Wellness & Preventive Care

Non ablative full face photorejuvenation with IPL

Good looks are in demand like never before. With the economic independence that the modern Indian woman is gaining, she is becoming conscious of her looks and is ready to pay a handsome price to look beautiful and young for as long as it is cosmetically possible.

This is a major shift from the traditional notion of Indian womanhood. Earlier, women tended to neglect themselves once they got married and had children. Now, this is changing with more women going out and freeing themselves from traditional familial shackles. They are becoming as aware of their looks as they are of the other aspects of their lives.

Responding to this need, beauty centers and clinics have mushroomed all over the country, offering treatment for getting rid of wrinkles, tucking in a double chin and making dark circles under the eyes fade away. The demand for such treatment goes way beyond what a simple visit to a beauty salon provides because women are now looking for beauty fixes that last longer.

The popularity of a new set of treatment - like botox, restylane, dermabrasion, chemical peeling, laser resurfacing and laser hair removal - which offer a more permanent solution to regular beauty problems, attests to this shift. These procedures generally help to remove a layer of dead skin cells that cannot be exfoliated by regular scrubs or cleansing creams.

We are all born with smooth baby-soft skin. As we go through life, our skin is subjected to numerous experiences as chicken pox in childhood and acne in teens that leave it less than perfect. For those lucky enough to escape these hazards, time, heredity, gravity, overexposure to sun, alcohol use and smoking are still doing their part to create fine lines and wrinkles especially around the mouth and eyes.

In the recent years there has been a great interest among doctors & public about reversal of signs and symptoms of aging. In the late 90's laser resurfacing with Ultra pulse CO21, Erbium yag laser2, deep chemical peels, dermabrasion became very popular. However, the excitement was short lived because of the high incidence of post inflammatory hyper-pigmentation. The long recovery period involved also contributed to the phasing out of these methods.

The current popular treatments available to correct the photodamaged skin are micro-dermabrasion and chemical peeling which to a great extent address only the epidermal component of the photodamaged skin.

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Non ablative full face rejuvenation finds its place between the above mentioned two spectrums (The aggressive laser resurfacings, the mild peels and micro-dermabrasion) by working on the superficial lesions such as freckles, ephilides, elangiectasia and deeper cosmetic indications like wrinkle reduction, pore size and skin tightening3

The needs for services for an Asian photodamaged skin are very different from those seen in the Caucasians. Of the two major concerns - telangiectasia and wrinkling, the first is hardly seen and few request for wrinkle management. Asians primary interest is primarily in pigmentation reduction as is obvious with the 'n' number of fairness creams being launched by the dozen targeting men and women alike and acne scar reduction with fewer people demanding wrinkle reduction

Non ablative full face photo rejuvenation can help in improvement of the skin color, texture, without significant complications and long down time associated with more aggressive surgical procedures 4,5,6.

The results obtained with surgical techniques are superior to non-surgical techniques and the gold standard for rejuvenation would be still a full face co2 ultra pulse laser resurfacing. However, the higher morbidity and higher incidence of complications has made it not-so-favorable a procedure among the doctors and the patients alike.

In contrast, a photo-rejuvenation procedure with IPL will also produce a significant change which would definitely be less as compared to the surgical procedure. But the magic of zero down time has made them immensely popular. Also, studies report that the results are maintained over a long period of time.7 A guest's complete treatment is broken down into approximately 6 -8 sessions at an interval of 3-4 weeks with each session lasting 30 mins.

The devise used in Manipal Cure and Care is VPL (Variable Pulse Light, Energist UK). VPL is a system that emits a broad spectrum of wavelength of light from 530nm to 950nm. Special filters cut out wavelengths of light below and above the filter range. The IPL systems release a photon of light or pulse for a short predetermined period which is known as the pulse duration, usually measured in milliseconds. With the VPL, each macro pulse can be further broken down into micro pulses and the machine permits the operator to control the number of micro-pulses i.e. number of pulses the single pulse has been broken into; the on time i.e. the time for which each micro pulse is plying on the skin and the off time i.e. the interval between micropulses.

Also the energy can be varied according to the requirement. This pulse sequencing makes the VPL system versatile and by manipulating the settings a tailor-made pulse can be given to each guest according to their skin type, condition etc.

The photons of light when delivered on the skin follow the principal of selective photothermolysis i.e. each wavelength will be attracted to certain chromophores according to the absorption coefficient. The chromophore then gets heated and this light tissue interaction results in a specific tissue reaction which finally produces a clinical effect. By altering the energies, wavelength and pulse sequencing, a desired effect can be produced with minimum damage to the surrounding tissue.

The procedure involves the following steps. Face is cleaned, all makeup removed, guest is given eye protection. A layer of chilled gel is applied to the treatment area and the applicator hand piece is placed perpendicular with very little pressure. Then proper energy and pulse sequence is chosen and a pulse delivered. After the treatment, patient is given ice packs and a sunscreen to apply. Guest is given the post treatment instructions i.e. to avoid sun exposure cosmetics, other facial treatments for at least a week. These sessions will be repeated at intervals of 3 weeks.

There is an improvement in the skin texture, smoothening of skin and glow. Photorejuventation can also be used in conjunction with other procedures to enhance results, such as laser resurfacing, chemical peeling, and micro-dermabrasion.

Side effects: IPL treatments with the correct parameters and good case selection are very safe procedures with minimum adverse effects. Most common side-effects include temporary mild crusting, erythema which usually subside without any residual hyper or hypo pigmentation. However, if very aggressive parameters are used in type 5, 6 skin or a person is highly tanned it can result in burns and scarring

To conclude, Photorejuvenation is a non-ablative treatment that works simultaneously to repair collagen in the dermis, while gently erasing signs of aging in the epidermis, with minimal side effects and no downtime.