IPL is very safe

Jordana S. Gilman, MD answers: Is IPL treatment safe?

What number should the heat level be for IPL treatment? Is it safe? Does the heat effect dental fillings?


Jordana S. Gilman, MD
2 months ago

IPL, or photofacials, treats red and brown discoloration.  You will wear eye protection because the light is very bright, but the treatment is safe.  The strength of the treatment can be changed by increasing the energy level.  There are many different IPL machines and the settings will be different on each different brand of machine, so you cannot evaluate your treatment strength simply by looking at the numbers.  The light only penetrates through the top layers of the skin.  It does not even get to the fatty layer, so there is not going to be any effect on your teeth, gums, or any dental work.  You will feel a pricking, stinging, or burning sensation with each pulse of light, and sometimes that sensation feels like it is going deeper into the skin, but the light energy does not penetrate very deeply.

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