What is IPL photorejuvenation recovery like?

I tell my patients to plan on the full recovery taking 2 weeks.  In some people it is less time, but better to be prepared.

IPL treats brown spots and discoloration-- the more brown you have the longer the recovery time.  Initially after treatment the area is itchy, red and swollen for a couple of days.  Then the brown pigment will rise to the surface of the skin, and feel dry and crusty, and then peel off.  I liken the recovery to a burn.  The area may also be very itchy but it is very important to not rub, scratch, or peel the skin. 

IPL treatment of the face is an effective and very well tolerated procedure.

Patient selection helps ensure that the results will be great. Not everybody is a good candidate. People with darker skin or any recent sun exposure are less than ideal candidates. People with very dark skin are very poor candidates. People who want to fix wrinkles and get skin tightening are also poor candidates. However, people with light skin, no recent sun exposure and "colorful" facial imperfections such as vessels and spots are excellent candidates.

If you do get the treatment you can expect that your dark spots will get darker and darker for a few days, and then flake off within a few days to a few weeks. Facial vessels usually go away very quickly but may need additional treatments to keep them away. Your whole face may be pink and mildly swollen for a few hours or longer... even up to 1 week. Even so, the pinkness and swelling can usually be hidden with makeup.

IPL photrejuvination is usually considered a nearly zero downtime procedure. It is one of my favorites. Check out the pictures I posted of a patient with severe facial vessels to see just how effective this procedure can be!

The recovery from an IPL treatment depends on the patient and on the aggressiveness of the treatment.

Some patients react to almost any stimulus with a blush or red response. These people can expect to be red - either mottled or diffused like a sunburn - for a few hours after a treatment. The red response goes away quickly and can be covered with makeup until it resolves.

Some patients have a lot of brown discoloration - like freckles - near the surface of the skin. It is very easy for the treatment to turn these surface brown spots dark like coffee grounds for a few days to a few weeks. They float to the surface and flake off. Gone. This is more likely to happen on the hands, arms and chest than on the face. All of this can be covered over with makeup until the recovery is over.

The recovery period or downtime is also dependent on the technique used. An aggressive treatment, one that delivers a lot of energy to the skin, may prolong the downtime but yield a faster good result. A more gentle approach can still get a good result, but it may take a longer time and more treatments.

To get a good result from IPL it is not necessary to have a recovery period of more than a few hours. The patient's physical characteristics, wishes, and tolerance for downtime must be considered when designing the treatment plan.

Intense Pulsed Light, also called IPL, BBL and Photo Facial, mainly helps to get rid of brown spots (age spots, liver spots) and red spots (small red spots, small veins).

The “browns” get browner temporarily, then rise to the surface and fall off within about 10 days time. The reds may look a darker red or grey color after treatment. Often they are deeper down and are made of blood vessels, which are more complex structures than brown spots. They do not rise to the surface. Instead, they get reabsorbed by our bodies after IPL treatment over several weeks.

I recommend applying sunblock (SPF 30 or higher) and moisturizer twice a day for the first week after treatment, and at least once a day the second week after treatment. This is even if you’re not out in the sun! Minimizing sun exposure after treatment is best- red and brown spots usually are caused by sun damage in the first place. If you have to be in the sun, use SPF 30+ sunblock, and reapply every 2 hours.