081994.
  3. ^ Piccolo, D.; Di Marcantonio, D.; Crisman, G.; Cannarozzo, G.; Sannino, M.; Chiricozzi, A.; Chimenti, S. (2014-01-01). "Unconventional use of intense pulsed light". BioMed Research International. 2014: 618206. doi:10.1155/2014/618206. ISSN 2314-6141. PMC 4167959. PMID 25276803.
  4. ^ Belenky, Inna; Tagger, Cruzy; Bingham, Andrea (2015-11-01). "Intense Pulsed Light Pulse Configuration Manipulation Can Resolve the Classic Conflict Between Safety and Efficacy". Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. 14 (11): 1255–1260. ISSN 1545-9616. PMID 26580874.
  5. ^ Toyos, Rolando; McGill, William; Briscoe, Dustin (2015-01-01). "Intense pulsed light treatment for dry eye disease due to meibomian gland dysfunction; a 3-year retrospective study". Photomedicine and Laser Surgery. 33 (1): 41–46. doi:10.1089/pho.2014.3819. ISSN 1557-8550. PMC 4298157. PMID 25594770.
  6. ^ Vegunta, Sravanthi; Patel, Dharmendra; Shen, Joanne F. (2016-03-01). "Combination Therapy of Intense Pulsed Light Therapy and Meibomian Gland Expression (IPL/MGX) Can Improve Dry Eye Symptoms and Meibomian Gland Function in Patients With Refractory Dry Eye: A Retrospective Analysis". Cornea. 35 (3): 318–322. doi:10.1097/ICO.0000000000000735. ISSN 1536-4798. PMID 26785301. S2CID 24896902.
  7. ^ Vora, Gargi K.; Gupta, Preeya K. (2015-07-01). "Intense pulsed light therapy for the treatment of evaporative dry eye disease". Current Opinion in Ophthalmology. 26 (4): 314–318. doi:10.1097/ICU.0000000000000166. ISSN 1531-7021. PMID 26058031. S2CID 39053597.
  8. ^ Craig, Jennifer P.; Chen, Yen-Heng; Turnbull, Philip R. K. (2015-03-01). "Prospective trial of intense pulsed light for the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction". Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 56 (3): 1965–1970. doi:10.1167/iovs.14-15764. ISSN 1552-5783. PMID 25678687.
  9. ^ Gold, Michael H. (September–October 2007). "Lasers and light sources for the removal of unwanted hair". Clinics in Dermatology. 25 (5): 443–453. doi:10.1016/j.clindermatol.2007.05.017. PMID 17870522.