See Commandment #1. I do not use intense pulsed light sources in my practice because I believe:

1. It is harder to predict results with IPL
2. IPLs are not safe to use around the eye
   
3. The risk of burning the skin is greater than with lasers due to difficulty in predicting outcomes when using multiple wavelengths
4. Filtering the light so it is not too bright for the user’s eyes is difficult or impossible

The user can’t protect themselves from the light effectively enough for me, especially when there are effective and safe lasers for the various conditions in which they are used. I also never use IPLs to treat tattoos, not ever. As far as I know, it is impossible to filter these devices so that a single wavelength of light comes out at energies useful in cutaneous laser surgery as does when one uses a laser. Therefore, in my opinion, it is much harder to predict the outcome in a given patient in terms of side-effects and effectiveness.

In addition, broad-spectrum light sources are less predictable within a patient and between patients than is monochromatic light. People buy these devices to try to treat every condition with one machine or to treat a patient faster-which translates into an attempt to save money when purchasing a machine. In my opinion, this is a mistake in the aesthetic field. I believe folks should buy the device that best treats the conditions they are going to be seeing most frequently, and then add machines as their laser practice expands. In the interest of balance (ha, ha!)I would like to re-emphasize the positive-IPLs are pretty good when it comes to removing freckles without targeting the individual lesions but when painting a given area, but I don’t use them in my practice.