Efficacy and Safety of an Intense Pulsed Light Acne Filter on Treatment of Mild-to-Moderate Acne Vulgaris: A Single-Center Retrospective Pre-Post Study
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Objective: Since the introduction of acne-specific dual-band spectral output filter (acne filter), the effectiveness and safety of intense pulsed light (IPL) in treating acne have markedly increased. However, research on the use of such acne filters is limited due to their relatively recent introduction. Thus, our aim was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of specific parameters of this acne filter during IPL treatment. Methods: We conducted this retrospective pre-post study at Affiliated Haimen Hospital of Xinglin College from November 2021 to March 2023, and collected data from 23 patients with mild-to-moderate acne treated with IPL using an acne filter once a month for a total of 4 sessions. Specialized physicians assessed the total number of lesions and inflammatory lesions before treatment and after treatment (week 17). Using a skin analysis device, the pore count, porphyrin levels, and inflammatory areas were evaluated after treatment compared to those parameters before treatment. Paired t tests were applied to normally distributed continuous variables, while the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for skewed data. Categorical variables were assessed with the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The study demonstrated significant improvements in acne lesions following IPL combined with acne filter treatment. The median counts of skin lesions and pustules decreased markedly from M ( Q 1 , Q 3 ) 15 (10, 20) and 3 (1, 5) pre-treatment to 6 (4, 10) and 1 (0, 2) post-treatment, respectively ( P < 0.001). However, no significant difference in lesion clearance rates was observed between patients with mild (Pillsbury I) and moderate acne (Pillsbury II/III) ( P = 0.395). Skin analysis revealed a significant reduction in inflammatory areas, decreasing from a median of 1,189.46 mm² (783.70, 1,714.18) to 1,007.05 mm² (664.31, 1,525.35) ( P < 0.001). Conversely, pore counts ( t = 1.55, P = 0.137) and porphyrin levels ( t = 0.93, P = 0.360) showed no statistically significant changes. Adverse events of IPL with acne filter were rare and mild. Conclusion: The IPL with acne filter had a considerable beneficial effect on the management of mild-to-moderate acne, especially for inflammatory lesions and pustules, but had no effect on pore size or sebum secretion.
Authors: Min-Min Zhang, Wei-Hua Xu, Liang-Fei Zhu, Dong-Ling Gu
Institutions: Nantong University, Nantong University Xinglin College
Language: English
Subfield: Dermatology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4410009777