![]() In patients with a previous history of HSV infection, starting prophylactic antiviral therapy (oral acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famciclovir) may be warranted a day before IPL treatment and continue for up to two weeks afterward. IPL has also been found to induce reactivation of the herpes simplex virus (HSV) on the face or genitals via transient hyperthermia and activate latent HSV in the trigeminal ganglion. However, it may be beneficial to avoid IPL in certain individuals, such as those with a recent sunburn and in pregnant or breastfeeding women. Intense pulsed light treatment sessions are relatively safe and tolerable. IPL was also recently introduced to ophthalmology to manage dry eye disease due to meibomian gland dysfunction. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved IPL for telangiectasias, photorejuvenation, facial wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, lentigines, ephelides, melasma, rosacea, acne vulgaris, poikiloderma of Civatte, port-wine stains, hemangiomas, leg veins, venous malformations, and removal of unwanted hair. ![]() This phenomenon of selective photothermolysis is the underlying basis of IPL technology. Chromophores (e.g., hemoglobin, water, melanin) in the skin absorb the photons and are subsequently heated by thermal energy, causing their destruction through thermocoagulation. ![]() Lasers and light devices produce a clinical effect when their light is absorbed by the skin, resulting in the emission of photons that carry thermal energy. Furthermore, the wavelength of light emitted from an IPL machine can be adjusted by applying filters. The advantage of broadband light is that it allows for greater versatility in treating a variety of skin types and conditions. IPL uses a flashlamp to emit polychromatic light across a broad wavelength spectrum of approximately 400–1400 nm, which makes it fundamentally different from a laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation), whose light is necessarily monochromatic (of a single wavelength), collimated (with waves running in parallel), and coherent (with waves in phase). Currently, IPL is an invaluable tool in dermatology and is frequently used to address a broad range of medical and cosmetic concerns. IPL is safe and effective in treating benign pigmented and vascular disorders and hair removal and photoaging. IPL devices are unique in that they employ flashlamps and bandpass filters to produce pulsed light of varying wavelengths, durations, and fluences. These aspects promote its versatility in treating numerous dermatological diseases. Since the first FDA-approved IPL device was brought to the market in 1995, this technology has undergone significant innovation and improvement in its clinical applications and affordability. Proof-of-concept studies were conducted on rabbit ear veins, demonstrating IPL's ability to thermocoagulate vessels while minimizing purpura or epidermal damage. Goldman, Fitzpatrick, and Eckhouse for the treatment of leg telangiectasias. Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy was first developed in 1992 by Drs. Summarize the role of the interprofessional team in the delivery of IPL treatment and the longitudinal care of the IPL patient.Review the physics of the interaction between light energy and biological tissues.Identify the indications for IPL therapy.Describe the difference between IPL and laser energy.This activity reviews the physics of IPL therapy, its indications and contraindications, and technical aspects of IPL delivery and highlights the role of the interprofessional healthcare team in administering IPL treatments. Since then, studies have demonstrated IPL to be a safe and effective means of treating pigmented and vascular disorders, including melasma, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, lentigines, ephelides, telangiectasias, port-wine stains, rosacea, poikiloderma of Civatte, hemangiomas, and venous malformations, in addition to hair removal and photoaging. ![]() Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy was first developed in 1992 to treat leg telangiectasias, and initial studies were conducted on rabbit ear veins.
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