What is the difference between Photodynamic Therapy and IPL?
Intense Pulse Light therapy and Photodynamic Therapy sound really similar. How are they different?
By: Celibre Medical Corporation
| Laser Dermatology & Injections
Orange, CA
Replied on: 3/26/2010
IPL is the name for a specific type of EQUIPMENT - Intense Pulsed Light. This type of equipment is light based (but not a laser) and used to treat several different skin conditions, including sun spots and small veins.
Photodynamic Therapy (or PDT) is a TREATMENT, not a piece of equipment like the IPL. In this treatment, a photosensitizing antibiotic is used on the skin to help target light based energy (typically Blu-U or pulsed dye laser) onto areas of the skin such as the sebaceous (oil) glands. In this way, it is used to shrink these glands to help lessen the amount
of acne a patient gets.
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By: Aspen Medical Aesthetics and Laser Clinic
| Dr Chris Knuth
Mequon, WI
Replied on: 3/29/2010
IPL uses broadband light with filters to target brown pigments and/or vascularity and redness. It is an excellent treatment for photo-damaged skin.? PDT uses a light sensitizing medication (ALA) with narrow band light (red or blue light, rarely with IPL light) to treat acne. This causes a moderately deep exfoliation and targets damaged tissue, sebaceous glands and acne.? It can be used for sun damaged skin like IPL. PDT is generally considered a more aggressive treatment and likewise has some downtime (a few days) associated with it. IPL is not generally used for acne except for PIH (post inflammatory hyper-pigmentation).
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