Milwaukee IPL doctors

Just to clarify, the term intense pulsed light (IPL) laser is confusing because an IPL light source is not a laser. An IPL source and a laser light source are two different modalities. IPL is a broad spectrum light source that contains multiple wavelengths of light. Filters can be used to focus the majority of light near a certain wavelength to provide specific treatment benefits. A laser, by contrast, is composed of a single wavelength of light.

Both IPL and lasers may be used for hair removal. IPL sources clustered in the upper 755-800nm range are used for hair removal. Alexandrite lasers (755nm) Diode lasers (800nm), and Nd:YAG lasers (1064nm) are also used for hair removal.

IPL will not cause a mole to undergo malignant transformation. On may choose not to use IPL on a mole if there is concern that IPL will alter the appearance of the mole and thereby affect the ability to monitor it.

Best wishes, Kenneth Dembny
 

Some would consider the LightSheer laser to be the gold standard for hair removal, but there are plenty of other systems, IPL included, that work very well. It is just as important to have an experienced technician perform the treatments and making appropriate adjustments. One of the problems with using IPL for hair removal is that it is only applicable on lighter skin types; a laser must be used to safely treat darker skinned individuals. No matter what light source is used, only those hairs which are actively growing will be effectively treated. Hair growth is not synchronized so it may take up to six treatment sessions to complete the process. If an individual hair is effectively treated, the outcome is the same, and it doesn’t matter what light source was used to achieve that. So if you are seeing good results there is no reason to switch treatment modalities. Remember that all these devices are FDA-approved for “hair reduction” not removal.

I would agree that a successful series of IPL treatments usually takes 3 - 4 sessions, performed three to four weeks apart. The energy level is usually gradually increased with subsequent sessions to obtain clearance of the red vasculature or brown pigment that was not removed with the prior treatment session. In my experience we are able to provide improvement with energy settings below the maximum.

I don’t know your skin coloration (Fitzpatrick type), but that does influence the selection of treatment parameters for light-based procedures, such as IPL and laser. When treating brown pigments I usually use skin care products, such as bleachers and retinols, to suppress pigment formation before initiating chemical peels, IPL or laser treatments. This helps reduce the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) following treatment. In PIH, the pigmented spots darken as a result of the inflammation caused by the peel or light-based treatment and the subsequent healing process.

I don’t know if you were prepped with skin care products before treatment and I don’t know the spacing between your treatment sessions. Brown pigments often darken immediately or shortly after an IPL treatment session. The brown spots may then improve within a couple of days if the pigment is superficial, or it may take two or more weeks if the pigment is deeper. Following your initial treatment, your spots darkened but never faded. I would have been cautious about administering a second treatment. I would have waited for the spots to fade in color before administering the second treatment; if you were not using skin care prior to the initial treatment, I would have started it and waited the same.

If the maximum IPL settings have been reached, then another option such as chemical peel or laser may be helpful. However, I would definitely prep the skin for four to eight weeks prior to commencing this procedure, and proceed carefully.