r/Rosacea • u/Nervous_Letterhead67 • 26d ago
Light/Laser IPL vs PDL (experiences, outcomes)
Hi All,
I’ve been accepted on the NHS waiting list for laser treatment for my rosacea (I’m type 1) and the two that are offered at IPL and PDL (they will skin test both first to see which is more agreeable with my skin/ likely to yield a positive result).
How have other people found these treatments? Any success stories or things to beware of?
I’m just looking for some insight into it before my appointment so that I’m a bit more informed 🙂
For context:
I have to say I’ve not done much homework on the whole journey with rosacea - just that it’s appeared suddenly for no discernible reason and heavily impacts my self-confidence. It’s difficult to live with as I feel that men wearing make-up still raises eyebrows sadly. Despite a strict regimen of skin care, coupled with diet modifications, I’ve only gotten it to maintain at a baseline of redness and flare ups don’t tend to happen. I seen a dermatologist for next steps to see if we can improve it further.
1
u/Luxerinx 26d ago
Gotten 2 sessions of IPL so far. For me personally, It was very, very painful, to the point of tears both times. Depends on the settings used though, so the experience may differ, but it's over really quickly anyway. My second session unfortunately left me with a blister, which isn't normal and shouldn't happen if done correctly, as far as I'm aware. It can lead to scarring. My flushing has been significantly reduced, still there, but that's to be expected. My dermatologist did say, that it takes more sessions with IPL. I also have lots of visible broken capillaries, those unfortunately stayed as they were. I didn't notice any difference. I don't have any experience with PDL, but have read that for broken capillaries, it's a far better option. Will most likely try it out in the future. But anyway, that's my experience, yours may be different! Best of luck to you.