About procedure.
Photorejuvenation is a skin treatment that uses lasers, intense pulsed light, thermal methods, or Photodynamic therapy to treat some skin conditions and remove wrinkles arising from photoaging. The process induces controlled wounds on the skin, prompting it to heal itself by creating new cells. This process reverses the effects of photoaging to a certain extent by removing wrinkles.
IPL- Intense Pulsed Light laser treatments are most commonly used for:
- Lightening and removing “sun spots”, “age spots”, and brown blotches on the face, neck, chest, hands and other areas of the body
- Lightening and reducing redness, rosacea, dilated blood vessels and “broken” blood vessels on the face, neck and chest
- Helping to control flushingIt also has a lesser effect of improving skin texture through collagen stimulation and improves pore size minimally by temporarily reducing oiliness
What is IPL?
IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light. This is a skin rejuventation technology that stimulates new collagen, reduces fine lines, and increases skin elasticity. This is the treatment that helps you remove brown and red spots and any other discoloration cuased by sun damage or broken capillaries. IPL treatment has no downtime and it can help the patient minimize pore size and acne scars, reduce discoloration, smooth rough skin, erase broken capillaries, treat rosacea. IPL may be used to treat other areas than just your face. It is successfully used on neck, chest, back, hands, arms, and legs.
How does it work?
Intense flash of light passes through the top layer of the skin and further penetrates to the deeper layer (collagen level, dermis). New collagen is being formed resulting in a tighter and healthier skin. Typically 4 to 6 treatments are recommended to achieve the best results. Sun exposure should be avoided after IPL treatment.
IPL is the gold standard for photorejuvenation. This FDA-cleared,patented technology provides dramatic results for a variety ofbenign conditions, including age spots, sun-induced reckles,symptoms of rosacea, birthmarks, unsightly veins, acne scarringand other blemishes — even unwanted hair.
Why choose IPL over other treatment options? Laser resurfacingand deep chemical peels often send patients into hiding, as theywait for redness and swelling to subside. Microdermabrasionaddresses skin irregularities, but is not effective against allcomplexion problems including redness, flushing and brokencapillaries. Face lifts and other surgical procedures are far tooinvasive for younger patients and "baby boomers" who simply wantto revitalize their appearance without recovery downtime.
The visible signs of aging cannot be fully avoided, but can bedramatically minimized. The key is to do it as gently as possible. Asfar as the skin is concerned there are two types of aging — intrinsicand extrinsic. Intrinsic aging involves the inevitable; as we growolder, our skin naturally becomes thinner and drier. Diminishedamounts of collagen makes the skin less elastic. What used tobounce back begins to sag. Static, deep wrinkles may beginappearing. The rate of these events is genetically determined foreach person; the process first becomes noticeable between theages of 30 and 35.
Extrinsic aging results from exposure to the environment. Extrinsicaging is the critical element in determining who looks older oryounger than their biological age. Exposure to sunlight is a keycontributor to extrinsic aging. Photoaging occurs when elastin and acollagen breakdown are not replaced, causing fine lines andwrinkles to intensify. Photoaging also causes pigment changes withdevelopment of age spots (sun-induced freckles) and uneven skintone. Spider veins and dilated capillaries are another sign ofphotoaged skin.
Lifestyle choices also have an impact on extrinsic aging. Cigarettesmoking contributes to the breakdown of elastin and collagen andimpairs the body's healing capacity.
The details.
Intense Pulsed Light is a treatment that uses light to absorb melanin (the dark pigment in your hair and skin) and haemoglobin (the red colour in your blood vessels). This light converts to heat, which damages the target cells without disrupting the skins surface. This is used as a non-invasive treatment for unwanted hair and many skin conditions.
What can IPL treat?
- Flat, benign pigmented lesions (freckles, sunspots and general pigmentation)
- Facial vascular lesions (spider veins, red spots and broken capillaries)
- Diffuse redness, rosacea and red scarring
- Poikiloderma (redness, pigmentation and a spotty look to the neck and/or décolletage)
- Unwanted dark facial and body hair
- Uneven skin colouring
SundamageContraindications (reasons why IPL may not be suitable for you).
- Recent sunburn
- Unprotected sun exposure or solarium use 4 weeks prior to treatment
- Pregnancy
- History of seizures
- Severe dermatitis or eczema (within the treatment area)
- Active infections
- Roaccutane use in the last 6 months
- Herpes 1 or 2 (within the treatment area)
- Very dark skin
- Removing hair by the root e.g. waxing or tweezing 4 weeks prior to treatment (hair removal only)
- Photo sensitising medications are best avoided
Potential complications.
Unfortunately, there are some potential complications with IPL treatments. At Academy Facial Plastics we perform test spots within 3 days of your actual treatment, to allow an accurate evaluation of the skins response. This significantly reduces potential complications, which include:
- Prolonged redness and swelling lasting up to 4 days may occur
- Darker patches of pigment on the skin may occur a couple of weeks after treatment
- This can last from 2 weeks up to 1 year
- However there is a special cream we can use to reduce the pigment
- You are more at risk of this occurring if you have a darker skin type (this is not the immediate darkening of pigment we expect when treating pigmentation)
- Whiter patches on the skin can occur
- This can last 2 weeks up to 1 year though also has the potential to be permanent
- You are more at risk of this occurring if you have a darker skin type
- Blistering rarely occurs and will usually settle within 2 hours with application of ice. If you do get a blister, it is important that you don't pick it as it may leave a scar
How will my skin react after the ipl treatment?
- Most patients will experience a sunburn like sensation that lasts 2 to 5 hours and is often associated with mild to moderate redness. The treated area is generally sensitive to heat for 2 days following treatment.
- After hair removal the skin may appear spotty, this is inflammation caused from the heat absorbed in the hair follicle and can last 2 to 24 hours.
- After treatment of pigmented lesions the lesion will go darker sometimes almost black, then will fall off within 7 to 28 days (depending on the area of the body) or it will just gradually fade.
- After treatment of vascular lesions they will either disappear immediately or appear grey or purplish in colour. Diffuse redness immediately appears a lot redder then gradually lightens within 2-3 weeks. Vascular treatments generally require 3 weekly treatments for best results.
Pre and post treatment recommendations.
Pre treatment.
- Discontinue sun exposure 4 weeks prior to your treatment.
- Do not use fake tan 1-2 weeks prior to your treatment.
- Use an SPF 30 daily.
- If having IPL hair removal, do not wax, tweeze or pluck the hair for 4 weeks prior to your treatment.
- Shaving or depilatory creams are fine and you will need to shave the treatment site before your IPL session.
- If you have a history of herpes close to the area being treated, it is recommended that you take antiviral medication before the treatment. (This will be available from the chemist).
Post treatment.
- A sunburn-like sensation is expected for about 2-5 hours after the treatment. If this is uncomfortable apply cold compresses or ice to the treated area.
- Your skin maybe temperature sensitive for the following 2 days, so do not use very hot water or your shower or bath.
- Please protect you skin from the sun!. Do not exfoliate the skin for 1 week after the treatment.
- Your skin may be more sensitive to certain skin care products so please use the products provided to you.
- Do not pick blisters or skin crusting as this may lead to a scar!
If you have any questions or concerns, please call the practice.
Is your skin suitable for ipl treatment?
In order to select the correct skin type for IPL treatment, the table below is used to classify skin according to its melanin (pigment) content and the skins reaction to the sun. The lighter the skin type, the more suitable it is for IPL treatment.
| SkinType | Classification | Colour | Indication for IPL |
|---|---|---|---|
| l | Always burns easily and never tans | White | Best skin for IPL treatment |
| ll | Burns easily and tans minimally | White | Good skin for IPL treatment |
| lll | Sometimes burns and tans gradually | White | Good skin for IPL treatment |
| lV | Burns minimally and always tans | Moderate | Acceptable skin for IPL treatment |
| V+ | Rarely burns, naturally dark skin | Dark Brown + | Not recommended for IPL treatment |
Photo-rejuvenation information.
Treatment of benign pigmented lesions generally requires 1-3 treatments performed approximately every 7-28 days or once all the darkened cells have sloughed off. A 70-90% reduction of pigmentation can be expected. Recommended skin care and strict sun protection help to maintain the results for much longer. Visible improvements are seen with each treatment.
| Region | Time Between Sessions |
|---|---|
| Face | 7-10 days |
| Neck | 2 weeks |
| Décolletage | 2 weeks |
| Arms | 3-4 weeks |
| Hands | 3-4 weeks |
| Back | 3-4 weeks |
Vascular lesions or diffuse redness generally requires 3-4 treatments at weekly intervals to achieve the best results. This is so we can progressively destroy the vessels without damaging the surrounding skin. Best results are seen 3 weeks after the last treatment.Photo-rejuvenation treatments will also stimulate the production of collagen. Many patients find that their skin feels firmer, smoother and looks clearer after a course of treatments.
IPL Photo Rejuvenation FAQs.
- Burns: Blisters and burns are rare but occasionally occur. Very rarely, burns may become infected.
- Scarring: Objectionable scarring is very rare, but scars are possible.
- Pigmentation: Pigmentary changes may occur - either darker or lighter than your natural skin color. They usually resolve spontaneously but may take several months to resolve.
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