Similarity

• IPL and laser are both heat-generating light treatments that fight acne by reducing production in the sebaceous (oil) glands and killing the bacteria that cause acne.
  
  

The Major Difference

• Lasers treat acne with a single wavelength (color) of light at a time, whereas IPL acne treatment can deliver hundreds of thousands of wavelengths to infected follicles.
  
  

Effects

• After laser treatment, a patient may be homebound for several days. But because IPL for acne leaves untreated areas untouched, the patient can resume a normal routine on the day of the treatment.
  
  

Acne Scars

• When it comes to treating acne scars, Virginia Beach dermatologist Arnold R. Oppenheim says IPL is only minimally effective, whereas the gold standard for treatment is the CO2 laser.
  
  

Costs

• Machines for laser acne treatments are more expensive than IPL machines. This, along with the fact that laser treatments must be done by a trained physician, whereas IPL can be performed by a cosmetologist, makes laser acne treatment more costly than acne treatment with IPL.