What Is Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Treatment?
IPL stands for intense pulsed light. It’s a type of light therapy used to treat wrinkles, spots, and unwanted hair. The controlled energy encourages the natural regeneration of collagen, which is the protein responsible for keeping the skin youthful and healthy.
You can use IPL to minimize or remove:
• age spots; dark patches, or brown spots
• sun-damaged skin
• hyperpigmentation
• acne scars
• wrinkles
• hair on your face, neck, back, chest, legs, underarms, or bikini line
The difference between IPL and laser treatment
IPL is similar to a laser treatment. However, a laser focuses just one wavelength of light at your skin, while IPL releases light of many different wavelengths, like a photo flash.
The light from IPL is more scattered and less focused than a laser. IPL penetrates down to the second layer of your skin (dermis) without harming the top layer (epidermis), so it causes less damage to your skin.
You can use IPL anywhere on your body, but it may not work as well on uneven areas. It isn’t recommended for people who tend to get thick, raised keloid scars or who have darker skin tones. It’s also not as effective on light-colored hair as it is on darker hair.
How to Prepare
Skin Care Treatments
Before your IPL treatment, we will examine your skin and let you know what to expect. Let us know if you have any skin conditions that might affect healing after your treatment, such as inflammatory acne or eczema.
We may recommend that you avoid certain activities, medications, and other products for two weeks prior your treatment.
You should avoid
• direct sunlight
• tanning beds
• waxing
• chemical peels
• collagen injections
• drugs that increase your bleeding risk, such as aspirin (Ecotrin) and ibuprofen (Advil)
• creams or other products that contain vitamin A, such as RetinA, or glycolic acid
Sunscreen and moisturizer should be used (at least twice a day) to protect the treated areas in between IPL sessions.
Hair Removal Treatment
• Shave area of treatment 2 days before
• Avoid direct sunlight
• Avoid tanning beds
• Do not wax areas for hair removal
• Avoid showering/cleaning with hot water
Hair removal is ideal for clients that are susceptible to ingrown hairs.
What to expect during the treatment
We’ll first cleanse the area that’s being treated. Then, rub a cool gel onto your skin. Then, we apply light pulses from the IPL device to your skin. During your treatment, you’ll need to wear dark glasses while treating areas on the face to protect your eyes.
The pulses might sting your skin. Some people liken the feeling to being snapped with a rubber band.
Depending on which part of your body is being treated and how large the area is, the treatment should take about 20 to 30 minutes.
To get the results you want, you may need to have three to six treatments for skin care. Depending on your skin type, treatments should be spaced out 2-4 weeks apart to let your skin heal in between. Hair removal requires at least 6 treatments and/or up to 12 treatments.
How well it works
Newer IPL devices work about as well as laser treatments for some cosmetic treatments, such as fading blood vessels in the skin. For hair removal, IPL works better on thick, dark hair than on fine, light hair. You may need to have several treatments to achieve your desired result.
Possible risks
Most people experience mild redness or swelling after the treatment. This typically fades within a day or two.
In some cases, you may experience:
• bruising
• blistering
• change in skin color
• infection
How to care for your skin afterward
You should be able to go right back to your regular activities. The treated area of skin will be red and sensitive for a few hours, as if you got sunburned. Your skin may be slightly swollen, too. Your skin will continue to be sensitive for a couple of days after the treatment.
• Avoid direct sunlight
• Apply sunscreen and moisturizer at least twice a day
• Use gentle cleansers with warm water
• Wait 1-2 days before wearing makeup
• Do not scratch or pick off flakey skin
It is recommended to maintain skin care and hair removal treatments every 9-24 months
The bottom line
Here are the pros and cons of IPL compared to other cosmetic treatments.
Pros:
• The treatment works well to fade lines and spots and get rid of unwanted hair.
• The sessions are quicker than with other methods.
• The light doesn’t damage the top layers of skin, so you’ll have fewer side effects than with a laser or dermabrasion.
• The recovery is fast.
Cons:
• You need to return for several treatments to get the results you want.
• IPL doesn’t work well on dark skin and light hair.