IPL Treatment at SKIN Clinics

Understanding IPL Treatment

The term “photofacial” has been kicking around for quite some time, and it’s likely that you’ve heard of the treatment from a friend or coworker. But what is it, and what can it do for you and the appearance of your skin?

I.P.L. is an acronym that stands for Intense Pulsed Light, and believe it or not, it’s not actually a laser. If we’re going to get all technical (which we are), it’s a non-invasive treatment that utilizes multiple wavelengths of light to target most aspects of pigmentation-based photoaging in the skin. It can emit between 500-1200 nm wavelengths of light depending on factors like the patient’s skin tone and exactly what we’re trying to target and improve within the skin.

Reshare

These wavelengths can be filtered to become more or less specific within the skin, and by doing so, they target specific chromophores, such as melanin, or oxyhemoglobin when treating vascular conditions, such as rosacea. The first FDA-approved IPL machine was released in the mid-1990s and has shown little signs of slowing in popularity.

Improving visible signs of sun damage and vascular lesions, such as telangiectasia or facial veins, and redness, are IPL’s “bread and butter,” as they say. There are few treatments that can rival IPL’s effectiveness when treating these conditions. Patients with rosacea, who are prone to flushing, redness, heat in the cheeks, and large noticeable facial veins on and around the nose can find great relief from a series of treatments.

Sun spots or lentigines can often be found across the hands, forearms, shoulders, and face, especially the temples, forehead, and cheeks, which are more easily exposed to the sun. Through a series of treatments, these spots can be drawn out to reveal a more even skin tone and a younger appearance.

So, now that you’re interested, we can run down how your treatments might look. A series of treatments is almost always recommended; between 3-6 treatments spaced 4-6 weeks apart is ideal for most patients. These series are generally performed during the fall-winter months as it can’t be done over any sort of tan in the skin, including spray tans or mousse tanners!

The procedure is quick and gentle enough to be performed on your lunch break and has very minimal downtime. Wearing an SPF 30 or higher sunscreen for up to a week (and hopefully forever) after treatment, as well as simply avoiding skincare actives like retinols or acids as well as heat, steam, and sweat for 48 hours after treatment, are a must. Immediately post-treatment, your skin may be slightly rosy, swollen and feel warm to the touch, but this generally only lasts a couple of hours post-treatment. The SKIN Clinics IPL experience includes a cooling gel masque application using SkinCeutical’s Phyto Corrective Masque, which has been proven to reduce the temperature of the skin while soothing and hydrating.

Before you jet back to your busy lifestyle, we’ll also apply a SkinCeutical’s antioxidant serum to protect from future damage and assist in your skin’s healing, as well as a mineral SPF (my favorite is Colorescience).

We may have enjoyed the summer holidays of our youth blissfully unaware and sunscreen-free, or forgot to reapply while on a hot family vacation, but regardless of past sun exposure, IPL treatments at SKIN Clinics can greatly improve sun spots, facial veins, redness and more. Book your free consultation today to discuss if you’re a candidate for I.P.L!