IPL Photorejuvenation Treatment: What To Expect

On my first day of work at Barris Laser & Skin Care, I was warned that I would soon become the spa’s guinea pig. I figured that as long as it was for the benefit of my skin, I’d try anything once. One of the first treatments I tried was the IPL Photorejuvenation treatment, recommended to me due to the tendency of my skin to get quite red at times. I was a bit nervous because I had never had intense pulsed light flashed on my face before and I was warned it could be a bit uncomfortable. But in the name of an even skin tone, I pushed my fears away and made myself comfortable to experience my first ever IPL treatment. I wanted to now take the time to walk you through it, so you know exactly what to expect when you come in for your IPL treatment:

• First, I was led to the IPL room and told to make myself cozy. A cool gel was applied to my face and eyepads put on my eyes to protect them from the bright pulses of light. My esthetician, then proceeded to place the IPL handle to a small area of my face, starting at my forehead, and pulses of light flashed each time she applied the handle to my skin. The pulses of light had a light sting and felt like the snapping of a small rubber band. It was a bit startling, but not intolerable. Although I chose to do the IPL treatment on my face, note that you can choose to have the treatment done anywhere, including your hands or neck and chest area.
• Once my esthetician was done pulsing the light throughout my face, she switched the handle on the IPL machine to a smaller handle that is able to target specific problem areas at a higher intensity. With this second handle, she hit the broken capillaries around my nose, as well as some brown spots on my cheeks and forehead. The entire process lasted around 45 minutes.
• After the treatment, my esthetician applied sunscreen to my face and I was able to resume all normal activities without any downtime in between. I was also able to put makeup on immediately after the treatment.
• My skin was not red or peeling after the IPL, and I immediately noticed that the broken capillaries around my nose were gone, as were some of the brown spots on my skin. Two days later, my nose started peeling a tiny bit. And within a few days, I noticed that my skin was much more even toned and the redness gone! Although I did not experience this, it is not uncommon for some people to have their skin look a little “muddy” 2-7 days after their IPL treatment- this side effect usually occurs on people with sun damaged skin. We here at Barris Laser & Skin Care like to say that this “muddy” aspect of your skin will go completely unnoticed by your husband, but not by your best friend.

If you decide to do an IPL, you should know the following:

• Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) can safely and effectively treat a wide range of facial concerns, such as: Facial redness and rosacea, broken capillaries; benign brown pigment; sun spots; and uneven skin tones.