If you frequently experience redness and inflammation around your eyelids, you may be one of the 30 million Americans who suffer from chronic dry eye syndrome. IPL is the most common device found in dermatologist offices, and it may be your best option for a better, less itchy appearance.
The bags under your eyes may say more than the details of your sleepless night last night. New York optometrist Jennifer Tsai, OD, has seen countless patients who attribute a persistent swollen, heavy feeling in their lower eyelids to fatigue. However, she told us the cause is usually dry eyes.
Ashley Brissette, a board-certified ophthalmologist in New York City, says that for years, people have recommended heat compresses, eye drops, and even a thermal pulsating device called LipiFlow to address this extremely common condition. chronic eye disease, which affects more than 30 million Americans. . However, these treatments are often temporary solutions for dry eye symptoms. For the more important stuff, opticians and ophthalmologists introduced equipment traditionally used by dermatologists. Does IPL sound familiar?
Also known as “intense pulsed light,” you may have seen ophthalmologists on TikTok using the popular in-office skin care device. But don’t worry, they are qualified to do so. In fact, intense pulsed light (IPL) was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of dry eye caused by eyelid gland infection. Recent research shows that intense pulsed light is more effective in treating dry eye than traditional eyelid massage combined with heat.
But that’s not the only reason IPL is growing in popularity as a treatment for dry eyes. The highlight is that IPL can rejuvenate the skin around your eyes. After several intense pulsed light treatments, not only the puffiness and puffiness around the eyes disappeared, but the skin color of some dry eye patients also became brighter and smoother, and the eyes overall became whiter and brighter, Dr. Cai. “Owned It’s great to have a device that treats dry eye while also providing [skin improvement],” she added. “People will ask if my patients have had Botox or fillers, but that’s just IPL treatment for dry eye.”
Because of these additional skin regenerating effects, Dr. About four out of five dry eye patients choose IPL as their first choice of treatment, Tsai said. Keep scrolling to learn more about how IPL treats dry eye disease and how your eyes and skin are more connected than you think.
What is dry eye syndrome?
Along our upper and lower water lines (what ophthalmologists call the eyelid margins), we have about 60 to 80 small holes called meibomian glands, which produce a clear oil that coats and covers every time we blink. Moisturizing our eyes, explains Carly Rose, OD, a board-certified optometrist in Cincinnati.
Dry eye syndrome occurs when these glands become inflamed and blocked. Doctors say that not only does this make the eyes very uncomfortable and red, but it can also cause fluctuating, blurry vision. Brissette. It can also cause a persistent sandy sensation and eye fatigue. For some people, the stinging and burning sensations of dry eye can be so painful that they affect the patient’s quality of life and mental health. “It’s exhausting,” the doctor added. Ross added. “Studies show that dry eye is more life-changing than a hip fracture.”
Dry eyes aren’t just caused by one thing; a person may face 5 to 15 different factors that contribute to dry eye symptoms, Dr. Rose Gone. Sorry to bother you, but ophthalmologists hate eyelash extensions such as extensions, serums, tints, and lifts because they all cause dry eyes. They also don’t like tretinoin and tight clothing, both of which can easily clog the meibomian glands. Here are some other common causes of dry eye:
- too much screen time
- Certain medicines and contraceptives
- hormonal fluctuations
- Thyroid problems and autoimmune diseases
- contact lenses
- Bacteria and deposits on eyelids and eyelashes
- Pollution and poor air quality
- smokes
- age and menopause
- allergy
- weather change
What is IPL?
Intense pulsed light, also known as IPL, is an in-office treatment used by dermatologists since 1996. Although IPL is often classified as a laser treatment, IPL is technically not a laser. While lasers are based on a monochromatic beam, IPL emits light of various wavelengths (from 400 to 1400 nm) in short pulses. The attending physician can adjust the wavelength using filters. Dermatologists commonly use IPL to treat pigmentary problems such as sun damage, hyperpigmentation, melasma, and scars. At certain wavelengths, even tattoos and unwanted hair can be removed.
When the skin absorbs the pulsed light, it converts into thermal energy, heating and dissolving pigmented spots on the skin, as described in the Allure Laser Treatment Guide. IPL also penetrates beneath the skin’s surface to stimulate collagen production, resulting in tighter, firmer, and shinier skin. It also minimizes the appearance of pores and helps treat acne.
New York board-certified dermatologist Daniel Belkin previously told Allure that rosacea symptoms, such as facial redness due to small, visible blood vessels that appear near the skin’s surface on the cheeks, can also be reduced with IPL. The light released by IPL is absorbed by oxyhemoglobin in the blood vessels on the surface of the skin, generating heat that coagulates the cells and constricts the blood vessels, Dr. Ross added.
How does IPL become a treatment for dry eye disease?
Well, the dilated, red, and angry small blood vessels in your face caused by rosacea can also cause inflammation of the blood vessels in your eyes and eyelids, causing ocular rosacea.
Ocular rosacea is often a symptom of dry eye, a leading cause of meibomian gland dysfunction, which results in red, itchy eyes, eyelid swelling, and loss of skin elasticity. Brissette. Rolando Toyos, MD, a board-certified ophthalmologist, knew how successful IPL was for treating facial rosacea through photocoagulation and began experimenting with IPL in 2002 to treat “unbearable dry eye symptoms”.
In the first paper on IPL for dry eye disease, Dr. Toyos stated that he suspected that intense pulsed light played a role in this condition because it could stimulate the meibomian glands or reduce the telangiectasia that triggers dry eye disease. To improve the production of meibomian glands, dry eye is the scientific name for these small glands mentioned above, which are inflamed blood vessels.
Over the next two decades, Dr. Toyos and several other researchers have found in several other studies that both of these effects occur when IPL is used to treat dry eye disease. Pulsed light coagulates and constricts blood vessels in the eyes and eyelids, much like rosacea on the face. This can significantly reduce eye redness, making eyes appear clearer and brighter – much like the effect of intense pulsed light (IPL) on skin.
Additionally, IPL’s light energy unblocks the meibomian glands by “communicating with the mitochondria and essentially telling them to turn back on,” explains Dr. Rose. In other words, it heats up the stagnant oil that clogs the meibomian glands. PhD. Tsai compared the process to melting frozen butter.
In April 2021, the FDA finally approved the use of IPL to treat dry eye disease. A month later, Israeli medical device company Lumenis launched OptiLight, an IPL device designed specifically for the eye area. Due to its eye-specific filters and special handpiece, it is now the IPL device of choice among ophthalmologists.
What else can you expect from IPL for dry eye treatment?
Although you may have seen your ophthalmologist apply it to a patient’s closed eyelids, the FDA only approves IPL for use from just below the lower eyelid to the cheekbone. However, the blood vessels in your face flow like rivers from your cheeks up to the edges of your eyelids, says Dr. Rose. So when you treat your cheeks with intense pulsed light, your eyes get the same benefits.
No matter where your eye doctor points the IPL device on your face, your eyeballs are protected by heat-resistant coverings, such as adhesive eyecups or metal shields that extend under your eyelids like steel contact lenses. Eye surface.
The cooled conductive gel is then applied to the entire face and the ophthalmologist begins treatment. They determine and adjust the wavelengths you need based on the target area and your skin type and tone. The skin around the eyes is thinner and more delicate than the skin on the rest of the face, so the same energy can’t be used on the entire face, says Dr. Tsai. For example, IPL treatments for the face typically use a 560 nm filter, while the eye area typically uses a 590 nm filter. “The shorter the wavelength, the higher the energy intensity,” she explains.
The final step in treatment is to gently squeeze the meibomian glands with special flat forceps to drain the melted oil, says Dr. Rose. Fortunately, your eyes will be numbed with eye drops first, so you won’t feel any pain. However, this is arguably the most problematic part of the procedure and does require the expertise of an experienced ophthalmologist.
The whole process takes about 20 minutes. Expect little to no recovery time and minimal side effects,” says Dr. Chua. The only important post-operative care advice your ophthalmologist may give is to stay out of the sun and apply sunscreen before and after each IPL session, as well as following treatment Increased sensitivity to light, adds Dr. Ross.
For lasting results, four IPL sessions are usually required. They are held every two to four weeks. Then you only need maintenance treatment once a year, says Dr. Rose. Each class costs approximately $400. Unfortunately, IPL dry eye treatment is not covered by insurance because this treatment is considered elective and cosmetic.
Another wrinkle: Intense pulsed light (IPL) is only FDA-approved for Fitzpatrick skin types 1, 2, 3, and occasionally, type 4 skin. Doctors note that in people with darker skin tones (even those with tanned skin), IPL may cause unwanted discoloration. Tsai. Because the device targets dark pigments, it cannot pinpoint the area to treat and may cause skin burns. If anything, “we have to use very, very low energy, which may not be as effective,” she added. People who are pregnant, prone to scarring, exposed to prolonged sunlight, or taking retinoids are also not candidates for Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment.
What does the future of eyes and aesthetics look like?\
IPL is just the beginning of how cosmetic treatments can improve eye health. Radiofrequency, another treatment commonly offered by dermatologists in the office, is the next challenge in dry eye treatment, Dr. Dr. Choi and Rose have begun incorporating it into their practice because it is more suitable for all skin tones and types. Here’s why: Radiofrequency uses heat energy rather than light to stimulate collagen production, which tightens, tightens and lifts the skin. It’s also a better option than IPL for restoring eyelid structure, especially in cases where dry eyes have caused drooping or sagging eyes, Dr. Rose said.
PhD. Tsai developed the prototype for InMode’s first eye-focusing device, Envision, which combines IPL and radiofrequency technology to treat dry eye disease. “I don’t know if you can find a lot of information about it online right now since it officially launched [in February 2023],” she shared. “It’s great to be able to offer the newest equipment on the market and make it available to our patients.”
As more and more people realize that dry eyes and eyelids are an extension of the skin, Dr. Rose said she hopes one day dermatologists will also start using IPL to treat dry eye. “You should at least start screening for dry eye and refer patients to an ophthalmologist for treatment,” she adds. “Many skin conditions that dermatologists treat can lead to dry eye syndrome.”