OPT Vs IPL: What's the Difference?

Over the past decade, IPL technology has gained prominence in dermatology (aesthetics) and hair removal fields. With its ability to meet more and more users' needs, IPL is consistently positioned in the market as one of the most beneficial options for skincare. However, there is also a new type of technology utilizes intense pulsing light - Optimal Pulse Technology (OPT) . And in this article we will cover everything you need to know about OPT vs IPL.

In terms of improvements, OPT enables IPL to cover more skin types without hurting or damaging the skins' surface, making it a much more stable and optimized technology in the long run.

This article will explain what OPT is, how it's connected to IPL, and try to settle the OPT vs. IPL debate.

OPT vs. IPL: Can You Really Tell the Difference?

It seems as if OPT and IPL are two different technologies when they really aren’t. In fact, OPT is a new type of complementary technology that has provided greater efficiency to IPL since it is a much more accurate and powerful system.

We recognize that hair removal and skin care were revolutionized with the help of lasers in the beginning. The first lasers were Alexandrite, then Diode, then YAG, and finally, OPT and Diode Super Hair Removal Lasers came on the scene.

The main novelty of this system is that it is heated to the necessary temperature (70º Celsius) to eliminate the follicles, going directly to the deep layers of the skin without the need for a contrast between the color of hairs and the skin. In addition, the machines that contain this system have filters that direct light directly to the second layer of the skin, preventing damage to the first layer and accurately destroying the unwanted cells.

Therefore, we can only differentiate OPT vs. IPL based treatments because both technologies have offered important advancements and improvements to communities of users who take advantage of this technology; especially for permanent body hair removal.

Similarities Between OPT Vs IPL Machines

We will now explain how each machine related to the OPT vs. IPL debate is constructed so that it is easier to understand how they act and what makes it possible to offer a better experience to users.

The aforementioned laser types all work differently on different hair and skin types, with varying degrees of effectiveness and side effects. There was a constant desire to make treatment more comfortable throughout its advancements, initially with IPL and then with other technologies such as SHR and OPT.

Lasers and IPL equipment in the past were based on emitting pulses that were attracted by the melanin in the skin, so there had to be a contrast between the color of the skin and the tone of the hair. That way, the light could go directly to the hair follicles that were attracted to the energy to be destroyed. This is how photo epilation was made possible.

By incorporating the OPT system into IPL technology, we can now treat red hair and even gray hair without risking damage or burning from the energy of light spreading through the skin.

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)

Intense Pulsed Light machines emit multiple wavelengths of light simultaneously from each pulse and penetrate the skin up to 1200 nanometers deep. In addition to adapting to skin types, it can also react simultaneously with melanin-containing cells, water, and hemoglobin, making it effective in reducing redness, removing skin spots, stimulating collagen production, and promoting skin renewal.

Optimum Pulsed Light Technology  (OPT)

OPT - which stands for "Optimal Pulse Technology" - represents a new IPL option in which a pulse emission is handled significantly better than those that preceded it. As a result, the technology can produce much more stable energy emissions by improving pulses.

In terms of user improvement, OPT technology delivers a stable light emission, does not pierce the skin, and has the ability to adapt to different skin types and tones. Furthermore, you do not have to worry about burns or painful and annoying side effects.

As its name suggests, this technology provides several enhancements over the previous one (IPL). OPT corrects uneven light emission, establishing more precise pulses and a more efficient way of releasing energy.

It offers users a controlled treatment process that is safer, more effective, and less likely to cause thermal damage or burns.

How Does Hair Removal Work with OPT and IPL?

IPL, acting independently, can penetrate the dermis and treat various conditions at once. It does this by emitting scattered pulses of light. On the other hand, this is shown to be a disadvantage because the energy of the light pulses wears out, losing the effectiveness of the machines over time.

Optics technology was designed to solve these problems, providing light emission with perfect and much more precise pulses because the wavelength was compressed (from 690 nm to 1200 nm) in the process. With the new optics technology, the side effects of treatment decrease greatly, as does the risk of burns during recovery.

Can OPT Improve Your Skin Conditions?

Even though IPL alone can improve skin conditions, the results become more precise and effective when combined with an OPT system.

In addition to having the option of having more precise pulses, for example, in case of sunspots or aging, this system can go directly to the cells containing pigmentation and eliminate them through heat. There will be fewer side effects, and the recovery will be faster.

Similarly, remembering that OPT incorporates the technological system of intense pulsed light, it is also possible to use it to treat various areas of the body such as hands, décolletage, shoulders, chest, legs, bikini line; the one you want.

There is a possibility of thicker or darker hair depending on where the hair grows on the body. In that sense, it is beneficial that the new technology can adapt to skin-specific characteristics.

In light of the safety and efficiency of this technology to IPL, it is only logical that most manual machines are using it.

Advantages Offered by the OPT System

Rather than dividing OPT from IPL, we need to focus on the improvements that one technology has brought to the other. The following are the advantages the OPT system provides over the IPL treatment:

• Fine and thick hairs, light and dark hairs can be treated.
• It is able to identify the properties of each patient's skin, adjusting the potency to their particular characteristics.
• The possibility of treating any skin tone and hairs is incorporated.
• Each shot can cover a skin surface of 5 square cm, so the procedure of applying the treatment is performed in a short time.
• It is still a painless technique.
• It provides greater safety, comfort and recovery without profound side effects.

Wrap Up!

Skin care continues to be increasingly important, especially when it comes to aesthetic improvement, for both adults and young people trying to avoid signs of aging.