The newly developed SWT technology (Selective Waveband Technology) combines the advantages of conventional laser systems and IPL.
Intense Pulsed Light(IPL) technology involves high-energy flash lamps that emit polychromatic pulsed light and are variable in wavelength, pulse duration and pulse sequence. The light pulses emitted by Ellipse® SWT encompass a narrower wavelength spectrum than conventional IPL, enabling both optimal penetration depth and maximum absorption from the target tissue structure, as Prof. Michael Drosner, MD, Rostock, Germany, explained.
Positive risk-benefit balance
Due to the dual filter mode, the light pulses contain only the wavelengths required for effective treatment and are very accurately targeted. As a result, the risk of damage to surrounding tissue is extremely low and the procedure is not a major burden for patients. No topical analgesics are required and a return to normal daily life is possible immediately following treatment. The fact that the Ellipse® SWT filter system blocks wavelengths of the infrared spectrum that lead to heating is another advantage over conventional IPL technology, as it means that the risk of burns as an undesirable side effect of the treatment is much lower.
Ellipse® SWT can be used to treat numerous skin conditions, the speaker said: hair removal, lentigines, melasma, poikiloderma, rosacea, telangiectases, port-wine stains, acne, photodynamic therapy (PDT), angiofibromas, ullerythema, molluscum contagiosum, hemangiomas, xanthelasma, rejuvenation.
The speaker reported case reports of successful acne treatments using SWT technology (SWT I²PL; 2×2.5 ms, 5.0-9.0 J/cm², 4-5 treatments) [2]. Follow-up examinations (1 and 3 months post treatment) showed a significant reduction of papules, pustules, blackheads and oily skin. The mechanism of action consists in photothermolysis of the vascular walls of those veins that supply the sebaceous glandula.
A proven indication is the area of hair removal. By means of short pulsed application of light flashes, which penetrate the epidermis and are absorbed by melanin, destruction of the hair follicle is achieved. Prof. Drosner added that SWT treatments are also effective in the frequent indication of capillary malformations (port-wine stains, naevus flammeus). The wide variation in pulse duration offered by this new technology is also a great advantage, especially for the treatment of redness associated with port-wine stains, uleythema, or erythematous rosacea – fewer treatment sessions are required and a short pulse duration is particularly well suited for the small vessel diameters that are very common in these conditions [3].
Source: SGML Lasers & Procedures, January 17, 2019, Zurich.
Literature:
- Ellipse – IPL and Laser Provider. www.ellipse.com, last accessed 08 Feb. 2019.
- Drosner M, Worret W-I, Busch R: Intense pulsed light (I²PL) improves inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne efflorescences. [Intense pulsed light (I²PL) treatment is improving inflammatory and non-inflammatory symptoms in acne]. Aesthetic Dermatology 2006; 5: 17.
- Frentzen J: Hybrid laser and light-based platform addresses multiple skin and vascular conditions. Interview with Prof. Michael Drosner, MD. The European Aesthetic Guide 2017; 15: 36. http://www.aestheticchannel.com/sites/default/files/legacy/mm/PDF/AestheticChannelArchive/EAG_Vol15_A17-min.pdf, last accessed 12 February 2019.
DERMATOLOGIE PRAXIS 2019; 29(1): 35
