A cosmetic method of providing light treatment to skin tissue includes: providing an intense pulsed light (IPL) source; interposing a band pass filter between the IPL source and the skin tissue; the band pass filter passes light in a selected range of wavelengths with an average absorption coefficient equivalent to that of a selected laser light source; the method includes activating the IPL source and applying it to the skin tissue, wherein the filtered light impinging on the skin tissue provides equivalent treatment to that of the selected laser light source.