Ipl Laser For Sun Damaged Skin

Ipl Laser For Sun Damaged Skin

The use of intense pulsed light from a laser to treat sun damage is called “ipl laser for sun damaged skin.” Brown spots, wrinkles, and age spots can all be treated with this. Melasma and acne scars are two other skin conditions that can benefit from ipl treatments.

A dermatologist can use a topical anesthetic and an ipl laser to treat sun damaged skin in a single office visit. You may expect the procedure to take around 30 minutes, and the number of sessions required to resolve your issue will vary. An undiluted topical anesthetic is applied to the treatment region, and then a cooling gel is applied on top of it to reduce any discomfort. Afterwards, pulses of light will be applied topically to your skin in order to speed up the body’s natural collagen production and lessen the visibility of fine lines and age spots.

Tattoos, burn scars, unwanted hair, and skin blemishes can all easily removed using lasers. They are effective against wrinkles, stretch marks, and acne scars. Lasers have made it possible to eliminate the danger of infection and scarring associated with tattoo removal. Read on to learn more on ipl brown spots after treatment/sun exposure after ipl.

Ipl Laser For Sun Damaged Skin

No matter how much we love the feel of the sun on our skin, we must acknowledge that the rays that emanate from it can damage our skin. It is, therefore, imperative that you protect yourself from sun-induced skin conditions by not just staying away from direct sunlight, but more so, using a sunscreen.

WHAT IS SUN DAMAGE?

Well, the sun’s heat dries out unprotected skin, and the ultraviolet radiation burns the skin and causes long term changes in its structure. Over time the signs of sun damage start showing. These signs include wrinkles, dryness, flakiness, and hyperpigmentation.

CAN SUN DAMAGE BE TREATED?

Fortunately, according to experts, there are ways to reverse sun damage. While it is not possible to erase all the damage done, there are products you can use and treatments you can undertake to undo some of the effects of sun damage. One such treatment that has proven to be effective is the IPL Skin Rejuvenation.

WHAT IS IPL?

Intensive Pulsed Light (IPL) Skin Rejuvenation applies the power of light to undo visible signs of sun damage and aging. This in-office treatment helps clear pigmentation, sun damage, and age spots that result from prolonged sun exposure. Accordingly, IPL Skin Rejuvenation is not only non-invasive but also non-ablative. For complete facial rejuvenation of sun-damaged skin, you need a series of IPL treatments.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

IPL therapy works on the same principles as laser treatment, in that light is absorbed into particular target cells with colour in the skin. However, IPL treatments are different from laser treatments in that they deliver many wavelengths in each pulse of light. Plus, most IPL systems make use of filters to refine the energy output when treating specific areas, which enables penetration without using excessive energy levels. What advantage does IPL afford you? Most importantly, it requires minimal downtime, and patients are often able to resume their day to day activities immediately after the procedure.

WHO SHOULD TRY IPL?

Fairer skin tones are ideal for this treatment. It works best when there is more contrast between the target colour and the base skin colour. This attribute means dark spots on fair skin will be easier to treat. Regardless, some darker skin types are unsuitable because they have too much melanin to manage safely. With darker skin tones, the skin surrounding the pigmented patches absorbs some of the light during treatment—understandably because there is more pigment in the skin. Subsequently, this may injure the skin or leave it lighter or darker than it was at the beginning.

HOW SHOULD YOU PREPARE FOR YOUR TREATMENT?

For at least four weeks preceding your treatment, you should keep away from direct sunlight and wear a sunscreen of at least SPF 30+ every day. Such an approach will prevent further UV damage. Do not use any fragrances or irritating cosmetic products for three days before your treatment. Plus, you should also visit your clinic for a patch test to ascertain that you are suitable for the procedure.

WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT DURING TREATMENT?

IPL skin treatment can be slightly uncomfortable. But you shouldn’t expect unbearable discomfort during the procedure. Immediately after the treatment, you may experience a sunburn, redness, and temperature sensitivity. The sunburn and redness may persist for a few hours post-treatment, and the temperature sensitivity may last a few days.

HOW SHOULD YOU CARE FOR YOUR SKIN POST-TREATMENT?

After treatment, you must keep out of the sun and wear sunscreen daily. Do not get your skin hot for at least 24 hours post-treatment. What does this mean? No saunas, exercise, hot showers, or steam baths. If you are treating hyperpigmentation, you may also experience a grazed appearance—but do not pick on the grazed skin or exfoliate it until it returns to its normal state. If you have sun-damaged skin and you would like to treat it using an effective non-abrasive procedure, IPL treatment is a good option. It will reverse the signs of sun damage, leaving you looking and feeling younger and refreshed. Book an IPL skin Rejuvenation with our local Brazilian Beauty clinic/salon today for quality service and visible results.

Sun Exposure After Ipl

One of the worst things for your skin after IPL is sun exposure. Your skin is extremely sensitive after a treatment, which means time out in the sun could result in significant and painful sunburn. We recommend covering up and wearing a large-brimmed hat for at least a week after your treatments.

Do you have skin concerns, such as sun damage, age spots, or hyperpigmentation? An IPL treatment may be an excellent solution to boost the appearance and overall health of your skin. It utilizes light-based technology to prompt natural skin rejuvenation with little downtime. The IPL system at Evolve Med Spa in Dallas, TX can be used on a wide range of skin tones and types, making it one of our most popular therapies. During your initial consultation, board-certified physician Dr. Tricia Shimer will assess your skin and determine if an IPL is right for you. To learn about how an IPL works and things to avoid after treatment, we invite you to continue reading.

What is IPL?

An intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy is a nonsurgical skin treatment that uses specific wavelengths of light to target damaged skin cells. The controlled energy encourages the natural regeneration of collagen, which is the protein responsible for keeping the skin youthful and healthy.

What can IPL treat?

An IPL can be used on the face, neck, and hands to treat the following concerns:

• Sun-damaged skin
• Dark patches or brown spots
• Hyperpigmentation
• Freckles
• Acne scars
• Wrinkles

How is IPL performed?

An IPL is an outpatient treatment that is performed on-site at Evolve Med Spa in Dallas, TX. To start, the skin will be cleansed and dried thoroughly. Next, you’ll be given special goggles to protect your eyes. Then, the IPL handpiece will be applied to the treatment area, targeting the deep layers of tissue. Most patients experience little to no discomfort during treatment.

After IPL treatment

Once your session is complete, you’ll be free to go home. Your skin may appear mildly pink and swollen, but this is normal, subsiding in about a day. Over the next 2 – 5 days, the skin will begin to crust and flake. This is the body responding to the treatment as it sheds the irregularities under the skin. Optimal results generally occur after about 2 – 4 weeks.

What things you should avoid after an IPL

It’s crucial to avoid the sun after an IPL treatment as the skin will be very sensitive and vulnerable to sun damage. Dr. Shimer recommends you wear a sunscreen of SPF 30 and a hat to guard the skin against direct sun exposure. You should adhere to these practices for about one week.

Other ways to protect the skin after IPL

To provide the best results possible, Dr. Shimer also recommends that you:

• Apply a nourishing moisturizer to the treated skin twice a day
• Use gentle face cleansers with warm water twice a day to aid in healing
• Avoid hot showers and baths for at least 24 – 48 hours
• Wait 1 – 2 days before wearing makeup
• Do not scratch or pick off flaky skin.

For those of you who saw my skincare routine video, you’ll know I struggle with rosacea. Rosacea is a skin condition that is characterized by frequent flushing or blushing and a generally bright red appearance to the skin on the face. My rosacea is only on my cheeks and chin, and I have had it for as long as I can remember. I struggled with acne as a teenager and it definitely left some scarring, but I have also always had big red patches on my face from the rosacea that get worse with spicy food, sun exposure, exercise and drinking alcohol.

While I have tried different products and creams to calm the redness on my face, it is very persistent. Through my research on rosacea treatments I eventually found IPL which is Intense Pulsed Light photorejuvination- a type of laser therapy. IPL photo rejuvenation can be used to treat sun spots, redness, rosacea, broken capillaries, acne, acne scaring, fine lines and wrinkles.

I found a local clinic here in Halifax called Cresthaven Laser (check out their site here) that does IPL and decided to give it a try. Since I have been open about my struggle with rosacea, I thought I would document my IPL treatment so you can see my experience and see how my skin progresses/if it works for me. So far I have had 2 treatments and have 4 more to go. The treatments are typically 1 to 2 weeks apart so in total mine will run about 6 to 8 weeks total.

Each session only lasts about 15 minutes (with the actual laser part only taking about 5 minutes). Jennalee at Cresthaven Laser does my IPL treatments and she is amazing. I’ll give you an idea of what the procedure is like, and then show you before and after photos of my first two treatments.

First, she removes my makeup and puts a towel-headband around my hair to keep it off my face. Then, she applies a gel (that is similar to the gel used in ultrasounds) to the places where the laser will be used. Then, you get to wear some cotton pads and special eye glasses to protect your eyes from the intense light. After that, she uses the laser on the rosacea-affected areas. I know a lot of people will wonder if it hurts, so I’ll do my best to explain what it feels like. I have a very low pain tolerance generally. I’m terrible with needles and avoid anything that might cause me physical pain. The feeling of the laser is definitely uncomfortable, but it is tolerable. It is described as “snapping elastic against your skin”. The sensation is very quick and localized and only lasts about a second with each pulse.

My face (which gets red even just by putting water on it) always gets really red after the laser. The first time was the worst, with the redness being the brightest and lasting the longest. However, after my second treatment I noticed the redness from the heat and light was significantly reduced and went away faster too. Typically I notice a difference in my skin a few hours after the treatment, after the initial redness from the treatment has subsided.

Here is a before photo of my bare skin before starting IPL photorejuvination. I look a bit funny because I only have makeup around my eyes, but try to ignore that haha.

Here are some photos of during the procedure and then the redness directly afterwards. Spot my cool glasses ;).

This photo directly above is how red my face gets right after the procedure. After this she puts on some soothing balms and also does a little massage that gets the blood flowing. Then she applies a serum and sunscreen. Avoiding sun exposure for the duration of the treatments is essential, so if you go outdoors, make sure to wear sunscreen, a hat and stay in the shade as much as possible.

Here is a photo of 1 hour after the treatment. The redness goes down quite a bit even in that first hour.

And here is a photo of a few hours after the treatment. As you can see, the redness subsided A LOT, especially on my chin and the sides of my cheeks.

It’s been a few months since I finished all my treatments so I wanted to do an update! I made a video all about my experience (and included a before and after photo) so I will link that here for your viewing pleasure.

Recently I did a campaign for Rosacea Awareness Month where I shared a no makeup selfie and encouraged other to do the same. It was only a little bit scary, because I still typically don’t go bare faced on Instagram. But it was also empowering.

My skin is far from blotchy and dark red like it used to be. It’s more of an overall pink flush, with my cheeks sometimes getting red/hot if I have alcohol or spicy food. overall the feeling of my skin is MUCH more even in temperature (instead of my cheeks always feeling SUPER hot). I also notice that when I work out my skin doesn’t feel so hot and irritated, which is amazing. Overall I recommend IPL treatments to anyone who is a candidate for it! It made me much more comfortable in my skin (literally) because the hot and flushed feeling is mostly gone, and it also made wearing makeup MUCH more enjoyable. I even switched to a tinted moisturizer instead of foundation and have been loving it. It allows my natural skin to show through a bit, but still provides a bit of coverage and protection, which makes me more confident in public (see next photo).

Ipl Brown Spots After Treatment

What are the common side effects of IPL? The most common (and expected) side effect is a darkening of the more superficial brown spots of the areas being treating. This darkening of superficial brown spots will flake off after about 7-14 days.

IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light, also known as photorejuvenation. The procedure for using IPL is commonly called a photofacial. Treatments are performed at your dermatologist’s office by a highly trained professional, usually a licensed aesthetician or a dermatologist.

IPL can be a fantastic therapy for erasing mild sun damage, freckles, and getting rid of – or greatly reducing – irregular pigmentation and light brown spots on the face, neck and chest.

Brown spots, also referred to as “lentigines” in medical terminology, will fade over several treatments. Most patients will require 4 to 6, but everyone is different. After that, some people may need occasional maintenance treatments to keep their skin looking young and healthy.

When treating brown spots (also known as hyperpigmentation) or melasma (larger areas of brown discoloration) you may see an immediate darkening of some skin around the treatment area. This is common and nothing to worry about. The temporary darkening occurs if there is brown pigment in the upper layers of your skin. The darkened area typically begins to fade in 7 to 14 days. This is when you’ll also begin to notice that many superficial brown spots around the treated area are becoming lighter, and less noticeable. They won’t vanish with one IPL treatment, but in almost all cases patients will see progress.

Fading of hyperpigmentation depends on the skin area and the type of spots being treated (sun spots, brown spots, dark spots, and age spots).

If the pigment is located deeper in the skin, which is common with melasma, you might not see any initial darkening of excess pigment after your first photofacial. To improve deeper pigment issues and brown spots, a series of treatments spaced apart by about one month each will be needed to produce healthy skin with fewer brown spots and less discoloration. It may not be possible to erase all spots and discoloration, but significantly lighter skin and improvement in overall skin health is common.

Treating melasma is more complex and time consuming because the pigmentation exists in the deeper layers of the skin. Successful treatment depends largely on the skill and experience of the individual performing IPL therapy. This is why you should go to a licensed aesthetician or dermatologist for IPL treatments. The therapy works, but it is only as good as the individual who’s operating the equipment.

With your first and subsequent IPL treatments, improvement is most noticeable starting about a week after each session. 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. This gives your skin time to recover and produce naturally skin-smoothing collagen, which is one of the great advantages of IPL therapy.

The reason you should plan for at least five treatments is because each IPL session builds on the progress of the previous session. Over time, this non-invasive cosmetic procedure builds upon each session to produce clearer, more evenly toned skin. There’s no downtime and discomfort is minimal. These benefits are possible by spreading treatments across a period of months. This gives your skin time to heal between each therapy sessions and helps your dermatologist assess the progress being made with your therapy. Also, IPL therapy is designed to treat one skin layer at a time. Pigment discoloration can exist at different depths in your skin. Follow-up sessions enable us to treat these deeper layers of your skin to produce the best results.

You will play a vital role in your own treatment. By following your aesthetician’s or dermatologist’s advice and taking sensible precautions, you can maximize the success of IPL therapy.

Perhaps the single most important thing you can do is stay out of the sun for at least 2 weeks before and after each treatment. This avoids any adverse reaction related to therapy. Here are other guidelines your dermatologist will recommend that you follow to get the best possible results from your IPL treatments.

Speed up healing after IPL therapy:

• Use mild cleansers and moisturizers daily on your skin.
• Apply a sunscreen with a minimum of 30 SPF. This protects your skin from UVB and UVA rays.
• Cleanse your skin twice a day with warm water.
• Perform a microdermabrasion facial 2 to 3 weeks after treatment with IPL. This protects and hydrates your skin while removing dead skin cells.
• Add stem cell serum to your skin regimen to boost collagen repair, and give your skin a smooth and healthy appearance.

What to avoid 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.
• Avoid direct sunlight on the treated area and use a sunscreen with SPF 30 or greater for 4 to 6 weeks after treatment.
• No swimming, especially in pools with chemicals such as chlorine.
• No hot tubbing.
• Avoid activities that cause excessive perspiration.
• Do not pick at or remove any loosening or peeling skin.
• No electrolysis, facial waxing or depilatories (hair removal products) for 14 days after treatment.

And to sweeten the deal, high school brought an onset of hormonal acne (which still lingers) causing hyperpigmentation, scarring, and dark spots.

I eventually came to terms with my redness, masking it with concealer and foundation for years. Then when we started working from home thanks to COVID-19, I opted to forego my everyday foundation — no need for a full face of makeup to sit in my bedroom all day. But after nearly two years of catching glimpses of my bright red face in the Zoom camera, I decided to address it — I couldn’t just wear makeup 24/7 to fix the problem.

But let me start by noting that everyone’s skin varies and reacts differently to treatments. What works for me may not work for you and vice versa. I’ve found after much trial and error, a lot of the hottest products on the market right now don’t do squat for me and my crimson coloring. So I opted to go the deeper route by nixing the topicals and cutting to the chase with professional in-office treatments.

Kate Middleton Matched Her Polka Dotted Gown to a Wide Brimmed Fascinator

What Causes Red Undertones?

According to Saime Demirovic, esthetician and co-founder of Glo Spa in New York City, there’s really a multitude of reasons as to why your skin could have perpetual redness. She cites sun damage, acne, and melasma, a hormonally caused condition of dark patches on the skin, for being the biggest culprits of hyperpigmentation. Redness, on the other hand, comes from lifestyle habits and genetics — go figure.

Considering I’ve had acne since high school, frequently work out, and enjoy social drinking on the weekend, it’s probably mostly to do with my lifestyle and DNA (thanks, mom and dad).

 The One Product or Treatment Dermatologists Recommend for the Most Common Aging-Skin Concerns

My Course of Action

I’ve been using prescription-grade skincare since I was 14-years-old. Some things have helped for a bit and then stopped working, other products just made things worse. That’s why I wanted to go a little deeper than the surface level products I’d been messing around with for years.

Enter IPL and Genesis Laser, two professional-grade light machines designed to produce the glowy skin I’ve been so desperate for.

IPL

Given my skin’s deep redness and blotchy spots, Demirovic initially recommended IPL, which stands for Intense Pulsed Light or often referred to as a photo-facial. It uses light energy to target colors in the skin.

When treating redness, heat from the light expands blood-trapping veins at the surface of your skin, improving circulation and blood flow. If you’re treating brown spots, the laser heats the cells that later separate from the skin and slough off dead cells after a week or two.

“IPL is a great way to even out blotchy skin caused by sun damage rosacea and melasma,” says Demirovic. “It does a wonderful job at targeting excess pigment in our skin.

As for the process, it’s fairly quick and easy, only taking 20 to 30 minutes to complete. That said, it’s not your average, run-of-the-mill facial. While you can get great results from this treatment, don’t expect it to be relaxing. Not to be dramatic, but each “pulse” of light feels like a tiny jolt of electricity. It’s a very quick “zing” that was accompanied with breaks and cooling serums for me, so it’s certainly manageable, but it does come with a warning.

Genesis Laser

Factor in my ongoing struggle with acne and rosacea, I decided I needed a little extra strength to target leftover acne scarring, enlarged pores, and redness from current breakouts. So we supplemented the IPL treatments with Genesis Laser, which “works by heating up the skin which stimulates collagen production,” says Demirovic.

In a similar a manner to IPL, the heat allows your skin’s blood vessels to open up, releasing the redness. But IPL is more attracted to browns and dark reds, while Laser Genesis is focused on treating your skin.

“Laser Genesis is amazing at making pores appear smaller,” she tells me. “The heat also helps reduce the appearance of acne, as well as help speed up the healing of pigmentation or discoloration caused by acne.”