Intense Pulsed Light Therapy is an exciting, fairly new procedure that uses intensified light to dramatically reduce or even eliminate a variety of skin imperfections such as age/liver spots, fine wrinkles, facial flushing, rosacea (redness), spider veins or blood vessels on the face, dark circles, freckles, minor sun damage, portwine stains, spider veins, flat birth marks, hypopigmentation, tattoos, varicose veins, and even hair removal.
IPL is most commonly used on the face, neck, hands and/or chest. A relatively simple, noninvasive, in-office procedure, IPL provides the benefits of a medium depth laser or chemical peel or other type of resurfacing/rejuvenation procedure without the blisters, burns and long recovery time. The effects are long-lasting because IPL stimulates the body’s own collagen growth and improves facial wrinkles. It works by emitting high-intensity pulses of light (not lasers) that penetrate the skin, promoting a smoother and more uniform appearance.
It accomplishes a lot in a very short time. If you require more than one treatment, they are usually performed every three to four weeks.
There is no downtime and you may resume your normal activities immediately after an IPL treatment, but you should protect yourself against UV light. Some people may find their skin is slightly pink or red and sometimes mildly swollen directly after treatment, but this generally subsides within a day or two.
The costs of Intense Pulse Light Therapy vary according to the size of the area to be treated and the patient’s individual needs.