Bumps, Tenderness, and Redness Normal After an Intense IPL Treatment?

I have had one milder IPL treatment and had no side effects We are trying to reduce the appearance of my acne scars since they are not very deep and are more red than brown. The first treatment helped in evening out my skin, so my master esthetician excitedly wanted to do a more intense treatment to help get rid of the redness. It's been 12 hours and I have bumps that are tender with no particular color to them where the pulses were delivered. My skin is also redder than normal. I'm worried.

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1 Doctor Answer | Asked by babyblues54 in Richmond, VA

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Bumps, Tenderness, Redness after IPL

Some people post treatment will get erythema and edema (redness and swelling), but neither of these should be excessive. If you actually have marks the size of the treatment head, like a bar, then you may have experienced a superficial burn. If you just have redness and some swelling, you can take an over-the-counter allergy pill to help with the itching and swelling. Additionally, apply cool water and hydrocortisone 1%. This will help calm the skin down and alleviate the redness. If you are... more