Thank you for your question.
You submitted a question without a photo and essentially you’re asking in your question
that you’re concerned about vessels on the face and that you want to find a place that
has good machines and you are considering IPL.
And you want to make sure that the place has good machines.
Well, I can certainly give you some guidance on how to make this type of decision for laser
treatment for vessels on the face.
It’s a problem that we deal with in our practice as part of the many services we offer.
A little bit of background, I’m a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial
plastic and reconstructive surgeon.
I have been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years.
In both of my offices, we have a range of thermal energy devices, lasers and pulsed
light devices amongst many other technologies for various medispa type treatments for problems
such as vessels on the face.
So what you are certainly focused on is the machine and I think that it’s important
to not focus on the machine but rather focus on the practitioner and I’ll explain further.
The industry of lasers and devices is very strategic in creating consumer demand and
interest.
It is very much out of the same playbook as the pharmaceutical companies.
They bring to the consumer the type of flashy new products that they message to the point
where it becomes a brand name and then people start asking their doctors if they have that
machine.
So the star of the show is actually the machine.
Now, these devices evolved over years and the principles still are critically important.
So from my perspective and in terms of the devices I use, in our office, we’ve had
many generations of IPL or pulsed light machines.
And IPL stands for intense pulse light and what it means is that there are multiple wavelengths
that can be selected through filters that when applied to the skin, with certain protocols
such as cooling the skin etc., you deliver a certain amount of energy into the skin.
And the goal is, the target, is the blood vessel.
Specifically, it’s the blood or the hemoglobin in the blood.
And so when you understand that principle, well, there’s a wide array of choices that
can serve this particular purpose.
So how does one decide what is the best choice?
Well, I would say that, in our practice, we regularly, like computers, we upgrade our
devices.
The devices become more efficient and become more advanced in terms of protocol.
So when you think about, from my experience, IPL, the multiple wavelengths and the challenge
being selective, for me, it puts IPL as a second to different lasers that we have in
our practice.
And there are lasers that, such as the 1064 YAG laser that is a wavelength but it has,
between several devices, we can use it in so many ways.
And from my perspective, the goal is to make sure that the minimal amount of energy or
heat is delivered to the skin, the maximal amount of absorption occurs and the risks
of any unnecessary redness and inflammation is minimized.
And at the same time, we want to get great results and we want to maximize safety.
That being said, there is a lot of judgement.
Although there are standard protocols which are starting points when using these devices,
experienced physicians are able to work with those protocols because we realize that of
course, there’s a wide range of practitioners particularly in the state of New York where
there is no specific licensure that limits who can do lasers.
So everybody from non-physicians to physicians perform laser procedures.
However, I would argue that the experienced physician understands the physiology and the
principle so that they can be a little bit more adept and flexible.
Now of course, experience is critically important and I’m not saying all non-physicians are
not capable.
But I would say that when you are doing your research, don’t just focus on the machine
and I would say, be evaluated by a physician, a physician who performs these procedures
who will be very much involved in your treatment.
I think that’s really important.
I think that we understate the significance of these medical devices and because there
are all of these strip mall medispas around that people don’t take the technology of
laser and the impact on the skin as seriously.
Plus, I find that when we see a lot of patients, they are often frustrated because they feel
like they bought packages and didn’t quite get what they wanted.
Well, here’s a basic principle about vessels that you have to understand.
Vessels, when they are treated, can respond by closing and diminishing or they can respond
by creating more vessels.
And so typically, a protocol that involves treating vessels can include a protocol where
a person comes in once a month for several sessions until we reach a certain plateau
and comes in periodically, let’s say, every six months or so for some kind of maintenance.
That is management.
So I think it’s imperative that the physician has the state of the art technology but I
think it’s also very important for the individual, for the person who is looking for treatment,
to really find a physician to provide the guidance as to what is optimal for them.
We have a lot of options and we certainly want to use really good judgement to get the
best results and to be able to have the dialogue where the patient understands what the limitations
are.
And certainly, there are a lot of choices.
There’s everything from pulse light, different wavelengths of lasers.
There’s even just traditional electrocautery using a wire of radiofrequency that can also
do the same or accomplish a similar result.
Again, the goal is to make it as comfortable and as safe and as predictable and optimal
for every patient.
So I tend to, instead of jumping on the world IPL because there are many different IPL devices,
but meet with a doctor who can give you guidance on what would work best for you.
So I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck and thank you for your question.