Acne And Rosacea Treatments - Laser And IPL Treatment for Rosacea review |

Today, dermatologists can choose from an increasing array of laser and non-laser light treatments available for treating rosacea. For several decades, laser therapy has provided a scalpel-free form of surgical and cosmetic treatment for the facial redness associated with rosacea. A recent form of light therapy called intense pulsed light (or IPL) has also emerged as a promising treatment that boasts very little recovery time.
The benefits of laser and light treatments, which include a dramatic reduction in symptoms with low side effects, are especially effective for forms of rosacea involving facial redness, visible red blood vessels (telangiectasia), and rhinophyma (enlargednose).

This therapy has not yet shown to be as successful for the bumps and pimples of papulopustular rosacea, which may be more effectively treated with oral and topical medications.
This articles will help you understand the benefits, risks, and issues to consider for laser and IPL therapies, so that you can make an informed choice when talking with your dermatologist about how to treat your rosacea.

The information will include findings from some recent studies investigating the safety and effectiveness of laser and light therapy in treating rosacea.

How Do Lasers Work?

Laser therapy works by using high-energy beams of light to heat and disintegrate tiny blood vessels under the skin, as well as sculpt areas of the face that have been disfigured by rosacea. Lasers are used to treat these signs of rosacea:

Persistent redness
Dilated, visible blood vessels
Thickening skin on nose and cheeks (also known as rhinophyma)

For the first two symptoms, dermatologist may use a pulsed dye laser (PDL), whichdelivers pulsed light beams (instead of a continuous wave of light) to treat damaged skin while leaving surrounding tissue intact.
Results from a recent study showed significant improvement (such as a 40%–60% reduction in facial redness) after just one or two of these types of laser treatments, with ongoing improvements maintained with each ensuing treatment. Patients in the study also reported less flushing, burning, itching, dryness, swelling, and sensitivity.1
The study also monitored the side effects from PDL therapy, which included crusting and dark spots around treated areas. Physicians in the study treated the side effects successfully, and the side effects did not diminish PDL’s other benefits.
Another side effect is bruising, notable because the same study found that PDL treatment is more effective when the pulsed dye laser causes temporary bruising, which may last for 1 to 2 weeks. Newer pulsed dye lasers (such as the KTP, diode, and Nd:YAG lasers) are less likely to cause bruising; however, for that reason researchers found these lasers may not reduce redness, burning, and itching as effectively as the older PDL treatment.
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A more advanced form of rosacea is the thickened skin on the nose and cheeks, which is called rhinophyma. This condition calls for a more ablative treatment, such as a CO2 or erbium:YAG laser, which reshapes the affected tissue by cutting, heating, or abrading it.

For tenacious cases of rhinophyma, some physicians combine this type of laser therapy with another procedure such as dermabrasion.

What Is Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Therapy?

IPL is a non-laser light therapy that was approved in 1995 by the FDA. Although initially used for treating dilated facial blood vessels, dermatologists in recent years have expanded IPL’s uses for the persistent redness and flushing of rosacea.
Intense pulsed light therapy works by sending light energy through the skin’s outer layer to the dermal layer underneath, which minimizes visible after-effects and reduces healing time.

Because IPL works from the skin’s inner layer, the side effects are generally much milder than those of laser therapy or other treatments such as dermabrasion.
As a newer form of light therapy, IPL has been the subject of several recent studies, with results confirming IPL’s promise as safe and effective tool for reducing the signs of rosacea.
For example, researchers in the Netherlands used IPL therapy on sixty patients afflicted with visible red blood vessels (telangiectasia), treating a total of 508 instances of these signs. The results showed meaningful, sustained results for clearing up rosacea symptoms. After three years and a 77.8% rate of symptom clearance, the rate of lesion recurrence was less than 1%. Patients in the study reported minimal side effects.
Another study examined IPL’s effects on a broader set of rosacea symptoms, treating patients for persistent redness, flushing, and breakouts. After a regimen of one to seven IPL treatments, the 32 patients in the study yielded these results:

An average of 83% experienced reduced redness.
An average of 75% reported less flushing and improved skin texture.
An average of 64% reported fewer acne-like breakouts.3

Although studies do indicate that some patients will experience no significant benefits from IPL therapy, most will see some reduction in symptoms, especially in dilated blood vessels and facial redness. Side effects are temporary and include redness, swelling, bruising, pigment, and crusting and blistering. Your dermatologist may conduct a patch test to see how your skin will react.

Is Laser and Light Therapy the Right Choice for You?

Even with such encouraging findings, the study results nonetheless indicate that some rosacea patients will see little or no effect from treatment. These therapies are not for everyone. If you are considering laser therapy or IPL to treat your rosacea, keep the following points in mind:
1. Expense—These therapies are not typically covered by health insurance, so you may have to cover the expense of these treatments out of your own pocket. Each
treatment session may cost several hundred dollars per session, and multiple sessions and follow-up treatments may be required.
2. Not a quick fix—Laser and light therapies may seem like a miracle cure, given that many patients do see long-term, dramatic results. But there is no cure yet for rosacea, and laser and light therapies may provide only temporary or partial relief of your symptoms. It is important that you continue to avoid triggers, avoid sun exposure, and be aware that you may need multiple or maintenance treatments, as well as supplemental medications.
3. You may not be a candidate—Patients with the following conditions may not be eligible for laser and light therapies: