Beauty And The Blog

IPL. Know what that is? Intense Pulsed Light. It’s a computer controlled instrument that emits high intensity pulses of light that penetrate the skin. This is also known as IPL Photorejuvenation. This is something only a medical professional can administer.

Know what it does? A number of very cool things actually. IPL is capable of eliminating or reducing fine wrinkles, redness (rosacea, flushing), freckles, age spots, some types of minor sun damage, various types of visible or broken blood vessels and capillaries, and hyper and hypo pigmentation (dark or light patches on the surface of the skin). It can smooth your skin and improve the texture. It can also treat certain undesirable conditions of the skin, such as Poikiloderma of Civatte (I know, what the heck is that?! That’s coming in Part II).

There are different types of IPL that address different issues. Some types can remove a tattoo, some can remove unwanted hair. And another that addresses the signs of aging such as those mentioned above! Lots of great things can be accomplished using IPL. But we are talking anti-aging and skin care here.  And undesirable skin issues.

IPL is a proven technology that provides an ideal solution for those who do not have, or want to wait through, the downtime needed from having a laser treatment (10-12 weeks!). There is no burning or blistering of the skin (except in very rare cases where a patient may not have been the ideal candidate, so choose your medical professional carefully). There may be minimal redness, easily covered by makeup. And possibly some minor flaking of the skin.

Laser treatment has a long recovery period. Yes, laser does go deeper and treats larger more prominent issues of aging. But IPL gives a result comparative to that of a medium depth laser or chemical peel without the nasty side effects.

The best candidate for IPL would be of white European descent with elastic non-oily skin. If you have a tan or a  darker skin tone/type such as Italian, Greek or African, or are prone to keloid scarring you will need to rely on your doctor to make a determination as to whether this is the correct procedure for you. Anyone who is using the acne prescription Accutane should not have IPL until they have been off the drug for at least 6 months.Women who are pregnant should not have IPL treatment.

IPL does not properly address deep wrinkles or prominently sagging skin. There are other procedures for this, and yes they will be more invasive.

There can be some discomfort associated with IPL, this is usually handled quite nicely with a pre-treatment of a numbing cream. And any discomfort only lasts as long as the procedure itself. It may feel a bit hot or like the snap of a rubber band on the skin.

When having an IPL treatment performed your doctor will administer the IPL with a small hand held wand. This wand contains a glass prism through which the intense light pulse will flash. The wand is place on your skin and… poof! You are on your way to better skin!

You and the doctor will have protective eye wear to prevent damage to the eyes. And there may be a nurse applying an ice roller (looks like a lint roller only it’s made of ice, not tape) to the treated areas to further improve your comfort level and sooth the skin. Some IPL systems have a cooling feature built into them.

An IPL treatment is quick. You will need a series of treatments, usually spaced a month apart and the total number of treatments depends on what you are addressing. Think lunch time procedure. Yes, go right back to work. Or not, play hooky and go shopping or to a movie!

So how do I know how easy this is since I am an Esthetician and not a medical professional? I had it done. Not on my face. Not as an anti-aging treatment. I had an undesirable skin condition. Yuck.

“Skin Care, Anti-Aging and IPL Treatments: Part II: Poikiloderma of Civatte” will cover that.