Is IPL Treatment Safe?

Question

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

Jordana S. Gilman, MD · Answer

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.

Benjamin Barankin, MD, FRCPC · Answer

IPL is a very safe light device for treatment of redness, blood vessels and brown spots. It has been used for years in millions of people safely and effectively, and has no effect on teeth or fillings.

Don Mehrabi, MD · Answer

Thank you for question.
 IPL is very safe. The settings and the heat level will vary by the settings on the machine. Generally, the stronger the settings, the higher the heat. As far as your teeth are concerned, it should have no effect on your fillings or other dental work. Some patients feel it in their front teeth when going over their lips, and in those cases, simply putting your tongue between the teeth and the lips works well to decrease any discomfort.
Hope this helps!

Is IPL Treatment Safe?

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