Background: To date, intense pulsed light (IPL) has been applied to various skin diseases, but there have been few objective evaluations of its efficacy.
Objective: The aim of this study was to perform objective evaluations of the effect of the IPL system on rosacea and solar lentigines.
Methods: Twelve patients with rosacea were treated with IPL at the wavelength of 550 to 670 nm, three times every 4 weeks, and the skin color was determined with L(*)a(*)b(*) color space using a spectrophotometer. In addition, 18 patients with solar lentigines were treated once, and the lightness L(*) was determined. RESULTS In all of 6 erythematotelangiectatic rosacea patients and in 5 of 6 papulopustular rosacea patients, each of the L(*)a(*)b(*) values of the posttreated lesions approached those of normal skin areas (efficacy rate, 91.6%). The mean level of the L(*)a(*)b(*) values improved significantly after treatment and particularly in the erythematotelangiectatic rosacea patients. In 12 of 18 patients with solar lentigines, the lightness L(*) was elevated after treatment (efficacy rate, 66.6%).
Conclusion: As demonstrated by spectrophotometric analysis of skin color, IPL at the wavelength of 550 to 670 nm is effective for rosacea and solar lentigines, particularly most useful for erythematotelangiectatic rosacea.