Ask a doctor

IPL Photofacial and Lupus (S.L.E). Safe?

I have SLE (still taking a lot of meds). Is IPL Photofacial safe for me?

Doctor Answers 2

IPL in lupus

May 23rd, 2012
{{ voteCount >= 0 ? '+' + (voteCount + 1) : (voteCount + 1) }}

Suggest best to avoid IPL/laser therapy in lupus patients, given photosensitivity in this condition.

Anatoli Freiman, MD


Toronto Dermatologist
5.0 out of 5 stars 4 reviews

Avoid IPL Photofacial when you have Lupus

April 27th, 2012
{{ voteCount >= 0 ? '+' + (voteCount + 1) : (voteCount + 1) }}

As IPL Photofacial is a light-based treatment, and patients with SLE and other forms of lupus are photo (light) sensitive, you should avoid these treatments.  We recommend to our lupus patients to treat their redness with V Beam laser instead, and their brown pigmentation treatmented with peels, Fraxel Dual, microdermabrasion or micro-needling.  Make sure you are treated by a dermatologist or other physician who is familar with which devices are safe and unsafe for Lupus patients.  Not every physician is knowledgable in this area and most med spas are not supervised well enough by physicians who know enough.

Web reference: http://www.ocdermatology.com/v-beam-laser-treatment/

Lorrie Klein, MD

Lorrie Klein, MD
Laguna Niguel Dermatologic Surgeon
4.9 out of 5 stars 211 reviews

Related content

View all IPL reviews

These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.