Laser Acne Clearance

Laser Acne Clearance IPL

Acne: Most of us experience acne to some extent during our lives. For many people it is a short-term annoyance, but others develop more long-term and more severe acne.

Acne occurs when one of the skin´s natural oils – sebum – is unable to leave the skin because the hair follicle is blocked. This may result in a blackhead, or a whitehead, and can lead to the growth of bacteria below the surface of the skin. Inflammation can occur, and the rupture of an inflamed area can lead to scarring.

Medication can help to reduce acne, but an I- Light 3 procedure in combination with prescription medication has been clinically proven to accelerate the healing process for acne.

How does I- Light 3 Treatment Work on Acne?
I- Light 3 treatment works by directing well-controlled pulses of light into the upper skin layer. The light is absorbed by the body’s own natural chemical – haemoglobin – in the blood vessels that feed the sebaceous glands. I- Light 3 treatment works by reducing the blood supply to the sebaceous gland, which slows down production of the body oil sebum.

The haemoglobin converts the light energy into heat, which damages the walls of the vessels supplying blood to the glands. This technique has the name “Selective Photothermolysis”.

The visible light produced by the I- Light 3 systems is carefully controlled to produce the correct pulse length and right amount of energy to reduce the acne without damaging the surrounding tissue.

How long does an I- Light 3 treatment take?
The glass prism within the I- Light 3 applicator that guides the light to the skin is 10mm by 48mm, so a large area can be targeted in one flash of light. It takes approximately 60 flashes to treat the full face. Including consultation and preparation, you should count on 20 minutes in the clinic. A typical course of therapy includes four treatments, three weeks apart.

Can I be treated?
If you have permanent acne you will benefit from a treatment. The best results are achieved on inflammatory acne – best known as those red, aching, raised pimples. It is important your skin is relatively pale at the time of the treatment, as too much light will be absorbed by a dark complexion.

Does it hurt?
Tolerance of pain is very individual from person to person. No anaesthetics are required, and many patients describe the discomfort as a warming sensation similar to the feeling one has after a day on the beach. The lighter the skin colour, the less pain.

Do I need to take special precautions before and after treatment?
The light used is completely safe, visible light, so no special precautions are necessary. Potentially harmful wavelengths are removed by the unique I- Light 3 Dual Mode Filtering system. The I- Light 3 acne treatment is a combination therapy. In the clinic you will be given a tube of adapalene cream or gel (in most countries branded Differin®) to apply once every evening in the acne-affected area. Adapalene works by reducing the inflammation caused by acne, and by reducing (normalising) the thickness of the skin in the treated area. You will learn more from the doctor who will prescribe adapalene. Generally, no post-treatment care is immediately necessary, but people with sensitive skin may benefit from applying an ice pack to the face immediately after treatment or applying an ointment prescribed by the doctor.

What can I expect?
You may notice some general redness on the face following the treatment. If you have sun-damaged skin, some of the pigmented spots may turn darker and eventually disappear. Because the bacteria are difficult to eradicate completely, your doctor will probably recommend that you continue using adapalene cream for some months after the I- Light 3 acne treatment has ended. Should you suffer from a future acne outbreak, the treatment with I- Light 3 can be repeated. Although results vary from person to person, initial results from a recent clinical study show that 59% of acne lesions disappeared with the I- Light 3 treatment, compared to 34% improvement with topical cream alone. Please talk to your physician about what results you can expect.

How can I be sure I- Light 3 is safe and effective?
Clinical trials documenting I- Light 3’s safety and effectiveness are carried out by leading doctors prior to the release of the product. The results of these tests are then published in respected, refereed medical journals. The settings used for your treatment will be based on the settings recommended by the clinicians who carried out the clinical trials.