How many sessions of IPL will it take for my rosacea to improve?

Our office has many different treatments for the skin and scars depending on the depth of atrophy or hypertrophy. Scars require a combination approach using our HI DEF protocol which uses a combination of lasers, topical scar modulation, and RF treatments to pixelate scars, improve contour, reduce hyperpigmentation, and improve the visibility of the scars so that they are no longer visible in ambient light. Everyone has a unique pattern of scarring and we employ our HIDEF technique to improve texture, color, contour, and topography. We often use a combination of treatments that begin with a careful examination to examine the micro texturing of the acne scars. Atrophic scars and indented scars can benefit from injectable fillers such as Radiesse, Sculptra, and Restylane with or without subcision to remove tethered scars and atrophic depression. Hyper-redness in scars can be improved with V beam laser, Excel V, BBL, IPL, and Venus RF to improve the redness and reduce the visibility of deep scars. Fractional Thulium laser and clear & brilliant can also reduce the inflammation and redness of the scar when combined with topical therapy. Fractional lasers such as Fraxel, erbium, and CO2 laser can be combined with radio frequency and also fractional RF to improve textual issues and microtopography. Subcision and TCA cross are also used for deep ice pick scars and narrow valley scars in order to improve the micro texture. Above all, our combination approach with our clinical nurses and board-certified plastic surgeons can improve the quality of your skin by using at home Melarase creams combined with PRP treatments in our office to improve your skin quality and tone. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with an experienced team of experts in order to reduce your scarring.

Finally, hyperpigmentation of scars can be improved with at-home Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads to help reduce active PIH and melanin deposition.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Most patients will notice improvement in redness in 1 session.  However, patients will often continue to have treatments to have a more complete result and often have 3 or more.  Patients will then have maintenance sessions as rosacea is a chronic condition.
Rosacea is a generic term used to describe redness of the face, often with associated hypervascularity. 
Treating rosacea often involves investigating the inciting cause of redness (there is a whole list) and this can be coupled with either IPL or a laser device.  The newer IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) systems are much more effective at treating than older devices.  This is in part due to changes in flash lamp technology and other tweaks in the technology such as placement of cutoff filters.  Since rosacea is a chronic condition patients will often need repeated treatments of IPL or any other treatment to be effective.

Treatments variety due to the many different versions of the IPL machines out there. The lumenis M22 version can take minimal treatments with fast results.

Thanks for the question,I actually posted a editorial on this topic and perhaps you may find it usefull. I'll add a link below. James P. Bonaparte, MD, MSc, FRCSCJB Cosmetics and Facial Surgery Center of OttawaHead and Neck Surgerypracticing in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeryAssistant Professor, University of OttawaOttawa, Ontario, Canada

Broadband Light (BBL) or Intense pulsed Light (IPL) treatments work by throwing all the wavelengths of visible light at a target, in this case hemoglobin (more accurately oxyhemoglobin, or oxygenated blood). Unfortunately, in addition the the desired wavelength of light needed to be absorbed by those unwanted vessels to seal them, you also have all of the unwanted energy just going into the skin as heat, which can cause blistering and in rare cases, scarring. So, the energy of IPL or BBL treatments has to be carefully minimized so that you get "enough" energy to treat the unwanted vessels, but not so much to cause burns,  blisters, or scars. Finding that "just enough" but "no too much" is something you read about here on RealSelf all the time! And that is why multiple treatments are usually necessary. Safety is good, but let's not "soak" the patients for recommending a suboptimal treatment, just because that is what your doctor has available.Wavelength-specific treatment  is better rendered by a pulsed dye laser, operating at a wavelength of 577-585nm (yellow), which happens to coincide with a significant beta-absorption peak in the oxyhemoglobin absorption curve. What that means is that the majority of the treatment energy is absorbed only by the unwanted vessels (treatment depth at the proper energy utilized is no more than 1/2 to 1 mm, so the "normal, needed" vessels deeper are left undamaged) that you want gone, and very little collateral skin damage occurs. Virtually no blistering should occur with a proper-energy treatment by an expert in pulsed dye laser treatments. These are the same lasers used to treat port-wine stain birthmarks (congenital capillary malformations) in children, so they are safe. And effective. Usually with ONE treatment.Here is the not-insignificant downside. This laser works by putting a significant amount of energy at the right wavelength and proper pulse duration (about 450 microseconds, or half of a thousandth of a second) into the target (vessels), heating the vessels to rupture (they're tiny dilated capillaries, remember), and then "turning off" (the short pulse duration) before thermal damage occurs elsewhere.The ruptured vessels are effectively destroyed, most in one treatment, but in their destruction they leave a blue-black bruise just under the skin surface (like a massive black eye, but in the areas treated). This severe bruise is severe enough that "standard" makeup can't cover it. But the single treatment results are worth it, IMHO. V-beam treatment at the same wavelength offers slightly more energy, slightly higher risk of blistering, but slightly less bruising. Not a good trade-off, IMHO, but still better than IPL.The key is the laser operator, not the machine, but so is choosing the proper machine for the job at hand. Consult several experts, and make sure they recommend what is best (and can tell you why, just as I have striven to do with this answer), not what they "have." Best wishes! Dr. Tholen

 IPL treatments have been used for the treatment of vascular aspects of rosacea for several years. In general four to five treatment sessions are required to realize any benefit Happily, two new medications have been recently approved for rosacea. Soolantra, a topical form of ivermectin (an antiparasite medication) is believed to work by suppressing Demodex, a skin mite that may play a role in rosacea, and as an antiinflammatory agent. Mirvaso, a topical vasoconstrictor medication, works well for suppressing facial flushing and redness, and begins working with the first application (especially important if you have something big coming up soon). For this reason, I would suggest discussing with your dermatologist the use of or the addition of these medications, and perhaps passing on the time and the expense of a series IPL treatments. 

Using IPL in treatment of Rosacea, we usually recommend starting with three treatments, 3-4 weeks apart. This series will help to alleviate the vascular redness due to the rosacea. Maintaining with at home care and proper prescriptions the skin can remain much clearer in tone.