Effective IPL treatment
IPL (intense pulsed light) treatment is also known as a photofacial (when applied to the face) or photorejuvenation. It is often considered to be a laser treatment, but technically, it is not. IPL treatment uses rapid pulses of very intense light to treat skin with sun damage, brown or age spots, or excessive redness. At Althea Medspa, we use the FDA cleared Alma Harmony XL device. Depending on your need, we will use a 540 nanometer handpiece for brown spots, or a 570 nanometer handpiece for redness, or both.
Sunspots treated with IPL treatment can take 1 – 2 weeks to resolve, and in some cases even three weeks. When IPL treatment is used to treat pigmented sun spots on your skin, at first they will turn slightly darker. Sometimes these pigmented spots turn into black specks of dead skin that look like coffee grounds. Gradually, over the next week to two weeks, these pigments will slough off and disappear.
The procedure itself is often described as feeling like a rubber band being popped on the skin. For some people, it feels like a sting, or feels like the sensation of a burn, but the sensation dissipates after a few seconds and does not linger.
At Althea Medspa, we follow strict protocols before and after treatment for safety reasons. It is sometimes necessary to pre-treat the skin with a good bleaching cream when treating pigments. Avoiding the sun is a must and use of a physical sunscreen with minimum SPF 30 is required.
In general, IPL treatment works, but once pigments are deep and multi-layered, as in the case of melasma, other types of treatments might be required. Results vary with individuals, however, it usually takes four to six treatments to bring the skin back to its full potential. Since redness has a much deeper source than brown spots, we always recommend six treatments for facial redness. At Althea Medspa, we also recommend IPL touch-ups every 6 – 12 months to maintain the clear and even toned result obtained.
Call us today to set up an appointment to remove your brown spots or your skin redness. We have everything you need including effective bleaching cream and protective physical sunscreen from SPF 30 to SPF 50.
View our January 2016 offer for this service here: January 2016 IPL offer