IPL Q&A
54%
WORTH IT RATING
"Worth It Rating" shows the % of consumer reviewers that stated the procedure was "Worth It" or not. See more RealSelf Worth It Ratings or Add Your Review
302 Reviews
IPLbefore & after photos
View Before and Afters

Average IPL Cost: $550

Learn about IPL

1,146 people and 239 doctors are talking about IPL

Get Free Email Updates

What Skin Tones are Not Appropriate for IPL?

asked 1 year ago by dasynight
Latest answer by Emily Altman, MD
Question viewed 358 times
Tags: Asian, skin tone

I am asian. in the country I live there is no photofacial or IPL facilities!so if I want to do any treatment I should go abroad.it needs time and money which i can afford but at frist i should find out whether it is good for my skin or not?my skin is not as dark as the indians nor as white as the chiness.it is paled and a little bit tend to yellow.

4 answers to What Skin Tones are Not Appropriate for IPL?

+1

What skin type is inappropriate for IPL?

The only skin type that cannot be treated with IPL is type VI. The most important factor in the safety and effectiveness of the procedure is to do accurate skin typing of the patient, not just by visual inspection but by a thorough history and questionnaire. When the skin type is properly determined, the parameters of the IPL can be set in such a way as to protect the normal skin pigmentation with lower settings as well as cooling the skin during the procedure to minimize adverse... more
Emily Altman, MD

Short Hills Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Skin Tones and IPL/ Photofacial

IPL or Photofacial treatments have been performed successfully on Asian Skin and some skin of color to treat brown spots, and prominent blood vessels. I would be cautious about just signing up for IPL treatments without first consulting with a practitioner who has experience treating the conditions you wish to improve in your skin. You'll want the consultant to review your skin care concerns, medical history, how your skin has responded to treatments in the past and determine if... more
Anifat Balogun, MD

Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

What does IPL do?

I think the real question you should be asking is, "What do I need to treat my concerns?"  Maybe IPL isn't even what you need.  What are you trying to treat?  What are your goals? IPL can be used in Asian skin, but very cautiously.
Carmen Kavali, MD

Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
+1

IPL for pigmented Skin

Intense Pulse Light or IPL utilizes a range of light wavelengths in a scattered fashion to treat brown spots, broken blood vessels, and unwanted hair.  A byproduct of IPL is mild stimulation of collagen growth in the skin,  hence the term Photofacial.  It must be used with great care and at low settings for darker skin types (Fitzpatrick III-VI) due to the risk of melanocyte stimulation and transient inflammatory hyperpigmentation.  When I treat patients with greater... more
Stephen Prendiville, MD

Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon

Ask a question