IPL for Fair Skin Types?

I am fair skinned (high type II or low type III) and my skin turns red easily -- just 20-30 minutes in the sun without protection and I'm red (more pink than red, though). I have a few spots of hyperpigmentation that I want to get rid of, and Photofacial (IPL) was recommended to me by my dermatologist. However, I had been exposed to the sun (unexpectedly, as I use SPF 30 everyday) and was told to wait 2 weeks and wear sunblock. I'm scheduled for this treatment in about another week.

Now, after researching this website and others, I have begun to wonder if IPL is the best treatment option for me. Am I at risk for more hyperpigmentation? Since wrinkles are not a problem for me, I do not want a treatment that has a lot of downtime, unless someone thinks that is best for me. My main concern are the dark spots, a few broken capillaries, and maybe some improvement in texture would be nice as well. Help. I'm confused and anxious and appreciate your expert opinions.

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4 Doctor Answers | Asked by SuzyAv8trix in Phoenix, AZ

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IPL is a perfect treatment for you!

Sounds like you are an ideal candidate for IPL. Fair skin with hyperpigmentation, few broken capillaries, and not much of textural changes - this treatment was invented for you! You usually need several sessions, spaced 3 - 4 weeks apart, and you need to be careful about sun exposure before and after treatment, just like your doctor told you to do. You should see nice results with this. There is usually no downtime. If you wanted to get improvement in skin texture as well, you would need... more

IPL is an excellent treatment for you

Thanks for your question. Yes, IPL is an EXCELLENT treatment for you. It will work great on the broken capillaries and the hyperpigmentation that you have, but I wouldn't expect too much of a textural change with this laser. Some research has been able to show a textural change and beneficial anti-aging effects by using aminolevulanic acid (ALA) prior to the IPL procedure, but that is considered a more advanced IPL procedure that you may have not discussed with your physician. IPL is ideal... more

Indications for IPL laser treatment

IPL or photofacial laser treatment mainly works to partially shrink and collapse superficial blood supplies on sun exposed areas of face, neck, and or chest. Therefore, IPL laser is perfect for a fair skin individual with rosy complexion. IPL is also helpful to remove sun spots. However, IPL may not be as usfullyj in wrinkle or pore size reduction.

IPL for fair skin types

The IPL is a fair option for you for the skin issues you are describing. With that said, we view IPL as the printer/fax/copier/scanner of the cosmetic world and would recommend the following lasers for your issues. Rather than trying to treat many skin conditions (like the generalist IPL devices), these lasers are more specifically designed for just these conditions. Sun/age spots - q-switched lasers for permanent resolution (IPL is temporary) Broken capillaries - Pulsed dye or KTP lasers... more