Treatment FAQ

what is an ipl laser treatment

by Dr. Kenton Hyatt Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy is a type of light therapy used to treat wrinkles, spots, and unwanted body hair. IPL treatments are used to remove age spots, sun damage, freckles, birthmarks, varicose veins, wrinkle treatment and wrinkle reduction, rosacea, and unwanted body hair.

How often is it safe to use IPL laser treatment?

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 -- …

What is IPL treatment and what are its benefits?

Mar 10, 2020 · Intense Pulsed Light is a non-invasive, non-ablative form of laser skin rejuvenation. As one of the first types of laser skin therapy, IPL has become a go-to treatment for countless patients looking to correct a wide array of skin blemishes. These range from rosacea redness to age-related issues such as brown spots and broken blood vessels.

How much does an IPL treatment cost?

Apr 18, 2021 · Both IPL and laser are forms of light treatment that target pigment on the skin or at the hair roots. To remove hair, they target the melanin pigment in the hairs; to treat broken capillaries, they target the haemoglobin in the blood.

What are the side effects of an IPL photofacial treatment?

May 18, 2018 · As it turns out, IPL stands for Intense Pulse Light, and according to Dr. Engelman, it’s a broad range of light—not a laser. The treatment involves a light-based device that can help address the appearance of hyperpigmentation, broken capillaries, and skin redness. Each treatment can be completed in a matter of minutes, but Dr. Engelman explains that you’ll likely …

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What does an IPL laser do?

IPL treatment uses intense wavelengths of light to heat the surface enough to stimulate the skin to naturally regenerate while boosting collagen production. Over time, patients are left with a smoother skin tone, healthier complexion, and less visible sun damage.Jan 8, 2020

How many IPL treatments does it take to see results?

For patients to get the best IPL results, it is generally recommended that patients receive, on average, 4 – 6 treatments scheduled four weeks apart.Feb 5, 2020

Is IPL better than laser?

As laser uses a stronger beam of light, you might think the IPL is safer. However laser only targets the hair follicles and unlike IPL, it doesn't affect the surrounding skin tissue. IPL is not as strong as laser so will need more sessions. This puts your skin under more stress and it will spend more time healing.Jun 12, 2019

How long do IPL laser results last?

You'll see the greatest results after 3 to 6 months if you do a series of IPL treatments spaced out about a month apart for each session. Results can vary from session to session, but the goal is steady progress. We schedule your therapy appointments about a month apart because skin cells turn over every 30 days or so.Jun 2, 2020

Is IPL worth the money?

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.

Is IPL laser painful?

IPL causes little to no pain. Regardless, we will apply numbing cream to the area being treated to provide a pleasant and pain-free experience.

Which is more painful IPL or laser?

IPL is less painful than laser hair removal, but pain levels can be dependant on your body type. Many professional IPL machines have a built in cooling system which actively cools the skin as the machine is operating. This considerably reduces any discomfort felt during the treatment.Jun 21, 2019

Which is better IPL or BBL?

With a range of light waves being used, IPL works to stimulate collagen to reduce visible signs of aging, sun spots, rosacea, and more. BBL specializes in high intensity light to heat up the skin.Apr 6, 2021

Why is IPL not working on my face?

What often happens, is the provider, simply changes the settings on their IPL/Laser to reduce the heat, therefore reducing the chance of burning or scarring, but also making the treatment practically ineffective. Please check with your technician that the machine they are using is actually able to treat darker skins.Feb 13, 2019

How long does it take for IPL to work on face?

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.

What will my face look like after IPL?

Immediately after an IPL photo facial, your skin may look and feel like you have a sunburn. This feeling should go away within a few hours, although some redness may last for a few days. You may see some of your hyperpigmented spots become darker, but only temporarily. They will peel away painlessly within a few weeks.Dec 6, 2021

Can I drink alcohol after IPL?

What not to do after IPL therapy: No hot showers for 48 hours. Avoid taking aspirin, Ibuprofen, consuming alcohol, heavy exertion and activities which may cause flushing for 2 days after treatment. Avoid harsh topical products such as retinols and glycolic acid products for one week after treatment.Jun 2, 2020

What is IPL therapy?

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. IPL may help if you have red, brown, or splotchy skin because ...

How does IPL work?

How IPL Treatment Works. IPL uses light energy to target a certain color in your skin. When the skin is heated, your body gets rid of the unwanted cells, and that gets rid of the thing you’re being treated for. Unlike lasers, an IPL device sends out more than one wavelength of pulsating light.

What is the difference between chemical peels and laser peels?

Chemical peels. This is similar to a microdermabrasion, except it uses chemical solutions applied to your face. Laser resurfacing. This removes the damaged outer layer of the skin to promote growth of collagen and new skin cells. Lasers use only one wavelength of light in a concentrated beam.

How long does it take for a numbing cream to work?

It might feel like someone is snapping a rubber band on you. Your dermatologist can give you numbing cream to put on 30-60 minutes before treatment starts. Continued.

What to expect before IPL?

Before the procedure, don’t: Tan in the sun, in a tanning bed, or with tanning creams for 4 weeks before you go. Wax, or get a chemical peel or collagen shots for 2 weeks before. Wear perfume, makeup, deodorant, or any skin irritants.

How to get rid of sun sensitivity?

Take any medication that will make you sun-sensitive; for example, the antibiotic doxycycline. Once you’re there, a technician or dermatologist will rub gel on your clean skin. You’ll wear dark glasses to protect your eyes. The handheld IPL device will go right on your body.

Is it safe to use IPL?

Risks and Side Effects of IPL Treatment. IPL is safe when done by a trained technician. But the treatment could cause hormonal brown spots to flare up. You could have other unwanted side effects. Your skin could: Scar. Hurt. Swell. Bleed.

How long does it take for IPL to work?

Most patients are recommended to undergo at least three sessions of IPL therapy scheduled at four-week intervals. While the four-week intervals may seem arbitrary, they are in fact specifically timed match the skin’s natural regeneration process. On average, most patients’ skin cells grow and die within a 30-day window.

What is intense pulsed light?

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Treatments: What You Need to Know. Intense Pulsed Light is a non-invasive, non-ablative form of laser skin rejuvenation. As one of the first types of laser skin therapy, IPL has become a go-to treatment for countless patients looking to correct a wide array of skin blemishes. These range from rosacea redness ...

Does IPL help with rosacea?

By targeting these areas of discoloration with intense light energy, IPL helps patients improve overall skin clarity and tone while also reducing the appearance of aging.

What does IPL stand for?

Engelman exactly what an IPL treatment is. As it turns out, IPL stands for Intense Pulse Light, and according to Dr. Engelman, it’s a broad range of light—not a laser....

What does IPL mean in medical terms?

As it turns out, IPL stands for Intense Pulse Light, and according to Dr. Engelman, it’s a broad range of light—not a laser. The treatment involves a light-based device that can help address the appearance of hyperpigmentation, broken capillaries, and skin redness.

What to use after IPL?

Dr. Engelman always recommends that her patients use a topical vitamin C after IPL. She suggests applying five drops every morning to give antioxidant protection against free radicals, which can wreak havoc on skin cells. Dr. Engelman recommends using the SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic, one of her favorite vitamin C serums.

What is an IPL?

IPL, or intense pulsed light, is a versatile treatment that can improve a range of skin conditions. The first IPL device was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1995, to treat dilated blood vessels called telangiectasias. In the decades since, IPL treatments have expanded in scope to address vascular lesions, ...

What is an IPL device?

An IPL device delivers an arc of light energy that penetrates all levels of the skin, without harming the surface, so there’s little to no downtime. The size of the head of the IPL device is usually larger than most laser spot sizes, which allows for the rapid treatment of large areas.

What is IPL treatment?

Intense Pulsed Light, or IPL, is a dry eye treatment that addresses the root cause of most dry eye issues: m eibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). For patients with this condition, the meibomian glands are blocked, damaged, or do not function properly, which results in a decrease in oil production and eventually dry eye symptoms.

How does IPL work?

IPL uses short but powerful bursts of light of a specific wavelength to gently heat the skin around the meibomian glands, which in turn, melts any obstructions present in the glands. With the removal of any obstructions, the glands gain increased oil production that results in healthy tears.

Why is IPL so effective?

Hester says IPL is so effective because it has multiple mechanisms of action, all of which treat the fundamental root cause of dry eye (inflammation), not just the symptoms.

What is dry eye?

Dry eye is a condition in which your eyes cannot produce enough tears or produce poor quality tears. Those poor-quality tears cannot properly lubricate the eyes, and over time, can result in damage to the surface of the eye, discomfort, and poor vision.

When was IPL first used?

Introduced in 1994, IPL was initially used by dermatologists as a skin treatment for the effects of photoaging. “Dr. Rolando Toyos, an ophthalmologist in Memphis, Tenn., ‘accidentally’ discovered the use of IPL for dry eye in 2002 after opening an aesthetics clinic in his practice,” says Ralph B. Hester III, MD, an ophthalmologist at DMEI.

How often do IPL treatments take place?

Treatments are initially completed in a series of four, each spaced about three weeks apart, and follow up treatments are performed every six to 12 months. “The largest benefit of IPL is it treats the root cause of dryness — inflammation,” says Tasha J. Schellenberg, OD, an optometrist at DMEI.

Is dry eye important for cataract surgery?

Treating dry eye and MGD is also vital in the success of cataract surgery. For the modern cataract surgeon, the ability to manage meibomian gland atrophy and dysfunction is absolutely crucial.

What is an IPL facial?

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Photofacial is a laser light treatment that targets pigment issues, such as brown spots, sun damage and red spots, and Rosacea. The bright light passes through the epidermis, drawing out the pigment producing cells and dispersing the uneven pigment. IPL Photofacial can be used on the face, neck, chest, shoulders, back arms, legs and just about anywhere else. Photofacial is also an effective treatment for broken veins and spider veins. According to Stanford Medical University, the long-term effects of Photofacial actually reverse the signs of aging.

How does IPL work?

How Does IPL Photofacial Work? IPL Photofacial is Intense Pulsed Light that emits multiple wavelengths into the skin and effectively targets pigment producing cells below the surface of the skin.

What happens after IPL?

Post IPL Photofacial Treatment. After the treatment, the aesthetician will again clean the skin, removing the gel. You will likely be slightly red and puffy, but there is no significant down time. You are free to reapply make up right away and return to your normal skin care routine.

Can you have makeup without an aesthetician?

Your aesthetician will thoroughly cleanse your skin, so you can either come with or without makeup. After the skin is clean, the aesthetician will apply a cool gel to your skin, which enhances the effect of the light waves. The aesthetician moves the laser over the skin in a grid-like pattern, flashing the light about every centimeter. Depending on your need, the aesthetician may go over the area multiple times.

Can a tan be a Fitzpatrick?

Those with a higher Fitzpatrick score, those with a tan and those with melasma are not good candidates. Because the light rays are attracted to pigment, darker skin tones can actually become discolored and melasma patches can become darker.

What is IPL used for?

IPL uses a broad spectrum of light, which means it can have different uses. It can be used to treat a variety of different skin conditions very successfully. It can also be altered specifically to match different skin and hair types within a treatment type.

What is the difference between IPL and laser hair removal?

The main difference between IPL and laser hair removal devices is the light source used. IPL uses broad-spectrum visible light whereas laser hair removal utilizes the properties of a laser. It is important to understand however how areas of skin which have higher pigment, such as freckles and moles, as well as darker skin generally, ...

How does IPL work?

How IPL Hair Removal Works. IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light and uses a source of broad-spectrum, visible light. This light is specially controlled to remove shorter wavelengths and devised to target specific structures. In hair removal, it is designed to target the melanin pigment in the hairs, while in other uses such as the treatment ...

When was the first IPL used?

The first use of IPL documented in academic literature took place in a study in 1997, where hair loss was found to be a side effect of skin treatment with IPL. This study used an IPL device called Photoderm VL and looked to treat facial port wine stains (birthmarks).

What is the purpose of hair removal?

In hair removal, it is designed to target the melanin pigment in the hairs, while in other uses such as the treatment of spider vein it targets the hemoglobin in the blood. The light energy is absorbed, transferring as heat energy which warms the hair, causing damage to the follicle.

How does laser hair removal work?

How Laser Hair Removal Works. Laser hair removal also uses the ability to heat hairs and damage follicles by blasting them with light energy. However, it is slightly different to IPL in that is utilizes the specific properties that lasers possess.

When was the first laser hair removal device invented?

Laser hair removal, on the other hand, was first developed significantly earlier, in 1960. Initial designs were sadly slow and resulted in burns, but the technology quickly progressed, with the first FDA-cleared laser ...

How does IPL laser work?

In addition, the IPL laser works to stimulate collagen, therefore reducing fine lines and mild acne scarring.

What is laser treatment?

In general, the majority of laser treatments are used to help with treating wrinkles, acne, scars and red marks , however, the variety of services available to choose from can be overwhelming.

What is broadband light treatment?

A broadband light treatment, or BBL, is used to minimize the appearance of freckles, age spots and uneven skin texture and improve skin firmness. High intensity light heats the skin to stimulate new collagen production, helping restore your skin to its natural beauty.

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