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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.[citation needed] IPL is increasingly used in optometry and ophthalmology as well, to treat evaporative dry eye disease due to meibomian gland dysfunction. IPL is also used for home based hair removal.
The technology uses a high-powered, hand-held, computer-controlled linear flashlamp to deliver an intense, visible and near infra-red, broad-spectrum pulse of light, generally in the range of 400 to 1200 nm. Various cut-on filters are commonly used to selectively filter out shorter wavelengths, especially potentially damaging ultraviolet and longer wavelength infra-red 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 induce a biologic effect in 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.
Intense pulsed light is the use of intense pulses of non-coherent light over a range of wavelengths from approximately 500 nm to approximately 1200 nm. Linear xenon flashlamps produce high output bursts of broad spectrum. The flashlamp is typically cooled by water flow in a glass tube concentric with the flashlamp. In addition to its cooling of the flashlamp, the water envelope also filters out longer wavelength infrared light that is heavily absorbed in water and could damage the patient's skin that has a high concentration of water. Light generated by the flashlamp is typically coupled to the skin by cooled (in many cases) lightguides which are also used to protect the skin in contact with the device.
Regulations governing IPL vary by jurisdiction.[better source needed] A distinction is sometimes made[by whom?] between beauty-grade and medical-grade machines, mainly to get around regulations.
IPL was invented in 1992 by Shimon Eckhouse who wrote the first patent describing the technology in detail (US patent No. 5,405,368 filed in 1992 and granted in 1995). The first medical use of IPL was aimed at the treatment of vascular lesions and introduced to the medical market by ESC Medical which was founded by Shimon Eckhouse to develop and commercialize the technology. The first FDA approval of IPL for treatment of vascular lesions was granted to ESC Medical in 1995 with additional FDA clearances for treatment of pigmented lesions and hair removal granted in 1996 and 1997 respectively. Use quickly spread to a variety of medical and cosmetic settings. Treatment is generally safe and effective, but complications can occur, such as hyperpigmentation. The polychromatic light can reach multiple chromophores in human skin: mainly hemoglobin, water, and melanin. This results in selective photothermolysis of blood vessels, pigmented cells, or hair follicles.[citation needed]
IPL can reduce hair growth, most effectively in darker, coarser hair. IPL is distinct from laser hair removal which uses coherent monochromatic laser light.
Broad-spectrum light is applied to the surface of the skin, targeting melanin. This light travels through the skin until it strikes the hair shafts or hair follicle. The follicle is usually where the highest concentration of melanin is located. As the light is absorbed, the bulb and most of the hair shaft are heated, destroying the hair-producing papilla. It is also claimed that heat conversion occurs directly in the darker capillaries that bring blood to the follicle.
At any one time, not all hair follicles are 'active', and only active hair follicles can be affected by the treatment. 'Inactive' hair follicles can be treated as they become 'active' over time.[citation needed] For IPL treatments, an average of 8–10 treatments, 4–6 weeks apart, are required to remove most visible hair.
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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.[citation needed] IPL is increasingly used in optometry and ophthalmology as well, to treat evaporative dry eye disease due to meibomian gland dysfunction. IPL is also used for home based hair removal.
The technology uses a high-powered, hand-held, computer-controlled linear flashlamp to deliver an intense, visible and near infra-red, broad-spectrum pulse of light, generally in the range of 400 to 1200 nm. Various cut-on filters are commonly used to selectively filter out shorter wavelengths, especially potentially damaging ultraviolet and longer wavelength infra-red 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 induce a biologic effect in 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.
Intense pulsed light is the use of intense pulses of non-coherent light over a range of wavelengths from approximately 500 nm to approximately 1200 nm. Linear xenon flashlamps produce high output bursts of broad spectrum. The flashlamp is typically cooled by water flow in a glass tube concentric with the flashlamp. In addition to its cooling of the flashlamp, the water envelope also filters out longer wavelength infrared light that is heavily absorbed in water and could damage the patient's skin that has a high concentration of water. Light generated by the flashlamp is typically coupled to the skin by cooled (in many cases) lightguides which are also used to protect the skin in contact with the device.
Regulations governing IPL vary by jurisdiction.[better source needed] A distinction is sometimes made[by whom?] between beauty-grade and medical-grade machines, mainly to get around regulations.
IPL was invented in 1992 by Shimon Eckhouse who wrote the first patent describing the technology in detail (US patent No. 5,405,368 filed in 1992 and granted in 1995). The first medical use of IPL was aimed at the treatment of vascular lesions and introduced to the medical market by ESC Medical which was founded by Shimon Eckhouse to develop and commercialize the technology. The first FDA approval of IPL for treatment of vascular lesions was granted to ESC Medical in 1995 with additional FDA clearances for treatment of pigmented lesions and hair removal granted in 1996 and 1997 respectively. Use quickly spread to a variety of medical and cosmetic settings. Treatment is generally safe and effective, but complications can occur, such as hyperpigmentation. The polychromatic light can reach multiple chromophores in human skin: mainly hemoglobin, water, and melanin. This results in selective photothermolysis of blood vessels, pigmented cells, or hair follicles.[citation needed]
IPL can reduce hair growth, most effectively in darker, coarser hair. IPL is distinct from laser hair removal which uses coherent monochromatic laser light.
Broad-spectrum light is applied to the surface of the skin, targeting melanin. This light travels through the skin until it strikes the hair shafts or hair follicle. The follicle is usually where the highest concentration of melanin is located. As the light is absorbed, the bulb and most of the hair shaft are heated, destroying the hair-producing papilla. It is also claimed that heat conversion occurs directly in the darker capillaries that bring blood to the follicle.
At any one time, not all hair follicles are 'active', and only active hair follicles can be affected by the treatment. 'Inactive' hair follicles can be treated as they become 'active' over time.[citation needed] For IPL treatments, an average of 8–10 treatments, 4–6 weeks apart, are required to remove most visible hair.