I purchased a red LED light to treat inflammation and redness from Rosacea and it helped calm my burning and stinging but it hasn’t done much for the blotchy redness on my cheeks and chin. I am scheduled for my first IPL but am nervous about side effects after reading bad reviews on this website. I’m wondering if LED is a less invasive/risky way to combat the symptoms of Rosacea over time? How does LED compare to IPL for redness/flushing? LED seems to have no risks whereas IPL does.
January 3, 2018
Answer: Rosacea LED vs IPL Hi. Good question. Rosacea involves surface vessels which dilate and cause redness and flushing triggered by warmth, spicy foods, wine, nerves, and cheese. Over time, the vessels close to the skin surface continue to multiply, which leads to the flushing. The only way to effectively treat this problem is with lasers that can eliminate these surface vessels. You may need some ongoing maintenance as the vessels may want to reestablish over time. For this reason, IPL will work best. We like to use our red light to reduce overall inflammation in the skin and this works well for skin rashes and redness but does not over time destroy the underlying cause of the flushing which is the vessels. However, it is very useful in calming down the chronic inflammatory problem of rosacea. When combined with levulan, this treatment is called photodynamic therapy and can be even further beneficial as it may also help reduce the demodex mite overgrowth in the skin. We have also found great results treating rosacea skin with the fraxel laser, which also helps to reduce overall redness and vasculature.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
January 3, 2018
Answer: Rosacea LED vs IPL Hi. Good question. Rosacea involves surface vessels which dilate and cause redness and flushing triggered by warmth, spicy foods, wine, nerves, and cheese. Over time, the vessels close to the skin surface continue to multiply, which leads to the flushing. The only way to effectively treat this problem is with lasers that can eliminate these surface vessels. You may need some ongoing maintenance as the vessels may want to reestablish over time. For this reason, IPL will work best. We like to use our red light to reduce overall inflammation in the skin and this works well for skin rashes and redness but does not over time destroy the underlying cause of the flushing which is the vessels. However, it is very useful in calming down the chronic inflammatory problem of rosacea. When combined with levulan, this treatment is called photodynamic therapy and can be even further beneficial as it may also help reduce the demodex mite overgrowth in the skin. We have also found great results treating rosacea skin with the fraxel laser, which also helps to reduce overall redness and vasculature.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
December 28, 2017
Answer: Rosacea treatments First of all, it is important to understand that Rosacea is an inflammatory disorder that can be controlled, but not made to go away. You should try and identify your triggers and stay away from those as much as possible. Sunlight, spicy foods and alcohol are all common triggers. You should also be on medical grade skin care products that are designed to reduce inflammation, protect the skin and minimize redness. I like "All Calm", which is made by ColorScience.I recommend a combination of ongoing red light treatments along with a series of 4 IPL treatments. You are correct in that the IPL is more aggressive, but it does do a better job of clearing the underlying red blotchiness. Usually patients will do the series of 3 (about a month apart) and then do 1-2 every 12-24 months, depending upon how quickly their blotchiness returns. It is normal to look "beat up", with some swelling and possible bruising, for about 5 days after each IPL treatment. Doing a red light treatment immediately afterwards will help speed up the healing process.Ongoing red light treatments will decrease the chronic inflammation in a gently, no down-time, way.As long as you go to a facility that has physician oversight and they determine that you are a good candidate for the IPL, you should have good results. Having said that, it is true that there are risks associated with any laser treatment. Best of luck to you.
Helpful 2 people found this helpful
December 28, 2017
Answer: Rosacea treatments First of all, it is important to understand that Rosacea is an inflammatory disorder that can be controlled, but not made to go away. You should try and identify your triggers and stay away from those as much as possible. Sunlight, spicy foods and alcohol are all common triggers. You should also be on medical grade skin care products that are designed to reduce inflammation, protect the skin and minimize redness. I like "All Calm", which is made by ColorScience.I recommend a combination of ongoing red light treatments along with a series of 4 IPL treatments. You are correct in that the IPL is more aggressive, but it does do a better job of clearing the underlying red blotchiness. Usually patients will do the series of 3 (about a month apart) and then do 1-2 every 12-24 months, depending upon how quickly their blotchiness returns. It is normal to look "beat up", with some swelling and possible bruising, for about 5 days after each IPL treatment. Doing a red light treatment immediately afterwards will help speed up the healing process.Ongoing red light treatments will decrease the chronic inflammation in a gently, no down-time, way.As long as you go to a facility that has physician oversight and they determine that you are a good candidate for the IPL, you should have good results. Having said that, it is true that there are risks associated with any laser treatment. Best of luck to you.
Helpful 2 people found this helpful
