Spending time in the sun has its advantages. You get to be outdoors, enjoying the fresh air and hopefully participating in an enjoyable activity. Your body will also get the Vitamin D it needs from spending time in the sunshine.
But a side effect of spending time in the sun is damage to your skin. Over the years, your skin may develop discolorations or brownish spots that make you look old and tired. These are the result of sun damage. While sunscreen goes a long way to prevent skin discoloration, it won’t entirely eliminate these imperfections.
What is IPL?
Topical creams and treatments claim to reverse damage caused by the sun, but in most cases, you’ll have to go deeper to eliminate the appearance of sunspots.
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is one of the best ways to erase blotchy brown spots. Also known as a “photofacial,” the treatment selectively targets and destroys melanin in your skin, leaving the skin itself unharmed. It’s safe, effective, and virtually painless.
IPL treats a variety of skin conditions instead of focusing on just one problem area, as is the case with some lasers. The goal of the treatment is to make your skin more evenly colored and decrease the appearance of brown and red areas.
How does IPL Work?
An IPL machine delivers a broad range of colors of light simultaneously, therefore treating multiple skin conditions over a larger area. Filters are used to selectively deliver various wavelengths of light to specific problem areas.
To conduct the treatment, the IPL laser handpiece is moved over the treatment site. In this manner, it treats the whole area, not just a couple of spots. IPL treatments work great on the face, as well as the chest, neck, arms and legs.
Will there be downtime?
No. Treatments are completed in less than 30 minutes in our office. Afterward, your skin will be a little red for a few hours, and it may feel similar to a mild sunburn. No anesthesia is required, and no needles are involved at all.
Are results immediate?
You won’t see results immediately after treatment. In fact, it usually takes a series of IPL treatments over the course of a few months to get best results. Several days after the first treatment, you’ll notice the sun damaged areas will become darker, then start to fade and flake. This scenario will repeat after each treatment until the sun spots significantly fade away.
IPL treatments are the best way to remove sun damage on your face. Since these treatments are non-invasive and result in no downtime, they offer a great way to refresh your appearance and erase years from your face.
To learn more about IPL, please schedule a complimentary consultation today. We’ll be happy to tell you more about the benefits of the treatment.
