Pulsed Light System for Common Skin Problems

Pretty pink (Credit: staticnomore)

Patients who want to eliminate unsightly hair, broken blood vessels or signs of sun damage can now do so with one medically based skin treatment system.

Known as StarLux, this pulsed light system uses specialized handpieces to deliver targeted wavelengths of light effective for treating specific layers of skin.

“Pulsed light systems are similar to lasers, but they use a much larger reflective lens,” explains Cathy Fricke, clinical skin care specialist with the University of Cincinnati’s (UC) surgery department. “This allows the light to spread over a larger area of skin, resulting in faster treatment of a more expansive area.”

During treatment, filtered light is directed at the target skin area and given in a smooth pulse, versus a series of more powerful energy spikes associated with lasers and other treatment systems.

The system incorporates a photon-recycling process that uses mirrors within the individual handpieces to recapture scattered energy. The mirrors then send the energy back to the target area, increasing treatment effectiveness.

Hair reduction is accomplished through concentrated pulses of light that create heat in the hair follicle. The heat loosens the hair and disables the cells responsible for new growth.

For pigment-related issues such as visible veins and sun spots, pulsed light is absorbed and converted to heat by blood in the veins or pigment cells in the skin. This shrinks the vessels and dissolves the cells responsible for abnormal pigmentation.

UC physicians are currently using the system to treat patients for hair reduction, sun damage, minor capillaries, hemangiomas and rosacea.

Source: University of Cincinnati