Page 294 - Blog Posts v1

E37 - Calibrating an IPL device
How do you know what fluence or energy is coming out of your IPL unit? Some devices will have an on-board meter, but many don't. In that case, you really should get it properly calibrated.
You can only do this with an appropriate meter which should be able to measure both the fluence and the pulsewidth.
The video below shows me checking the output of an IPL using a PhotoNova meter, which was designed specifically for this job.
https://videopress.com/v/8TVqSrqC?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=me tadata
The water in the measuring port is to ensure that the detector head doesn't 'burn out' at high fluences!
This process needs to be repeated for a range of input values and for each filter - changing the filter will always change the total amount of energy reaching the skin.
It's a very simple process, with the right equipment (as always!)
I should say that I often find that the measured fluence is typically less (sometime, much less) than the value indicated on the screen. Also, as the device is used more, the efficiency of the flash lamp drops, thereby generating less output energy.
This typically results in poorer results over time...
A big thanks to the Frances Turner Traill Skin Clinic in Hamilton for use of their Cellec IPL System.
Hope this help, Mike.
Mike’s Blog Posts 294