Intense pulsed light (IPL) and oral isotretinoin (ISOT) are both effective in treating the effects of facial photoaging — but how does IPL stack up as a solo treatment against a combination of the two? To find out, a research team led by Enrique Hernández-Pérez, M.D., of the Center for Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery in San Salvador, El Salvador, conducted an open, randomized, comparative and descriptive trial involving 18 hispanic women with grades II- and III-level cutaneous aging. Researchers divided the patients into two groups. Those in the first group underwent solo IPL treatment with an Alma Laser Harmony XL machine over five sessions with a two-week interval between each. Starting fluence was 12 J/cm2, and was increased to 13 J/cm2. The second group received the same number and type of IPL sessions, but the researchers added 20 mg of oral ISOT, three times a week for 10 weeks. Read more at Cosmetic Surgery Times.