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What is Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)?
Intense pulsed light, also known by its acronym in English, IPL, is a lighting technology capable of eliminating the traces left on our skin by the sun, stress, and the passage of time. With its treatment, the hands, neckline, neck, and face skin will look more rejuvenated.
Likewise, IPL allows removing annoying facial hair, whether it is blonde or dark, with the only difference that the latter will need more sessions for its total elimination. As it is a non-aggressive treatment, it is possible to carry out as many sessions as the patient requires.
What does Consist of Intense Pulsed Light?
The treatment should do with clean skin, without makeup, creams, or hair. A cold gel is applied to the patient on the area to treat that protects the thinner layers of the skin while facilitating the transmission of light energy. The specialist and the patient must use eye protectors so that the light beams from the device do not damage their eyesight.
The intense light pulsed through broadband of light acts on:
- Pigmented spots;
- Vanitas;
- Rough skin texture;
- Hair;
- Collagen formation.
The light’s energy allows us to gradually improve the texture and tonality, eliminating enlarged pores, hair, redness, spots, and small wrinkles in the deepest layers of the skin.
The duration will vary depending on the size of the area to treat and can range from 30 minutes to 1 hour. After the session, the patient can put on makeup if they wish and return to their routine.
Regarding the number of sessions, it varies depending on each person and the type of IPL used. Mostly, 4-5 sessions are usually needed every 30-45 days, although this could increase depending on the type of hair or the patient’s needs. Also, some people may need maintenance sessions about 1-2 times a year.
Advantages of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)
Immediate recovery: The patient can resume his regular daily activity as soon as each session finishes.
Global treatment: With IPL, it is possible to treat different signs of skin ageing simultaneously.
Multi-area treatment: The Intense Pulsed Light treatment applies to other parts of the face and the neck, décolleté, or even the hands, all in the same session.
Patient comfort: The patient enjoys maximum comfort at all times. We encourage this comfort with the application of cold gel on the skin.
Treatment compatibility: It is possible to take advantage of IPL treatment in conjunction with other treatments such as facial fillers, autologous growth factors, or botulinum toxin.
Disadvantages of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)
Disadvantages of intense pulsed light:
- It cannot use on dark or tanned skin;
- It does not present guaranteed efficacy on all hair types;
- Does not remove grey hair, blonde hair, or red hair;
- Less accurate than lasers;
- Requires one or two maintenance sessions per year.
- Possible risks;
- Most people knowledge mild redness or swelling after the procedure. This typically disappears within a day or two.
In some cases, you may experience:
- Bruising;
- Blistering;
- Change in skin colour;
- And also, infection.
Treatments of Intense Pulsed Light
The Intense Pulsed Light treatments at IML can aim at acting on different signs of skin ageing, such as the following:
- Broken capillaries;
- Hyperkeratotic pigmented lesions;
- Seborrheic lesions;
- Sunspots;
- Loss of gloss/luminosity;
- More open pore;
- Diffuse redness.
The IPL treatment lasts approximately 20 minutes and takes several sessions. The following procedures address them:
- The objectives on which to actively identify and the team parameterize.
- We apply the cold gel on the skin to better conduct the light and for the patient’s comfort.
- Shots of light are emitted onto the skin in the areas to treat.
- Spots and redness treat first.
- In subsequent sessions, collagen synthesis stimulates. With this, we reduce pore size and firm the skin.
Costs and Insurance of Intense Pulsed Light
- The cost rest on the type of condition you are having treated and the size of the treatment area.
- On regular, IPL costs $700 to $1,200.
- You strength have to pay more for anaesthesia, tests, follow-up visits, or medicines.
- Because IPL considers a cosmetic procedure, most health insurance plans won’t cover the cost.
Pros and Cons of Intense Pulsed Light
Here are the pros and cons of intense pulsed light likened to other cosmetic treatments.
1. Pros
- The treatment works healthy to fade lines and spots and get rid of unwanted hair.
- The sessions are quicker than with other systems.
- The light doesn’t injury the top layers of skin, so you’ll have fewer side effects than with a laser or dermabrasion.
- The recovery is fast.
2. Cons
- You need to reappearance for several treatments to get the consequences you want.
- IPL doesn’t work glowing on dark skin and light hair.
- Discuss all of your choices with your skincare specialist, including the benefits, risks, and costs, to decide whether IPL or another treatment will work best for you.
Results of Intense Pulsed Light
- The results are apparent from the first session. Between 3 and 5 sessions are needed with an interval of at least three weeks.
- Improvements are perceived progressively. First, the spots and redness disappear, and thus the skin recovers a much more uniform tone.
- As the treatment progresses, a general improvement in the quality of the skin notice.
How to Prepare Intense Pulsed Light?
Before your IPL procedure, your skincare specialist will inspect your skin and let you know what to imagine. Let them see if you have any skin conditions that might touch healing after your treatment, such as inflammatory acne or eczema.
Your skin care specialist may indorse that you avoid certain activities, medications, and other products for two weeks before your procedure.
