Intense
Pulsed
Light (IPL)
Rejuvenation

The Scientific Stuff

Ok lets get the scientific stuff out of the way first

Our skin is constantly being attacked by our environment and even if we live in a 'skin friendly' environment there is the added insult of genetics and social habits. These factors can leave our skin looking dull with open pores, congestion, redness, broken capillaries and brown discolouration such as freckling or pigmentation. (Goes to Brown Discolouration & Pigmentation Advice sheet in FAQS) There are also hereditary problems with facial redness, broken facial veins and red dots on the body. Furthermore, 'spider naevi' are little spider like veins on the skin and commonly occur on the neck and chest, occasionally spreading to the face and abdomen. Spider naevi can occur during and after pregnancy.

The Good Stuff

IPL is a light based treatment to rejuvenate the skin and even out colours such as brown and red. An IPL treatment improves the appearance of Rosacea, sun damaged and aged skin, brown age spots & freckling, as well as reducing redness and flushing. The IPL treatment uses specific light parameters to improve the texture, and colour of the skin with very little downtime. IPL utilizes light in a way to restore your whole face gradually and naturally.

IPL treatment addresses a wide variety of skin conditions with minimal downtime afterwards. Here are some of the applications of IPL treatment:

Sun damage to the face, neck, décolletage and hands
Poor Skin texture
Facial redness & broken capillaries
Red dots on the face and body (capillary angiomas and spider naevi)
Freckles on the hands, neck, decolletage, face and limbs
Brown Pigmentation, hyperpigmentation and Melasma (a hormonal pigmentation commonly on the forehead, around the cheeks and eyes and on the chin)
Age spots
Fine lines and wrinkles
Large pores

IPL treatments are often used in association with or in alternate sessions to certain types of Facial Peels, Radiant Facial Infusions, Microdermabrasion and Laser Genesis and Vascular Laser treatments.

What You Need To Know

With the use of advanced fluorescent light, a series of gentle pulses is administered over the entire treated area at intervals of approximately 3-6 weeks for a series of treatments. This special light, which is different from laser treatments, emits light over multiple wavelengths allowing the light to penetrate to all the levels of the skin where the specific defects can be detected. Lasers produce only a single wavelength of light and are limited in depth of penetration and what they can treat. This is the advantage of the use of intense light rather than the single wavelength of a laser. With the use of the intense light, without damaging the skin, the light penetrates through the skin and is absorbed by dilated broken blood vessels and excessive brown pigmentation and freckling.

Current studies indicate 90% of IPL patients have a high degree of overall satisfaction with the results, which are long lasting. After the initial series of 3-5 treatments, maintenance sessions are often needed. Proper caring for the skin will help diminish the likelihood of future treatments. Reports show patients return every six months for a follow-up treatment because they love the way the treatment improves their appearance.

What I Need To Tell You

IPL is not advisable and unsafe for recently sun-tanned skin or in those who may receive excess sun exposure in the immediate weeks following treatment ...More. It should not be performed on patients taking Roaccutane or for six months after stopping Roaccutane. The procedure is not usually performed on patients with active acne cysts, large pustules, or highly active Rosacea.

After IPL, there is usually mild redness lasting less than 24 hours in most people. On rare occasions the redness may last up to three days. Mild bruising is possible when large broken capillaries are treated but usually clears very quickly. Mild swelling of the face for 1-2 days occasionally occurs in severely sun-damaged skin due to reduced quality of connective tissue around the blood vessels. Pigmented areas will darken after the treatment and it will look like pepper has been sprinkled onto the skin. In some cases, this can create quite a visible appearance of 'striping' in severely sun-damaged or pigmented skins. Post treatment increase in pigmentation has been noted on occasion, but it is usually treatable and fortunately very rare. Even rarer is a loss of pigmentation of the skin after treatments. This also clears in time.

There is a minimal amount of discomfort and the treatment feels like a hot elastic band is flicked on the skin. Afterwards, the skin feels hot and slightly stingy like sun-burn.

Acne scarring can be improved by IPL and often an even better result will be gained by combining the IPL with Microdermabrasion and/or Laser Genesis (Respect Your Skin Treatments), which can be done at the same session and/or Facial Peels and Skin Dermal Needling that are done at a separate appointment.

Check if you are not a good candidate for IPL in our FAQs section

To ensure the best results and reduce any possible complications from this treatment it is important that you follow the aftercare instructions given to you by your cosmetic practitioner.