- Eye damage. Some users have reported eye damage from IPL treatment because they were treating the face area. The damage lasted for years after the treatment.
- Blistering and Burns. Blistering can occur if the light flashes cause the skin to overheat, which in turn poses the risk of infection.
- Hair Growth. You may experience excessive hair growth after laser hair treatment. Ideally, the goal is to remove hair, but in some situations you may actually experience the opposite.
- Scarring. It is known that laser hair removal and treatment can cause long term scarring. Take precautions before laser to help reduce the chance of scars and other skin damage.
- Redness.
- Swelling.
- Light bruising.
- Itching.
- Peeling.
- Scabbing.
What could be the side effects of IPL?
Talk to your dermatologist if you want to lessen or get rid of:
- Acne
- Birthmarks
- Stretch marks
- Liver or age spots
- Broken blood vessels
- Brown spots, also called liver or age spots
- Dark spots from hormonal changes
- Discolored skin
- Fine wrinkles
- Freckles
What is IPL treatment and what are its benefits?
You can use IPL to minimize or remove:
- age spots
- sun damage
- freckles
- birthmarks
- varicose veins
- broken blood vessels on your face
- rosacea
- hair on your face, neck, back, chest, legs, underarms, or bikini line
What are IPL treatments?
Intense Pulsed Light or better known as IPL is a skin treatment that uses lasers, intense pulsed light, or photodynamic therapy to treat skin conditions and remove effects of photoaging such as wrinkles, spots, and textures. The process induces controlled wounds on the skin, prompting it to heal itself by creating new cells.
How long does IPL recovery take?
What to expect after IPL during the healing process: Redness lasts for two to five days. Bruising may last up to two weeks. Darkened age spots or freckles last for three to seven days. Crusting may last up to 10 days. Sunburn and redness persist two to five hours after treatment.
Does IPL have any side effects?
Side effects of IPL are minor and include: Pain during treatment (reduced by contact cooling and if necessary, topical anaesthetic) Skin turning pink and a little sore immediately after the procedure. A sensation of a mild sunburn (redness, peeling, swelling) that may last a few days after treatment.
Does IPL cause damage?
There is very little risk of damaging your skin from IPL treatments, also known as photofacials. A photofacial is a non-invasive treatment that saturates the surface of your skin with light to target problem areas and reverse both signs of damage and aging.
What does IPL do to your body?
Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy, aka photofacial, is a way to improve the color and texture of your skin without surgery. It can undo some of the visible damage caused by sun exposure -- called photoaging. You may notice it mostly on your face, neck, hands, or chest.
How long does it take to recover from IPL treatment?
Healing after an IPL treatment varies with the patient although in most cases takes less than a week and as little as 2 to 3 days. IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light. Dermatologists use this non-surgical therapy to remove blemishes and imperfections in the skin, or in severe cases make them less noticeable.
Can IPL make your skin worse?
IPL does not make the skin worse, actually the skin can look better just after one session. IPL works very well for redness, capillaries, sun spots. If you are suffering from an active Rosacea break-out, IPL is not indicated because of a possible flare up.
Are IPL treatments worth it?
IPL is an excellent option for people who want to address many of the signs of aging with one treatment. You can greatly improve fine lines, sun spots, redness, and dull skin, all with the power of light.
What should I not do after IPL?
IPL Aftercare TipsDon't take hot showers, hot baths, or bask in a hot tub for a minimum of 48 hours.Don't exfoliate your skin within the first seven days as it may cause irritation.Don't pick any crusting or blisters.Don't exercise or participate in any strenuous physical activity.More items...•
Does IPL have long term effects?
Intense Pulsed Light is a technology that has been in use since 1996 for hair removal. Over time, no serious side effects or damage from long-term use have been reported.
What should I not do before an IPL treatment?
Avoid smoking at least six weeks before IPL. Stop any medications that may cause excess bleeding. Discontinue antibiotics (if advised by your general physician) Avoid retinoids that cause skin sensitivity.
Are IPL results permanent?
It could be hormones due to pregnancy, menopause or a hormonal condition. We must make clients aware that this is a possibility after their treatment, as no hair removal can be classed as 'permanent'. IPL is semi-permanent and does need maintenance.
When do you see results from IPL?
How quickly does the IPL Photofacial show results? The effects of an IPL Photofacial are gradual, so don't expect to see immediate results. You begin to see a change in your face within a week to 10 days and on the other treated areas of your body within 6-8 weeks.
Does IPL help with wrinkles?
By treating a deeper layer of the skin, IPL stimulates collagen growth and helps improve the skin's texture, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
How long do IPL side effects last?
Some common reactions to using IPL technology include: Luckily, these side effects are typically considered minor, and they usually last between two to five days. If you have these reactions to your IPL treatment, don’t worry!
What is IPL treatment?
If you’re considering Intense Pulsed Light therapy , better known as IPL, you’ll be happy to learn that the benefits of treatment greatly outweigh some of the common side effects.
Why do IPLs work?
This is because it reduces wrinkles and treats blemishes to give the skin a youthful, glowing appearance. If you use IPL repeatedly, it increases the production of a protein in your skin called collagen. Collagen is what makes your skin maintain its youthful appearance and reduces sagging.
Why is IPL so popular?
One of the many reasons IPL is becoming more popular is that it’s effective in reducing the appearance of a variety of skin conditions. These include: Age spots. Rosacea. Sun spots. Stretch marks. Hair removal. Acne scars. IPL is suitable for most people of different skin types and tones.
What is the difference between laser and IPL?
While a laser treatment only focuses one light wavelength on the skin, IPL does the opposite.
How long should I wait to wear makeup after IPL?
Give your skin some rest after you complete an IPL treatment. This means avoiding makeup if you can for at least 12 hours.
Why do people use IPL?
One extremely popular reason people opt for IPL treatment is to remove unwanted hair in a way that’s relatively painless and effective.
What is IPL laser treatment?
IPL Laser Treatment Side Effects. IPL refers to intense pulsed light therapy, a treatment for various skin concerns such as spider veins, freckles, age spots, fine lines, wrinkles, as well as hair removal 3. The treatment consists of high intensity pulses of visible light that are directed into your skin and converted to heat energy, ...
How does IPL work?
The treatment consists of high intensity pulses of visible light that are directed into your skin and converted to heat energy, which subsequently damages the targeted area. IPL differs from traditional laser treatments in that it sends many different wavelengths with each pulse of light, rather than just one.
Can IPL light cause hair growth?
Infections with IPL are rare and happen more when the treatment is used for hair removal. When used for hair removal, the light is aimed at specific spots to try and neutralize hair growth. Sometimes, the heat generated can stimulate a dormant infection. The herpes simplex virus is one example.
Does pulse light therapy hurt?
Even though intense pulse light therapy is considered to be one of the milder treatments for skin problems, you will likely experience some discomfort during the treatment . The treatment stings and compares it to snapping rubber bands on your skin.
Can IPL treatment affect pigmentation?
If the doctor administering the treatment lets too much light get into the any one area, it could alter the pigment of your skin. IPL treatments are non-ablative, meaning they generally leave the outer layers of skin undamaged and penetrate to lower layers.
What is IPL photofacial?
IPL photofacial treatments offer patients in Addison and Sugar Land, TX a fantastic way to treat a wide variety of skin concerns. The IPL procedure, or intense pulsed light technology, uses light energy to help minimize hyperpigmentation, reduce blood flow to broken capillaries, tackle dark spots, and stimulate collagen production.
What happens during this skin rejuvenation treatment?
Limelight IPL laser treatments can treat a broad range of skin concerns and generally take about 45 – 60 minutes. During photofacial therapy sessions, patients must wear protective eyewear.
Are there any IPL photofacial side effects?
After a Limelight IPL laser treatment, the skin will look tighter and brighter in appearance. Slight redness after IPL photofacial sessions and some inflammation is normal. However, this noninvasive procedure requires no downtime. Patients can resume their normal daily activities almost immediately afterward.
Why do IPL treatments work?
Because IPL treatments have a broad wavelength and are able to penetrate the skin at different strengths, they are able to target the three main chromophores at the same time . This is in spite of the fact that hemoglobin, water, and melanin have unique tolerance levels for light.
What is an IPL treatment?
Intense Pulsed Light Treatments (or IPL treatments) are cosmetic procedures that are used to reduce the signs of aging, skin spots as well as unwanted hairs.
How long does it take for a sting to go away after a syringe?
Right after treatment, you may notice that the affected area remains pink or red for about four to eight hours after the treatment. That portion may also sting for a number of hours, around four to six right after the treatment is completed.
How is IPL done?
The IPL treatment is popularly carried out through a handpiece, which is applied to the skin. For better penetration, a water based gel may be applied to enhance contact. In some cases, a topical anaesthetic cream is applied to reduce discomfort.
What is pulsed light treatment?
Broken down very simply, intense pulsed light treatments deliberately target certain portions of the skin and introduce light energy to the affected portion to reduce unwanted features like wrinkles. Going a little deeper, IPL relies on the fact that your skin is able to safely absorb light at certain wavelengths.
Why do dermatologists use IPL?
These procedures are able to target a large surface area without introducing dangerous UV rays to the skin. This is because at a starting point of 500nm, harmful rays which fall under that point are avoided.
How deep can IPL penetrate?
IPL treatments are able to penetrate extensively into your skin. In mathematical terms, they can go anywhere between 500nm to 1200nm deep beneath the skin surface. What’s really unique about this treatment method is that the wavelength is adjustable.
What are the side effects of IPL?
Some users have reported eye damage from IPL treatment because they were treating the face area. The damage lasted for years after the treatment. These users have reported iris transillumination, posterior synechia, and photophobia.
Is strict adherence to the included instructions the most effective means of preventing side effects?
Strict adherence to the included instructions will always be the most effective means of preventing side effects. However, it’s also important to remember the following tips to avoid serious side effects when using the product.
Is laser hair removal safe?
Just like any other cosmetic or medical procedure, using a home-use IPL or laser hair removal device carries some risk of complications and side effects. These effects may vary from person to person and can depend on your skin type and tone.
Can IPL be used on the face?
This is the main reason why at-home IPL and laser devices manufacturers do not advice using it on the face, especially around the eyes. Some at-home IPL devices have facial cap filter so that you can use it on the face safely but not around the eye area. Example of these devices are the Remington iLight Ultra Body and Face and LumaRx So ...
What skin conditions can be treated with IPL?
IPL is a unique treatment option that can be used to treat a wide variety of cosmetic concerns including:
Are IPL treatments painful?
Generally, IPL treatments are not considered painful by most patients. Many compare a typical IPL session to the sensation of being snapped with a rubber band. Ultimately, your response will depend on your pain tolerance. Any discomfort will resolve within a few minutes of treatment.
What are the side effects of IPL treatment?
IPL side effects are generally both minor and temporary. It is possible that you will experience:
Is more than one treatment necessary?
Yes, in most cases you will need more than one treatment to see drastic improvements. Most practitioners recommend between 3 and 5 treatments, though it really depends on the area and type of condition being treated.
What are some of the advantages of IPL verses traditional laser treatment?
One of the key advantages of IPL is that a single type of treatment can treat a wide range of skin conditions, instead of having to undergo several different treatments (e.g., laser skin tightening, laser resurfacing, etc.).
