Hair Removal - Flashlamps / Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) - 4
IPL Background
Also called IPL (Intense Pulsed Light), ILS (Intense Light Source), full spectrum, non-coherent, and broadband light. The primary differences between flashlamps and lasers used in hair removal are:
Kind Of Light
As mentioned earlier, flash lamps do not use one wavelength of light the way a laser does. Flashlamps emit every wavelength of light in the visible spectrum, and a little into the band of infrared radiation (up to about 1200 nm). Practitioners select a cutoff filter to block out lower wavelengths.
IPL Covers More Area Than Laser
Size and shape of the spot (beam) Most flashlamps emit a beam that covers more area than a laser. Most flashlamps also have a rectangular spot, rather than the round type usually standard on lasers.
IPL History
Xenon is commonly used as a light source because of the brilliant, full spectrum illumination it provides when exposed to energy. Like laser, it can be designed to be extremely powerful and has industrial applications like paint stripping. It is also used for items such as the flashes in photographic equipment and in surgical lighting equipment.
The xenon flashlamp, first developed as an energy source for laser beams, was soon being used therapeutically with direct applications of its energy. As with lasers, flash lamps began to be used for medical purposes in the 1960's. The latter half of the 1960's saw published data on treating eye and skin disorders.
Early attempts in the 1970's to use xenon light energy delivered via fiberoptic filament have not been demonstrated to be permanent. Although these devices (see photoepilators) are still in use, they should not be confused with the devices that became available 25 years later.
By the mid-1990's, researchers were exploring the use of flashlamps for treating vascular lesions. In the year the first flashlamp was cleared by FDA for use in treating vascular lesions,one study noted hair loss as a side effect of treatment. Other papers indicated promising results for some in the treatment of leg veins, prompting one manufacturer to apply for and receive FDA clearance for hair removal in 1997. In 2000, FDA began allowing some brands to claim permanent hair reduction in most skin types.The darkest skin type was not included.