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Issue link: https://medesthetics.epubxp.com/i/111786
THE EVOLUTION OF IPL After Before same core device. ���A lot of devices have multiple ���lters,��� says Deguara. ���What���s unique about the BBL is you can change the ���lter without having to turn the machine off and change the whole head, so it���s very quick. In 30 minutes, you can treat pigment and telangiectasia without having to cycle the machine down.��� Emvera���s AestheLite features dual handpieces. ���You can set two heads up at the same time and then toggle back and forth between them by pushing a button on the screen,��� says Fuller. ���You can treat veins around the nose and then switch to another handpiece to treat photoaging on the cheeks.��� Palomar offers what it calls ���Dual Filter��� technology in the MaxG. ���In one ���ash of pulsed energy, we deliver a spectrum of light from 500nm ��� 670nm and 850nm ��� 1200nm, and that happens instantaneously,��� says Bankowski. The company also uses both re���ecting and reabsorbing ���lters in its handpieces, which allows for precise spectra of light to target the different absorption points for each of the targets practitioners are treating. ���These advances do broaden the patient base, especially the Palomar Icon that has the new Skintel melanin reader, which is very interesting,��� says Dr. Dover. ���It is a wand that is applied to the skin and measures skin pigment on a scale of one to 100. It helps guide your settings very nicely.��� Although tools like the Skintel and better ���ltering and cooling technologies are broadening the skin types that can be treated with IPL, Dr. Dover cautions: ���Never treat a tanned person and be very careful with skin types III and especially IV,��� he says. ���Listen carefully if they have had bad outcomes in the past and never promise results in one treatment, ever. Always plan a series of three to four treatments���maybe even six depending on what you are treating.��� Investigating Technologies devices on the market. ���It���s very unfair to lump all IPLs together,��� says Dr. Dover, who uses the Palomar Icon and the Lumenis M22 (lumenis.com) in his practice. ���These are two of the best IPLs on the market. They are very expensive and made by topnotch engineering companies. You get what you pay for when it comes to IPL.��� When examining different devices, Jeannette Graf, MD, a dermatologist based in New York City, recommends ���rst determining how the machine will be integrated into the practice and how often it will be used. ���Will it be used primarily to treat photodamage and skin aging or will hair removal be incorporated?��� she says. ���These are not inexpensive devices and by infrequent use one will lose income.��� Just as there are variations in technology, there are variations in support offered by different manufacturers. ���In addition to the outright cost of the machine, there are other costs associated with these devices that are not included in the purchase price,��� says Dr. Graf. ���What may not be made known at the time of purchase is the cost of replacement tips���and how often those tips need to be replaced���and the cost of the service contract.��� She also recommends asking vendors what type of clinical and marketing support is provided with the purchase. ME Though IPL technology has made great strides in the past 20 years, there is still a wide range in the quality of Inga Hansen is the executive editor of MedEsthetics. 30 MARCH/APRIL 2013 | MedEsthetics �� ISTOCKPHOTO.COM; PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MARY LUPO, MD Decreased redness following three IPL treatments.