How can I decide if IPL is the right treatment for me?

The short answer is that you really can't make the decision as to whether or not IPL is the right treatment for you. There are SO many variables!

There is a HUGE difference between various IPL machines in terms of power, cooling, available wave lengths, filtering and so on. As a general rule, a really good IPL machine, such as the Starlux 500, with the correct hand pieces, can do an excellent job with Hair Removal, Acne, sun damage, facial vessels and freckles. IPL is not a good choice for spider veins, skin tightening, scars, large pores or wrinkles.

Some inexpensive, under-powered IPL machines do a lousy job at everything except treating the ideal patient. Since very few patients are truly ideal, it is important to get your IPL treatment from a place that has great equipement and skilled operators. Since every place claims to have great equipment and skilled operators, you are going to have to do your research and get recommendations to help you choose wear you will be treated.

IPL is very good for some things, but it is not very good for others. To decide if IPL is right for you, you have to understand what IPL can and cannot do and then match this with your skin problems.

IPL is best at treating sun-induced color irregularities that, depending on genetics and the amount of sun exposure, may first appear in individuals as early as the mid 20's, but usually in the early to mid 30's. These brown spots, broken capillaries (telangectasias), and spotty red blushes cause the skin to look older than it is.

The chronically sun damaged skin also becomes dull and sallow looking. The skin of a child is bright and clear, not dull and sallow. These are the skin changes that IPL is best at correcting.

It is not good at removing or even reducing wrinkles. It does not treat sagging skin, and it does not replace the facial volume loss, or deflation, that we all experience with passing time. There are other treatments for these problems of the aging face.

IPL is very inefficient for removing hair.

So, if you are concerned with irregular brown and red discoloration of the skin (dyschromias), and if your skin has lost its glow and become dull, or if you want to stop wearing foundation makeup to smooth out the color of your skin, IPL may be for you. If you are more concerned about wrinkles, sagging skin and facial deflation, you may want to seek other forms of treatment.

As with most medical treatments, the choice of IPL has to be individualized for optimal results.

IPL is best for improving the skin tone of lighter skin types with untanned skin. “IPL,” which stands for Intense Pulsed Light, is mainly used to treat “brown spots,” and “red spots.” These “brown spots” and “red spots” are usually due to sun exposure over time.

I do not recommend IPL for hair reduction. I use a hair removal laser. Hair removal lasers do a better job of targeting hair follicles, and therefore reducing hair, than IPL.

When IPL is used, “brown spots” get browner temporarily, then rise to the surface and flake off in roughly 10 days. “Brown spots” are usually made of pigment just below the skin surface. “Red spots” are usually made up of small blood vessels deeper in the skin. The blood vessels in the “red spots” close up after IPL treatments, and then are broken down over several weeks time.

Usually several IPL treatments are needed for best results. I usually space 4 treatments about 2 to 4 weeks apart in my office. Sometimes, I must wait until my patients’ tans have faded before I can get an effective treatment- their skin can be burned otherwise. If you are looking to decrease “red and brown spots,” and your skin is not tanned or darkly pigmented, IPL may be a good choice. Discuss IPL treatment with a medical doctor who is experienced in Intense Pulsed Light treatments.