Skin Rejuvenation

Ellipse I2PL™ Technology

Why second-generation Intense Pulsed Light (I2PL™) gives a better treatment:

White light is made up of various colors, or wavelengths. The light from the flash-lamp used in Intense Pulsed Light systems includes invisible ultraviolet and infrared light, as well as visible white light. Older intense pulsed light systems filter out the ultraviolet light, but allow the infrared light through. To remove the infrared light, the Ellipse I2PL™ (second generation) system has a unique extra filter consisting of circulating water. This means that the light components that normally would “heat” the water in the skin now “heat” the water in the system instead. This ensures that the light that is directed to your skin contains only the wavelengths that are relevant to perform the treatment. Eliminating the unwanted wavelengths, and standardizing the light pulse, means less energy is required to achieve a clinical effect. As a result, pain is reduced, non-specific heating of the skin is minimized and the need for contact cooling of the skin is eliminated.            

                 Before                                        After One Treatment

                     

               Before                                          After One Treatment

                                                                          

               Before                                           After One Treatment

                                    

How can light be used to perform a treatment?

When a bright beam of light enters your skin, certain natural structures in your body absorb the light. One of these structures is melanin, which is found in the skin and in hair. Another pigment-hemoglobin is found in blood. The third substance in the skin that absorbs light is water.

When the structure absorbs the light it converts it into heat. This is the same principle that makes a black car hot to the touch in summer. Unlike the black car, melanin, hemoglobin and water are selective in the light they absorb. The only absorb a certain band of wavelengths. This band is called the absorption spectrum.

Ellipse I2PL™ uses light (carefully controlled and carefully filtered light within the absorption spectrum) to target the structure that is causing your problem. In skin rejuvenation, both melanin and hemoglobin may be targeted.

A very short pulse of light (only a few thousandths of a second) hits the target and causes it to heat up. Because the light is so carefully controlled, only the target is damaged- the surrounding skin and the water in the skin are not harmed. When the melanin or hemoglobin in the treatment area is “hit” by Ellipse, the root of the problem, so to speak, disappears. Your Ellipse I2PL™ specialist will select the treatment best suited for treatment of your sun damage.

Why are energy and pulses important?

The amount of energy is important, as we need to make sure that we hit our target (for example a small blood vessel or a brown mark) with just the right amount of energy to get the desired result without damaging the surrounding tissue. The pulse time is also important because it controls how quickly the energy is delivered. The size and color of the targets determine how quickly they heat up and cool down again (a big cup of coffee stays warm longer than a small cup), and the pulse is carefully selected to match the selected target.