IPL reduces post-bleph bruise

Patients undergoing eyelid surgery followed by intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy experienced decreased ecchymosis compared with eyelid surgery patients who had a postoperative sham treatment, according to a new study.

Researchers studied 28 patients undergoing bilateral eyelid surgery. Patients ranged in age from 44 to 80 years, and 86% were female.

The authors administered IPL therapy three times to the same randomly assigned side on postoperative days 1 to 2, 5 to 7 and 10 to 12. They administered sham light therapy on the contralateral side.

Patient and physician assessments revealed the change in ratings between postoperative days 1 to 2 and 10 to 12, in the treatment and control groups, was statistically significant for bruising severity. Patients indicated the change of the color of bruising was significant with IPL compared to sham.

“Despite some limitations in the study [such as study size], Dr. Wulc and collaborators have demonstrated what I believe may be one of the more useful indications for IPL therapy,” says Boca Raton, Fla., oculoplastic surgeon Steven Fagien, M.D. “I also fully agree with their review of other modalities that are continuously offered to patients without proof of effectivity, such as the use of Arnica Montana, which never has been proven to be beneficial to expedite resolution or prevent post-treatment ecchymoses, yet [is] commonly recommended.”

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Dr. Fagien, who is not a study author, tells Cosmetic Surgery Times that there are still other energy device treatments commonly recommended to reduce bruising, which might work but have not gone through well-designed studies with controls. The assumptions on approaches other than IPL are mostly anecdotal and experiential. 

“Although many of us do not consider bruising a cause for concern for patients undergoing blepharoplasty (and since it is usually transient and short-lived), we tend to trivialize this common post-operative sequelae,” Dr. Fagien says. “Patients, however sometimes obsess over these sort of issues — particularly with bruising and swelling. Anything that can expedite this resolution could be a substantial benefit to our patients.”