Should I Chose IPL or Laser for treatment?

IPL is an acronym for Intense Pulsed Light and describes the method through which light therapy or treatment is delivered. To dispel a common belief, IPL is not a brand and is certainly not a type of laser as many are led to believe.

Regardless of type or brand all light based treatment devices rely on a very similar methodology. That is a theory known as selective photothermolysis which describes the process of selectively heating a target whilst causing minimal thermal damage to surrounding tissue.

Key difference between Laser and IPL

Lasers use a fixed wavelength of light to ensure the target is treated effectively whilst greatly minimising risk of heating/damaging other chromophores/tissue.

IPLs use filters to reduce the bandwidth of light emitted however a much broader spectrum of light is still absorbed during treatment. Many clinics chose IPL over laser as it is a substantially cheaper technology and a single device can often treat a myriad of conditions.

The simple answer is Laser is a much safer technology with research also suggesting more effective and thus cost effective method of achieving lasting cosmetic results.