Why do you see bright flashes of red during IPL treatment of the face even with complete blackout eye protection?

Question

I had IPL treatment on my face with black out eye goggles covering my eyes and my eyes closed underneath. I found it odd that with each flash I could still see VERY bright red light. That was alarming. How does this light reach your eyes with all that protection? Is it harmful? My hypothesis is that it is reflected light that actually migrates through and under the skin to reach the eyes behind the covers. I can't think of any other explanation because the covers were very tight with no gaps.

James Bonaparte, MD, MSc, FRCSC · Answer

You are close to being correct. The whole idea of IPL is extreemly bright light. What is happening, is it is scattering under your skin on your face and some of it is basically travelling through the skin and you are seeing it transmitted directly into your eyes. It is NOT dangerous and by the time it reaches your eyes it has lost most of its energy and is no more dangerous than regular light.  Obviously, this is only if proper eye protection is used.  James P. Bonaparte, MD, MSc, FRCSCOttawa, Ontario, Canada

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

If you have goggles on and your eyes are closed, there is no risk to your eyes.  With that said, you really should not see any "flashes" during IPL treatment if you have proper eye protection.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Why do you see bright flashes of red during IPL treatment of the face even with complete blackout eye protection?

Answers (2)