Lecture Series on Skin Beauty Techniques of Light, Electricity, and Ultrasound in China Medical Aesthetics | History of Intense Pulsed Light: From IPL to AOPT

In 1994, the first market-oriented intense pulsed light treatment instrument in the United States came out, mainly used for treating vascular problems. However, this first-generation machine had no cooling system and could not accurately control the emission of pulsed light, and it has now disappeared from the market. After the second and third generations of technological changes,

In 2004, an American company improved and upgraded the traditional intense pulsed light technology, opening the era of optimal pulse technology, abbreviated as OPT. By using IPM pulse counting to control the precise discharge of the capacitor, the problem of photon attenuation was solved, and the precise control of the pulse was achieved.

In 2009, an Israeli company launched the precise intense pulsed light technology, abbreviated as DPL. By equipping with different treatment heads, the treatment purpose became more precise.

In 2020, an American company upgraded the OPT technology, adding two supermode double glass filters, retaining the more specific spectral absorption at both ends, becoming AOPT super photon, and realizing the diversity of treatment parameters in technology.

In 1989, the non-ablative treatment concept was first proposed. In 1994, the first market-oriented intense pulsed light treatment instrument in the United States came out. In 2004, the IPL technology was improved and upgraded, opening the era of optimal pulse technology, abbreviated as OPT. In 2009, the Israeli company proposed the precise intense pulsed light technology, abbreviated as DPL. In 2020, the OPT technology was upgraded again, and the AOPT technology realized the diversity of treatment parameters.

Consistent with the thinking of all photoelectric technology changes, the technological change of intense pulsed light follows three major elements. The first is precision, making the treatment effect better and better; the second is safety, making the side effects of treatment smaller and smaller; the third is comfort, making the treatment experience of beauty seekers better and better.

Precision, safety, and comfort are the three major elements.

From IPL to AOPT, the iteration of technology is a process in which energy control becomes more and more precise:

IPL, also known as the traditional pulse technology, emits a decreasing wedge-shaped wave of energy. This leads to the situation that if you want to ensure that the energy of two pulses reaches the treatment amount, you need to increase the energy of the first pulse. Therefore, it is easy to cause the energy of the first pulse to be too high, resulting in skin damage, and at the same time, there are potential safety hazards such as relatively weak effect, strong pain, and too fast temperature rise. It was designed to treat red blood streaks and melanin at the beginning, but the shorter wavelength still cannot be filtered, and the treatment effect is relatively poor.

OPT technology, also known as the optimal pulse technology, emits a uniform energy square wave similar to the "battlements of the Great Wall". Each pulse has the same energy, eliminating the energy peak exceeding the treatment energy range at the beginning, improving safety, and reducing the thermal damage of the ineffective spectrum.

AOPT technology is an upgraded version of OPT. The upgrade lies in that the density of the sub-pulse energy can be adjusted, realizing the upgrade of "the energy density of each sub-pulse can be adjusted independently", effectively enhancing energy control. AOPT adds targeted filters for red blood streaks and acne. The treatment parameters can be adjusted, and the treatment range is also larger. However, due to the too high degree of freedom, the parameter adjustment completely depends on the doctor's experience and technology, and the treatment effect may be polarized.

The advantage of OPT lies in simultaneously targeting the three main chromophores in the skin, namely hemoglobin, melanin and water. It can cover most skin indications, but there are still relatively few selectable wavebands.

AOPT technology is an upgraded version of OPT. The upgrade lies in that the density of sub-pulse energy is adjustable, achieving the upgrade of "the energy density of each sub-pulse can be adjusted independently", which effectively enhances the control of energy. AOPT has added targeted filters for telangiectasia and acne. The treatment parameters can be adjusted and the treatment range is also wider. However, due to the overly high degree of freedom and the fact that the adjustment of parameters relies entirely on doctors' experience and skills, the treatment effects may be polarized.

From IPL to AOPT, in terms of energy modulation, it is evident that the control over energy has become increasingly precise. With regard to treatment indications, the applicable range has been continuously expanding. It can be asserted that the application scenarios have become more comprehensive and the patient's comfort level during the treatment has also been enhanced. Nevertheless, concurrently, the operational complexity has risen, imposing higher demands on the experience and technical proficiency of physicians.