IPL Photofacial

Intense pulsed light therapy, also commonly known as IPL treatment or IPL photofacial, is a cosmetic skin care treatment used to improve the skin's color and texture without surgery. This treatment can undo a significant portion of the visible damage on skin caused by sun exposure. IPL can help remediate the appearance of red, splotchy, or discolored skin and unwanted hair. Other uses can include reducing the appearance of scars, lightening darkened patches of skin, and improving the appearance of spider veins. IPL works similarly to laser therapy, such as our VBeam® Laser, Fraxel®, laser hair removal, and tattoo removal laser treatments.

For more information about IPL photofacial, contact Gainesville Dermatology Aesthetic Center to schedule an appointment with our Gainesville dermatologists.

What Is IPL Treatment?

IPL photofacial is a non-invasive, professional-grade cosmetic procedure that uses high-energy light waves to penetrate the skin at its deepest layers, heating the dermis and encouraging natural collagen production in the body, all with minimal downtime. Collagen is a natural protein found in the body that firms and tightens the skin, making it appear smoother, plumper, clearer and creating a more lifted, youthful appearance. Intense pulsed light treatment is a non-ablative therapy (does not harm or remove the upper layer of the skin) that focuses on penetrating through deeper skin layers to improve the skin's tone, texture, firmness, and overall appearance, for skin that looks as youthful as you feel.

While IPL works in a similar way to laser therapy, IPL delivers multiple wavelengths, meaning it can be used to treat a larger area of skin in a shorter period of time than laser therapy, providing significant improvements to a greater surface area of skin. IPL treatment for pigmentation and various other skin problems can help make your dream skin a visible reality.

How IPL Treatment Works

IPL skin treatment can treat a variety of visible skin problems, including pigmented lesions, vascular lesions (small blood vessels), freckles, rosacea, age spots, fine lines, spider veins, discolored skin, dark spots from hormonal changes, liver or age spots, stretch marks, acne scars, sun damage, birthmarks, varicose veins, unwanted hair, and uneven skin texture, among other skin problems. IPL uses light energy to target a certain color in the skin. Once the skin is sufficiently heated with these rays, the body then rids itself of unwanted cells, which results in the removal of the skin problems being treated. IPL skin treatment can treat various visible skin problems, including the following.

Pigmented Lesions
Vascular Lesions (Small Blood Vessels)
Freckles
Rosacea
Age Spots
Fine Lines
Spider Veins
Discolored Skin
Dark Spots From Hormonal Changes
Liver Or Age Spots
Stretch Marks
Acne Scars
Sun Damage

During treatments, IPL devices send out wavelengths of pulsating light to treat a range of different skin conditions at the same time. Since the IPL light does not harm surrounding, healthy tissue, this treatment has a quicker healing time. Using a handheld device, our skin specialists will target multiple wavelengths onto your skin. This light heats and breaks down skin cells, which is then removed by the body, producing a smoother, clearer appearance.

What Areas Can Be Treated With IPL Photofacial?

Intense pulsed light therapy can be used to treat skin located on a variety of different areas of the body. IPL photofacial treatment can be used on the face and neck to correct skin pigmentation issues, smooth fine lines, and remove visible capillaries and scars, among other skin issues. IPL hair removal may also be used to remove body hair from various body areas.

IPL photofacial is suitable for most patients who have areas of skin with dark spots, age spots, sun damage, and rosacea, as well as wrinkles, red complexion, acne scars, and large pores. This treatment tends to work best on patients with a light-to-medium complexion and those without severe sun damage. For more information about areas of the body we treat, please contact our dermatology office.

Who Should Get IPL Treatment?

IPL treatment for rosacea and other unwanted skin issues performs at its peak on patients with pale, light, or medium skin tones. Talk with your Gainesville dermatologist if you seek to reduce or remove the following skin issues. Your skin health professional can help identify and put together the best treatment plan for your skin's health needs and your cosmetic wishes.

Acne
Age Spots
Birthmarks
Broken Blood Vessels
Brown Spots
Discolored Skin
Fine Wrinkles
Freckles
Liver Spots
Redness From Rosacea
Scars
Spider Viens
Stretch Marks
Unwanted Hair

How To Prepare For IPL Treatment

Prior to your IPL photofacial, your skin care specialist will examine your skin and discuss the procedure with you, including what to expect during your IPL photofacial. During this, inform them of any skin conditions you have or have experienced, particularly those that might affect your healing following IPL treatment, such as inflammatory acne or eczema, among other skin conditions. Your skin care specialist may recommend avoiding certain activities, medications, and other products for 2 weeks or more before your procedure.

In preparation for your treatment, avoid direct sunlight, tanning beds, waxing, chemical peels, collagen injections, drugs that increase your risk of bleeding, and creams or other skin products that contain any type of vitamin A, such as RetinA, retinol, or glycolic acid. Additionally, you should avoid skin irritants such as perfume, makeup, and deodorant. For more information about preparing for treatment, contact Gainesville Dermatology Aesthetic Center.

IPL Face Treatment

Following preparation steps for the procedure, your skin care specialist will first clean the area that's being treated. During your treatment, you will need to wear special dark glasses to protect your eyes Then, they will rub a cool gel onto your skin and apply light pulses from the IPL device onto your skin. These pulses might produce a stinging sensation on your skin (some people liken the sensation to being snapped with a rubber band).

Depending on the area of your face or body being treated and the size of the area, the treatment may take 20–30 minutes or more. To achieve your desired IPL photofacial before and after results, you may require 3–6 treatments, which should be spaced out about a month apart to allow the skin to heal in between sessions. Hair removal generally requires 6–12 treatments.

IPL Photofacial Before & After

New IPL technologies, such as those used at Gainesville Dermatology Aesthetic Center, work well at treating a variety of skin issues, such as fading blood vessels in the skin. When used for hair removal, IPL photofacial works best on thick, dark hair than on fine, light hair. Patients may require several treatments to achieve their desired results.

The number of treatments you require to achieve your desired intense pulsed light results will depend on the severity of the condition for which you seek treatment, the condition of your skin, the size of the treatment area, and a number of additional factors unique to each patient. To determine the number of treatments you will require, please contact us to schedule an appointment.

IPL Recovery

Patients will discuss their procedure and be given specific instructions regarding IPL photofacial aftercare during their pre-treatment appointment with our skin care specialists. Many patients experience a mild degree of redness or swelling following their procedure, which may take a day or two to fade. In rare cases, patients experience bruising, blistering, changes in skin color, and infection. Because IPL treatment is non-invasive and does not affect the primary layer of skin, most patients heal quickly and are able to go right back to their regular activities following their IPL facial.

The treated areas of skin will be red and sensitive for a number of hours, as if they got a sunburn. The skin may also be slightly swollen. The skin will continue to be sensitive for a number of days after the procedure. Patients may need to avoid using hot water on their skin until after they heal. During the recovery period, patients should avoid using makeup or lotion on the treated areas for at least 24 hours after their procedure or until all of the swelling has dissipated. After this time, patients should keep the treated areas sufficiently moisturized and protected, as instructed by their skin care professional.

IPL Treatment Side Effects

While these treatments are non-invasive, you may not be eligible if you are pregnant, have certain conditions, or take certain medications for other conditions. Additionally, IPL is not a good idea if you are sensitive to light, have recently tanned your skin, might have skin cancer, use a retinoid cream, are very dark-skinned, have a skin resurfacing disorder, have severe scarring, or you have keloid scar tissue.

This treatment is safe when performed by a trained technician, such as those with our dermatology clinic. However, there are a number of potential IPL photofacial side effects to be aware of. Your skin may scar, hurt, swell, bleed, become infected, change color, become crusty, or blister. Contact your dermatologist if you experience symptoms following treatment or if your symptoms become worse.