Patients seek treatment that offers a return to a more youthful appearance through restoration of even color and smoothness, relief from pigmentary sun damage, and the redness and flushing associated with rosacea. In addition, this patient group requires treatments that are short and pain-free, and allow immediate return to all activities.

Following more than 20 years of treatment of vascular lesions using the pulsed dye laser, a new laser-like intense pulsed light (IPL) device was developed that treats these conditions with success and answers the essential lifestyle criteria when used in a carefully administered program. This new IPL skin rejuvenation technique called Photo Facial now has a clinical history of many treatments with excellent patient success.

IPL differs from laser light in that, rather than monochromatic single wavelength, IPL emits a non coherent, broad spectrum light. To customize the light energy delivery for a given procedure, the operator employs a light guide, of designated wavelength, below which the spectrum is selectively eliminated.

The IPL system, as used in the Photo Facial procedure, conforms to the principle of selective photothermolysis. For dilated vessels, as seen in patients with sun damage and rosacea, the light energy with high absorption by hemoglobin and oxyhemaglobin reaches the dermal capillary bed and selectively destroys the abnormal vessels.

The operator controls all aspects of the light pulse, including cutoff wavelength (nm), energy level (Joules/cm2), pulse duration (milliseconds), pulse pattern (single, double, or triple), and delay time between pulses (milliseconds). This allows for precise control of light energy, which in this procedure is utilized for customization for skin type, procedure progress, and other variables. All controls are computer driven.

Rosacea is a chromic skin disorder affecting the face, characterized by redness and telangiectasias, and is punctuated by episodes of inflammation with papules, pustules, and swelling. The underlying causes of rosacea have not been elucidated yet. There are four basic stages through which rosacea sufferers may progress: pre-rosacea, mild, moderate, and severe forms. Pre rosacea refers to the stage where a person flushes or blushes to a stimulus, but returns immediately to normal when the stimulus is removed. The progression of pre-rosacea to bouts of flushing and blushing that do not dissipate for hours or days is now considered to be directly related to micro vascular dysfunction or damage. In support of this, leading dermatologists Dr Neumann and Dr Frithz recently reported that biopsies of vascular lesions from rosacea patients demonstrated moderate to severe damage of endothelial and smooth muscle cells. In addition, these same biopsies showed evidence of abnormal fusion of capillaries and angiogenesis. Taken together, rosacea-related alterations in endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle, formation of new inflammatory shunt vessels, and angiogenesis could explain why the rosacea-related red face, flushing, and blushing worsens over time. In effect, it is plausible that alterations in micro vascular structure and function allow for more intense bouts of blood flow and inflammation, resulting in even more micro vascular damage -- a vicious and progressive cycle. Therefore, therapy should be centered around the removal of damaged and dysfunctional micro vessels such that new thicker walled micro vessels with normal plump endothelial cells are laid down. Previous treatment of the acute inflammatory episodes have consisted of avoidance of heat, cold, sunlight, alcohol, and stress. Physicians have used tetracycline's, dapsone, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, metridonazole, clonidine and Accutane with limited success. Topical treatments with antibiotics, sulfa preparations, and topical steroids have also been used. Indeed, steroid use ultimately compounds the problem by causing more reddening, flaring, and atrophy. None of these treatments remove the abnormal vessels. Electrocautery treats only those larger visible vessels, and not without pain, bleeding, and frustration of both practitioner and patient.

It is extremely rare for an IPL patient to experience purpura. Following treatment, the patient may have mild redness and swelling overnight, but daily activities are not affected, and many patients can return to work within a few hours.

IPL has demonstrated an improvement in fine lines and wrinkles, as well as reduction in pore size, possibly due to new collagen deposition in the dermis. This technique is not effective for treatment of sagging skin which is normally treated surgical techniques. IPL has also been used effectively to treat psoriasis of the face, to reduce erythematic following laser skin resurfacing, and to treat acne scarring.

The Photo Facial technique is a proprietary treatment protocol. It consists of a series of IPL treatments, usually five to six treatments over a period of 4 months. The IPL is performed on the full face.

Two-hundred patients with rosacea were chosen randomly by Omlas and evaluated to determine the overall success with the IPL. Patient satisfaction was high with dramatic improvements. The results of this treatment have been truly remarkable. The most difficult patients to treat were those with Fitzpatrick skin type I who have a long history of sun exposure. In these patients, connective tissue is so fragile that IPL parameters selected for optimal relief of redness may damage the skin, with higher incidence of purpura, swelling, and blistering. In such cases, sub optimal parameters must be used early in treatment until the connective tissue supporting the dermal architecture is strengthened and the target tissue is reduced in size. The standard five treatment program is usually extended in this patient group.

Working with the constraints of the lifestyles of active working patients requiring brief, relatively pain-free facial treatments with no downtime, the IPL skin rejuvenation technique provides superior cosmetic results. Specifically, the treatment offers relief from the redness and flushing symptoms of rosacea, improved smoothness and texture of facial skin, remove age spots, restoration of even color, and a dramatic reduction of fine lines and wrinkles.