Medical Laser Blog - Fotona Straight Talk for the Physician

Real Laser Machines Vs. IPL

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On the surface of it an IPL looks like a great deal.  It has so many things it can do.  The problem with an IPL is that it is a‘jack-of-all-trades’ and master of NONE.

What is an IPL? IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light.  It is basically a really bright light.  In fact, the light is created by a flash lamp like the ones used to “pump” or stimulate real lasers.  This bright light is put through a “cutoff filter” to give you only a part of the spectrum of light.  The problem is the spectrum is still too broad to have any real specificity. Clinically, that means you are not focused on any one target. Instead you are bulk heating the tissue. For some applications this will work, unfortunately the risks are greater.  

With a real laser you have more control.  It is not just about the wavelength (although that is important), it is about much more.  The wavelength is just one factor.  Different wavelengths are absorbed by different targets in the skin (called chromophores).  So selecting a wavelength is important. But control of the delivery of the laser is of equal or greater importance.  In our white paper on the Fotona Nd:YAG lasers we go through the many variables that are important in control of the laser.  They include the pulse duration, spot size, the attach-and-decay of the beam discharge and other parameters.  While all of this seems complicated, it really is not.  We have a sophisticated computer controlled interface… it’s so sophisticated it is simple, and isn’t making it simple exactly the point? Fotona has a bunch of proprietary and patented technologies - all designed to give you better outcomes with less effort.

While the IPL will have perform “fair to good,” our lasers will perform no less than outstanding to excellent.  With an IPL you have a Swiss army knife, an excellent tool for emergencies.  With a Fotona laser you have a master craftsman’s shop!