Some skin concerns are more difficult to treat than others. While you can easily moisturize your skin at home, most of your skincare products won’t be powerful enough to correct pigment concerns, skin laxity, or other more complex skin conditions. Fortunately, the aesthetic experts at Beach Cities Vein & Laser Center in El Segundo, CA know that an IPL Photofacial can be a hugely beneficial treatment to easily correct your skin concerns.
What Does an IPL Photofacial Provide
IPL or intense pulsed light treatments are aesthetic therapies designed to address a variety of superficial skin concerns. IPL Photofacial treatments work by utilizing the power of different light wavelengths to trigger different functions in your skin cells – most notably, the skin’s self-healing and rejuvenating properties. IPL treatments are most commonly used on the face, but this treatment can also be used on the neck, chest, hands, and other areas.
So, what can an IPL treatment correct? In general, although the light energy used for this treatment system is powerful, a Photofacial is only appropriate for certain superficial skin concerns. Less powerful than a laser but more powerful than simple LED light treatments, a Photofacial can address a wide range of mild, moderate, and sometimes severe superficial concerns, including:
Pigmented Skin Lesions
Pigmented skin lesions are any skin condition that is characterized by a patch of skin that is darker than the surrounding skin. Many conditions fall under the umbrella of a pigmented skin lesion, including melasma, age spots, sun damage, freckles, blemishes, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation associated with acne.
Pigmented skin lesions can be difficult to treat because they are caused by hormones, UV rays, or inflammation of the skin that causes the color of the skin cells the change. While some pigmented skin lesions, like post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, can fade over several weeks or months, some conditions will not fade at all – and left untreated, these conditions may even become worse with time.
Vascular Lesions
Vascular lesions refer to conditions like rosacea, angiomas, and spider veins or broken capillaries on the face. Vascular lesions on the face or other areas of the body can be caused by a variety of different factors, including sun damage, your immune system, or even medications you may be taking. Most vascular lesions are not associated with medical conditions, but a condition like rosacea does need to be managed in the early stages to prevent condition progression.
Hair Reduction
Photofacials are also commonly used for hair reduction. The light energy used by this treatment converts to thermal energy when light travels down the hair shaft; when the follicle is shocked by heat, it causes hair to shed early because of damage to the follicle. Over time, hair will grow slower and thinner, which reduces the need for other hair removal treatments. IPL treatments for hair reduction can be used on the face as well as the body.
Skin Laxity
Finally, photofacials are good early treatments to reduce the appearance of fine lines and skin laxity. Both skin laxity and lines on the skin are caused by less collagen production in the skin, which makes the skin appear thinner over time. A Photofacial triggers collagen stimulation deep in the sub-dermal layers of the skin to increase the firmness of the skin and visibly reduce fine lines.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
Candidates for an IPL Photofacial include anyone who has a superficial skin concern that they would like to correct. People of any age, skin type, and most skin tones are qualified for this treatment. Because this treatment encourages your body’s natural regenerative response, most people make good candidates.
A consultation is the best way to determine if you are an ideal match for this treatment. During your consultation, one of our aesthetic experts will examine your skin condition and ask about your aesthetic concerns. Relevant medical information, such as whether or not you are pregnant and medications you may be taking, will also be collected to determine your eligibility.
How Many Treatments Will You Need?
Most people will need an initial round of at least three to six treatments to achieve optimal results with this light therapy. The number of treatments required for your optimal results will depend on the condition of your skin, your skin type, and how well you are responding to the treatment.
Most treatments are spaced three to four weeks apart to allow for adequate cellular turnover and skin healing between appointments. After your final treatment, you may require additional treatments to achieve optimal results, particularly for stubborn pigmented lesions.
How Soon Will You See Results?
Most people will start to see the results of this treatment about one week after their first appointment. Your results will continue to improve with each successive treatment and you will see gradual improvements in your superficial skin concerns. Most people will see the final results of their treatment about two weeks to six months after their final appointment.
How Long Do Results Last?
The results of your round of treatments will last for about six to 12 months at a time. In general, the longevity of your results will depend on the skin concern being treated. For concerns like vascular lesions, you may have results that last longer than one year, yet for concerns like pigmented lesions, your results may only last for six months. Our aesthetic experts can give you a better idea of how long you should expect your results to last.
How Can You Maintain Results?
The best way to maintain the results of an IPL treatment is to keep up with touch-up appointments. Most people have annual appointments once a year to maintain their desired results. Of course, if your concerns are persistent, a touch-up appointment twice a year may be recommended.
Benefits of IPL Photofacial
Photofacials are the new trend in aesthetic treatments for good reason. These highly effective treatments can treat a wide range of superficial skin concerns by promoting the body’s rejuvenating response. Because your skin cells will respond to different light wavelengths, it’s easy to customize this treatment to ensure that each of your aesthetic concerns is addressed. Some other benefits of this treatment include:
Non-Invasive and Non-Ablative
IPL treatments are both non-invasive and non-ablative. Non-invasive treatments are preferred options for many people who want to involve painful or prolonged recovery times associated with plastic surgery or other invasive treatments. Furthermore, non-ablative treatments mean that the light energy will not harm the surface of the skin, which is ideal for those who have sensitive skin.
Fast Recovery
Although this light-based treatment is powerful, it’s also incredibly gentle on the skin. Most patients find this treatment well-tolerated, particularly because there are not many restrictions after the treatment is complete. Because the skin surface is unharmed, most of your restrictions will only need to be followed for 12 to 24 hours. Some restrictions may include:
- No make-up
- No scrubbing
- No hot water
- No exfoliation
- No sun exposure
Compatible for Many
The final benefit of this treatment is how highly compatible it is. Most people can safely use this treatment without triggering any pigment concern because the treatment is customizable for your skin type, skin tone, and skin concern. The vast majority of patients who use this treatment won’t need to be concerned about hyperpigmentation after the treatment.
Correct Your Skin Concerns With IPL Photofacial Treatments
Whether you have sun damage, dark spots, or rosacea that you want to erase, it can be challenging to treat these superficial skin concerns. However, with the right treatment, you can easily overcome these aesthetic challenges. Intense pulsed light treatments can be used to reduce the appearance of many superficial skin concerns in only a few short, comfortable treatments. Please contact Beach Cities Vein & Laser Center in El Segundo, CA to schedule your consultation today.