Efficacy and safety of intense pulsed light for the treatment of facial erythema: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Introduction: Facial erythema can be seen in many patients. Despite various clinical trials exploring the effect of intense pulsed light (IPL) in treating facial erythema, comprehensive evidence about the specific outcomes remains lacking. Evidence acquisition: We searched published studies in the Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases based on established inclusion criteria. We calculated odds ratios (OR) to evaluate the effectiveness of IPL in patients with facial erythema. We used Review Manager 5.4.1 software for statistical data analyses with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Evidence synthesis: This review includes seven studies with 219 patients, of which five compared the efficacy of IPL with pulsed dye laser (PDL). IPL significantly improved facial erythema compared to no treatment (OR=56.64, 95% CI: 22.70-141.33; P<0.00001). However, there was no significant difference between IPL and PDL treatment (OR=1.00, 95% CI: 0.31-3.22; P=1.00). Moreover, th