Intense Pulsed Light Skin
PhotoRejuvenation
We
all hate the aging process; all those brown spots, or maybe
even those little red lines on your cheeks. These things
start to pop up with age, and of course for a lot of us from
lifestyle choices such as too much sun exposure. Let me
introduce Intense Pulsed Light (IPL). IPL Skin
Photorejuvenation, as seen on the T.V show “Extreme
Makeover”, is a non-invasive skin treatment that works to
treat and correct a variety of skin conditions, such as
freckles, Rosacea, wrinkles, broken capillaries, dark spots,
blotchy skin color, redness of the face and neck, enlarged
pore size and uneven pigmentation. All of these skin
conditions can be corrected with little or no “downtime” and
with very minimal discomfort. The light is absorbed by
any pigmented lesion, brown, black, blue or red, and
converted to heat which destroys the cells which make up the
lesion. These damaged cells are then absorbed by the
body or flake off.
The number of treatments depends on an
individual’s skin condition and the severity of the problem.
Clients with a lot of "target" may require more treatments
for satisfactory resolution. A series of 2-3 treatment sessions every
3-4 weeks is the usual protocol. Pigmentation Issues
must be followed by a maintenance program of Sun Protection
and permanent use of Bleaching Agents to get optimal
results.
The Face is Covered with a layer
of Very Cold Gel, the eyes are protected from the light
and the IPL Settings are made. The Initial settings and the
first treatment are generally on the low side until we have
a better feeling of how your skin will respond
Some Test
Pulses are given as the IPL device flashes the skin.
There is mild discomfort as if a rubber band had been popped
against the skin. We look to achieve a slightly red
appearance from the test pulses, if there is no redness we
increase the settings a little. At the end of the
procedure, the face should have a slight windburned feeling
with some redness. Pigmented lesions will seem a
little darker and most of them will flake off after 4-5
days. The face should be protected with a good sunscreen
throughout the period of the treatment package.
Complications
are rare and might include bruising and possibly a blister
if the settings are too high.
