What it means for a patient
- Intense pulsed light can improve skin quality for some people with mild wrinkles without removing the skin surface.
- It did not remove wrinkles completely in any subject.
- The study included only mild wrinkles and light skin types, so results may not apply to deeper wrinkles or darker skin.
- It had 30 subjects and no comparison group, and the abstract does not report complications despite that being a stated aim.
Why this paper matters
It tested a nonablative, nonlaser light source for wrinkles and found some improvement in most subjects, with no complete resolution. The authors conclude it may improve some facial wrinkles without removing the epidermis.
Overview
Ablative laser resurfacing treats wrinkles by removing the skin surface, with the complications and limits that brings. Wrinkle improvement depends on remodeling collagen in the dermis. The authors tested whether a nonlaser intense pulsed light source, which leaves the skin surface intact, could improve wrinkles. 30 subjects were treated up to four times and assessed 6 months after the last treatment.
Findings
- 30 subjects with class I to II wrinkles and Fitzpatrick skin types I to II.
- Up to 4 treatments with an intense pulsed light source.
- Evaluation 6 months after the final treatment.
- 25 subjects showed some improvement in skin quality.
- No subject had complete resolution of wrinkles.
- The abstract gives no complication rates or improvement scores.
Terms
- Intense pulsed light (IPL): a device that delivers broad-spectrum light in pulses; it is not a laser.
- Nonablative: a treatment that does not remove the skin surface.
- Ablative: a treatment that removes the outer skin layer.
- Rhytids: wrinkles.
- Epidermis: the outer layer of the skin.
- Dermal collagen remodeling: rebuilding of collagen in the deep skin layer.
- Fitzpatrick skin type: a scale of skin color and response to sun, from I (very fair) to VI (very dark).