Are you looking for a laser treatment that can help you get rid of those pesky brown spots? We’re here to tell you that the answer is yes. It’s not just a dream—IPL lasers are real and they can help you achieve the clear, even skin tone you’ve been waiting for.
But before we get into what an IPL is and how it works, let’s talk about your skin in general. Brown spots are caused by sun damage and other environmental factors, like pollution or smoke. They don’t just appear overnight—they build up over time from repeated exposure. If you’ve spent most of your life in sunny climates or around other sources of UV light, then you’re probably familiar with sun damage and its effects on your appearance. But don’t worry! There’s hope for a brighter future ahead (and we mean that literally).
You may find it hard to access the right information on the internet, so we are here to help you in the following article, providing the best and updated information on Ipl laser for brown spots, ipl for acne scars at home. Read on to learn more. We at cosmeticsurgerytips have all the information that you need about how many ipl treatments for acne scars. Read on to learn more.
Ipl laser for brown spots
So you’re ready foryour first IPL treatment. By now your dermatologist or aesthetician should have explained the procedure and the potential for results. Then come the questions.
The first question on the minds of many people who pursue IPL or photofacial therapy is frequently, “How soon will I see results?” Or, to put it another way, “How long does it take for these brown spots to fade away!?”
Let’s look at some different scenarios to provide the best possible answer to that question as it applies to different skin conditions.
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.
Getting the Best Photofacial Treatment
You don’t have to look far for excellent dermatology services – including IPL therapy and other cosmetic treatments. Best of all, now there’s no waiting.
In many parts of New York and throughout the country, patients often wait weeks before they can see a board-certified dermatologist and receive a diagnosis, much less actual treatment.
That’s no longer necessary.
At Walk-in Dermatology, patients can see a board-certified dermatologist who will evaluate your skin and answer all your questions. If photofacial therapy seems like the right solution for your skin condition, we will work with you to set up IPL treatments convenient for your schedule.
No more waiting days or even weeks to receive IPL treatments. If you desire a proven, non-surgical way to revitalize your appearance and treat sun damage, wrinkles and fine lines, rosacea, enlarged pores, scars and much more, Walk-in Dermatology is here to serve you. We are open and ready to help you regain healthy skin that positively glows with a youthful look.
Ipl for acne scars at home
Acneis among the most common skincare concerns for people of all ages. Acne typically begins in adolescence, but for many people acne or the scarring it leaves behind can last well into adulthood. While there are many great acne treatments including prescription medication like Isotretinoin (formerly referred to asAccutane), laser therapy, chemical peels, and dermabrasion, Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL) is a highly effective treatment for both acne and acne scarring.
IPL is non-surgical, nearly painless, and requires no downtime (recovery time). Even better, IPL treatments can address a variety of different acne-related concerns simultaneously.Here’s how IPL photofacials can help you stop future breakouts and minimize the appearance of acne scarring.
ABOUT INTENSE PULSED LIGHT (IPL) FACIALS
There are two primary types ofphotofacials, Light-Emitting Diode (LED) and Intense Pulsed Light (IPL). Intense Pulsed Light is the stronger of the two and treats skin with a laser technology that sends quick pulses of scattered light to the treatment area.
This scattered light is what makes IPL a unique form of laser therapy. Traditional laser therapy operates at just a single wavelength, sending a focused laser to a specific area. IPL operates at several wavelengths simultaneously, making it a preferred method for treating a range of skin concerns at once includingrosacea,hyperpigmentation, and broken capillaries. Most important for acne sufferers, the scattered light from IPL can simultaneously address acne, redness and scarring.
HOW IPL WORKS
IPL’s varying wavelengths of light contact the treatment area where they are converted to heat. This heat not only targets and kills acne-causing bacteria, but triggers an immune response that tells the body to build more collagen, repairing acne scars. Changes take place at the deeper levels of skin, leaving skin’s outermost layer undamaged.
WHY IPL IS A GREAT TREATMENT FOR ACNE
Many cosmetic lasers are finely tuned to a single frequency, making them suitable for treating just one issue at a time. For example, the laser that treats discoloration isn’t the same laser that can treat acne scarring.
Intense Pulsed Light, on the other hand, uses broad-spectrum light which is capable of treating several issues at once. This is ideal for acne treatment, which involves addressing inflammation, redness and discoloration, scarring and skin smoothness.
IPL photofacial wavelengths (also known as filters) each address a specific area of concern:
- Blue light at 420 nm neutralizes acne-causing bacteria
- Yellow light at 560 nm calms swollen cysts and lesions
- Red light at 590 nm decreases oil production
The short, quick pulses of IPL make it a relatively comfortable and painless treatment. Minimal damage to the top layer of skin means no downtime is required. For patients with low tolerance for oral antibiotics, IPL is a safe and effective alternative for acne treatment.
IPL FOR ACNE SCARS
IPL Photofacials are also a great choice for minimizing the appearance of nearly all forms ofacne scarring. IPL treatments can be used to create a controlled version of the body’s natural scarring response. This effectively triggers a healing response that removes the existing (excess) collagen that gives scars their raised and/or discolored appearance. IPL also provides a means of physical exfoliation that produces new, smooth, and scar-free skin along the treatment area. This effect is very similar to other exfoliating-focused treatments likemicrodermabrasionorchemical peels. However, IPL causes far less discomfort during treatment and does not require any recovery time that is inherent to those harsher options.
IPL is great for acne scars because it can address multiple issues simultaneously. For example, IPL can address both the discoloration (both hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation) and scar tissue related to pitted acne scars.
WHAT IS IPL TREATMENT LIKE?
Intense Pulsed Light therapy treatment begins with the application of a cooling gel to protect the top layer of skin in the area being treated. The IPL device is then pressed against the skin as quick pulses of light are emitted. As your provider slowly moves the device across the treatment area, the flashes of light continue. After treatment, a post-treatment skincare product is applied to reduce redness and speed healing.
Does IPL Hurt?
IPL is a minimally painless treatment; most patients describe the sensation as similar to a quick pin prick.It is less painful than other treatments like chemical peels or microdermabrasion.
How Long Does A Treatment Take?
An IPL photofacial treatment takes anywhere from 15-60 minutes, depending on the size of the area to be treated.
How Many Treatments are Required?
Improvements may be visible after the very first treatment, but best results typically require multiple IPL sessions. A total of 4-6 sessions are recommended, each scheduled two weeks apart.
How Much Downtime is Needed?
Downtime after an IPL photofacial is minimal. You might feel like you have a slight sunburn, a feeling that goes away after 4-6 hours. Some peeling may occur within the first week, a sign that your skin is repairing itself.
IS IPL TREATMENT FOR ME?
Intense Pulsed Light Therapy can be a great alternative to other harsher methods of acne treatment like oral antibiotics (like Accutane), dermabrasion, or chemical peels. IPL photofacials are non-invasive, near painless and require no downtime. However, they are powerful enough to address both currently occurring acne breakouts and moderate to severe acne scarring. See your dermatologist to find out if IPL is right for you!
How many ipl treatments for acne scars
Understanding IPL
Now there’s a new alternative to treating acne scarring: Intense Pulsed Light (IPL), which involves a series of short pulses of light. This light then targets the affected skin cells and thereby lessens the appearance of acne scars. It truly is a dermatological breakthrough, and one that our NYC office performs on patients regularly. Not only does IPL help our New York patients in terms of the discoloration associated with acne, but overall, the complexion has a refreshed look following treatment.
Intense Pulsed Light: The New Acne Scar Treatment
When you’re plagued by acne scarring, you often feel less confident. You may notice red and/or brown marks on your skin, and this can certainly diminish how you feel about your complexion. When treated using IPL at our NYC dermatology office, you will notice a difference. Sometimes referred to as a photofacial, IPL is non-invasive and gentle on your skin. The look of your acne scarring will be significantly reduced.
IPL Treatments: The Process
Our New York dermatologists and providers are well-trained in IPL technology. First, they will apply a gel. This is then followed by the actual IPL treatment utilizing intense pulses of light. The visit generally lasts about fifteen minutes, and most patients require anywhere from 3-5 sessions. Often, we will treat patients using IPL in conjunction with other types of acne scar protocols.
Are IPL Treatments Used for Anything Else?
IPL treatments have also been successful as far as treating the actual acne outbreaks. We’ve had a number of NYC patients come in in order to address their acne related concerns. The IPL light can kill the bacteria that causes acne to begin with. We’ve also used photofacials to address such issues as sun spots and rosacea. The IPL treatments have become incredibly popular because they are so gentle while still highly effective in terms of smoothing out the overall skin tone.
After an IPL Treatment
There may be some slight redness following your IPL treatment; however, there really is no downtime at all. And as the treatment only lasts fifteen minutes, many even opt to have it done on their lunch break and return immediately to their normal activities afterward. We always recommend sunscreen after treatment.