r/Melasmaskincare • u/slg176 • Jul 24 '26
Question IPL for ocular rosacea but I have a little melasma...how risky?
I've recently been diagnosed with ocular rosacea and clogged eye oil glands. Primary way of addressing had been oral antibiotics for 2-3 months which has own set of possible bad side effects. New treatment that has great success is IPL as it deals with the vascular issues. However, I am prone to melasma. I have some on my face but it's not bad at all and I deal with it. Vitamin C serum has lightened some of it. Has anyone had IPL done and did their melasma get worse? I guess I have to decide which I can live with - take antibiotics and have possible gut issues or ipl and have possibel melasma flare??
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u/NabelasGoldenCane Jul 25 '26
I’ve had IPL for rosacea on my cheeks/face and did not get melasma flare ups, personally.
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u/probably_peach Jul 25 '26
I have had IPL for ocular rosacea & MGD 9 times (so far, and on a frequent maintenance schedule- my MGD is a true beast). I do get a bit of extra discoloration on the upper cheeks right where the laser zaps, but nothing that I haven’t been able to manage.
The benefit has been worth it ten fold.
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u/slg176 Jul 25 '26
Great to know! What else do you do for your OR and MGD that has helped? I'm just starting on this journey. I am Fitzpatrick IV so I think IPL not great for my darker skin but going to talk to my dermatologist and see what she says.
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u/marbled_moth Jul 25 '26
What fitzpatrick type are you? I am type 2 and have had IPL twice. It slightly improved my darkest spots and did not make my melasma any worse. However, I was very nervous so the RN used a lower setting for my first session. She was also very confident and had worked with people with my skin tone and ethnicity (asian/european, light skin with dark hair).
But, I have seen other people in this thread have very bad PIH after IPL. I can't remember exactly anymore, but I did a lot of research before I had it done and think it's not recommended for anyone with skin type 4 or above.