Can IPL treatment cause cancer?

IPL Treatment IPL treatments have not been shown to produce a legitimate risk of cancer. IPL treatments do not involve wavelengths lower than 500 nm, meaning that the wavelengths in IPL treatment are not within the carcinogenic spectrum of UV light. Long-term effects of laser therapy, including the possibility of increased risk of cancer, have not been studied. Some researchers have observed changes in atypical moles (dysplastic nevi) after laser hair removal.

Therefore, they suggest caution in the use of cosmetic laser therapy for people with a personal or family history of skin cancer or atypical moles, until it is determined whether these changes may be malignant or not. IPL devices have been around for 22 to 23 years. I did the original research studies on them. They are safe and do not cause cancer.

I repeat, there is no evidence that IPL can cause cancer. So, “NO, it can't cause cancer. But since many will be worried, when it comes to the risk of cancer, X-rays together with gamma rays are very dangerous and famous for their high ionizing radiation. Now, when that ionizing radiation has a chance to pass through your body, that's when it will damage the DNA in your cells.

And this may or may not lead to cancer in the future. According to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), hair removal methods such as IPL and laser hair removal use radiation, but are not ionizing. The light that comes from these lasers does not penetrate the skin, it stays on top. So those lasers don't cause any mutation or damage to the DNA.

They can only heat and destroy the hair follicle. No, skin cancers will not spread or be affected in any way for better or for worse by IPL lasers. But IPL can be used for more than just hair removal. Therefore, for people who do not have cancer, the laser may be beneficial to them as it can help improve damaged skin.

Hyperpigmentation occurs when certain parts of the skin acquire a dark color. If your skin is already dark, those parts will be even darker. You'll notice it because it's patchy and doesn't really affect any of the surrounding tissues. The reason for this condition is the fault of melanin.

Too much melanin develops small deposits on the skin. Now I'm just talking about a side effect of IPL but, in case you want to know, there are age spots, liver spots and sunspots, along with freckles are also forms of hyperpigmentation. You can also find hyperpigmentation on the arms, face and hands, which turn out to be common areas for hair removal. Do not worry too much because these areas, if they succumb to hyperpigmentation, can last 14 days and then disappear.

I was assured that this would help avoid any hyperpigmentation. Sometimes it may not be visible because they can be microscopic. And it can take up to 2 days until it reaches the surface of the skin. But I must say that I have had an IPL hair removal treatment and 2 of my friends.

I ask my doctor why. He says, “It's rare to see side effects. But then I thought about my skin type. However, people with darker skin are more at risk.

Currently, there is no evidence or medical research studies that can show that the intense energy of pulsed light can damage the reproductive system. Light cannot penetrate deep into the skin and cause any damage. Most of the wavelengths used are not strong enough to pass through the first layer of skin. Unless the doctor is using some kind of special filter.

So you don't have to worry about IPL or laser hair removal treatment when it comes to the safety of your reproductive system. The wavelengths used are powerful enough to pass through the layers of the skin that way. So, there's no way you can harm your reproductive system. No problems with the face area.

As long as there are hairs you are trying to remove, IPL can work. But the only thing you should worry about is any open wound on your face, severe acne and dark skin. I write about dark skin because IPL can be a little tricky when it comes to the darker skin type. Until now, no research has shown that light energy from hair removal lasers can cause cancer.

But there are some risks involved, such as redness, scarring and discoloration in the treated area, Bowe said. Although laser and IPL technology are not known to cause skin cancer, this does not mean that laser and IPL therapies are without long-term risks. Repeated exposures to high-intensity IPL light, the example cited was 52 treatments for 6 months, did not result in increased carcinogenicity or tumor formation. Generally speaking, light-based treatments can help a faster diagnosis of melanoma due to informed consultations with trained personnel during treatments in clinics or beauty salons.

They found that skin tumors developed in groups exposed to UV radiation, regardless of whether they had also been exposed to IPL treatment. So keep an eye on your face, armpits, bikini area or legs as these are the places where you are most likely to receive IPL treatments for hair removal. Wavelengths between 400 and 500 nm have been used in IPL devices, most commonly for the treatment of acne and psoriasis, which target the absorption band of porphyrin in the region of 400 to 420 nm. Doctors recommend that clients presenting for laser or IPL treatment have undergone a skin cancer check in the previous six to 12 months, for their safety and peace of mind.

The adverse effects of IPL treatments are well documented; these include blistering, hypopigmentation, hyperpigmentation and, if extensive, even scarring. Initially, IPL were used to treat vascular malformations, such as port wine stains and threaded veins. This lack of evidence and the difficulty in obtaining more relevant in vivo data suggest that light treatment of malignant melanoma should be avoided and a more conventional treatment method should be used. The existing evidence base of more than 25 years of laser and IPL use to date has not raised any concerns regarding its long-term safety, with only a few anecdotal cases of melanoma following treatment for two decades of use.

A dermatologist's recommendation before any IPL or laser treatment should eliminate the chances of MM. As the wavelengths used by most commercially available IPL have generally been above 500 nm, combined with a well-documented DNA damaging action spectrum that is below 400 nm, very little research has been carried out on the impact, if any, of IPL devices on direct DNA interactions. In addition, IPL light differs from sunlight in that IPL does not contain significant amounts of UVA or UVB; ultraviolet light is what is associated with an increased risk of cancer. .

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Gracie Szafraniec
Gracie Szafraniec

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