IPL

Intense pulsed light · Lumenis M22 and Stellar M22

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How it works

Pulses of light into the skin through a filter

EpidermisDermisFatHandpiece, a filter fitted400 – 1200 nm515 – 755 nm
  1. Light400 – 1200 nm
  2. Cut-off filters, each a floor515 – 755 nm

Each cut-off filter drops the light below its number; the light is drawn fading, since the filing states no depth.

EpidermisDermisFatHandpiece, a filter fitted400 – 1200 nm515 – 755 nm
  1. Light400 – 1200 nm
  2. Cut-off filters, each a floor515 – 755 nm

Each cut-off filter drops the light below its number; the light is drawn fading, since the filing states no depth.

400 to 1200 nm; a cut-off filter from 515 to 755 nm chosen for the target. A single pulse lasts up to 20 ms at up to 35 J/cm², the FDA filing states. Illustrations are schematic.

What it costs

Treating the face costs $300 – $325 a treatment on clinic pages

Tap to add or remove an area. Quoted combinations apply where listed.

AreaOne treatment
$300 – $325a treatment
one clinic’s list$325a treatment
one price for both, one clinic’s list$595a treatment
Nineteen clinic pages naming the M22, two pricing by area. One clinic sells the full face at $750 for three treatments and $1,000 for five. Canadian dollars before tax, as the clinic pages state them.

Results & duration

Studies measured rosacea redness and melasma

Two hospital studies, neither against an untreated group; neither declares a tie to the maker. Rosacea redness good to excellent in 45% of 40 people; the melasma score down 60 to 89% in 64% of 25. The maker’s own trials of the M22 on the skin have posted no results.

Rosacea redness, photographs graded before and after

Improved good to excellent

45%18 of 40 people

3 treatments 4 weeks apart, graded 12 weeks after the last by two dermatologists not fully blinded to the treatment.

Chen 2026, PMID 41835963

Melasma, photographs graded before and after

Melasma score down 60 to 89%

64%16 of 25 people

6 to 14 low-energy treatments 2 weeks apart, graded by three dermatologists not involved in treatment.

Jin 2026, PMID 41945421

How long does IPL last?

Measured to 3 months. The rosacea study graded the skin 12 weeks after the last treatment; the melasma study found no recurrence at 3 months and says longer follow-up is needed. The manual states no duration; clinic pages recommend maintenance once or twice a year instead.

Chen 2026, PMID 41835963 · Jin 2026, PMID 41945421 · Lumenis M22 manual UM-1024720 Appendix A · clinic pages

Recovery & risks

Darkened spots may take two weeks to fade

The maker’s manual and the rosacea study · 40 people

  • Redness and swelling17.5%
  • Peeling and dryness15%
Right after
Redness and swelling, the manual says; swelling near the nose or eyes for up to 7 days, a burning feeling for up to 1 hour.
Downtime
None but sun avoidance, the manual says; darkened spots flake off in 7 to 10 days on the clinic page that times it.
Next treatment
4 to 6 skin treatments at least 3 weeks apart, the manual says.

The adverse effects the manual names

Blisters, pigment change, scarring: none in 40 in the rosacea study; the manual calls side effects rare, with no rate.

Burns, blisters and scarring

Lighter or darker patches

A change of pigment usually fades in 3 to 6 months, and rarely lasts or is permanent, the manual says · Illustrations are schematic.

Read from the manual, the rosacea study and clinic pages. Pigmented spots may darken for up to 14 days; a crust or blister, if one forms, heals in 5 to 10 days, the manual says. The manual describes recovery and possible complications; the study reports what its participants experienced. These sources do not establish a common downtime for every IPL treatment.

Frequently asked questions

Licensed since February 2014. Health Canada’s licence 92727 lists the Lumenis M22 System and licence 109949 the Stellar M22, since August 2023, both Class III medical devices, to Lumenis Be Ltd. The IPL uses the FDA clearance states include benign pigmented lesions such as melasma and freckles, scars and striae, vascular lesions such as erythema of rosacea and facial telangiectasias, hair removal and mild to moderate inflammatory acne. A licence records Health Canada’s review of the device against its safety and effectiveness requirements for the use filed; it does not establish every benefit, area or duration a clinic advertises.Health Canada · MDALL licences 92727 and 109949 · FDA K170060, indications for use

GST or HST applies to taxable cosmetic treatments: 13% in Ontario, 5% where only GST is charged. The clinic prices here are before tax. A treatment for a medical or reconstructive purpose may be exempt when it meets the applicable health-care exemption’s conditions, including who supplies or performs the service; its purpose alone does not establish an exemption.Excise Tax Act · s. 165, Sch. V Pt. II ss. 1, 1.1, 1.2 and 5 to 7, Sch. VIII

Ontario names no controlled act for it. The Controlled Acts regulation prescribes electricity, electromagnetism and soundwaves for listed uses, and no form of light; nothing is injected or cut. Where serious bodily harm is reasonably foreseeable, section 30 restricts treatment to regulated professionals acting within their scope of practice, with an exception for someone treating under their direction or in collaboration with them within that scope. The manual limits the device to personnel trained in its use, which may include physicians, nurses, technical or other professional staff, and leaves the credentials required to local licensing. Other provinces set their own rules.RHPA ss. 27 and 30 · O. Reg. 107/96 s. 1 · Lumenis M22 manual UM-1024720 §A.2

Both studies in the figure: hospital teams in China that declare no conflicts of interest, neither with an untreated group. Lumenis sponsored its own registered M22 skin trials: a 33-person study of IPL with a laser, published in 2019 by authors who work with the maker, and an acne trial stopped in 2015 for low recruitment. Neither has posted results on ClinicalTrials.gov.Chen 2026, PMID 41835963 · Jin 2026, PMID 41945421 · ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02032771 and NCT02180282

Sources

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A reference publication, not medical advice. Decisions about any treatment belong to an authorized practitioner. Visage Atlas is a publication of VIVAVAN CONSULTING INC., not a clinic. No maker, seller or clinic pays for or reviews Visage Atlas's editorial content; our own paid placements are labelled Sponsored.

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