“IPL, Good Results when Combined with Daily Sunscreen - Sydney”

Pros: good for clearing sun pigmentation on light skin people. Can be performed by well trained non-medical staff (so no extra fees). No down time (skin looks a bit dirty for a week but not really noticeable). Tends to even out skin texture as a side benefit. Safe and relatively painless. Cons: A bit painful around sensitive parts the first session. You need to wear sunscreen every day after or you lose the benefits. Tends to target the pigment a bit unevenly, unlike lasers, so you really need at least 3 treatments. Takes a week (2 weeks on the body) for skin to renew. I got it because I wanted to even out my skin tone with no down time. I'm happy with the results. I will do another session, and then maybe one per year to maintain the results. I'm also undertaking to do chest and arms with good results.

Updated on 16 Mar 2011:
I've now undertaken 5 IPL treatments face, neck, upper torse, back and arms. At a cost of around US$5,000 and 1 hour each treatment.

I correct what I said about pain. As my clinician gradually upped the dosage, it got so painful at times I wanted to jump off the table. But I knew it would be worth it.

IPL didn't achieve fully clear skin with me, the final result was subdued, gentle beige freckling which is actually a more pleasant, natural colour for my complexion. I saw some party photos recently and my skin looks healthy and glowing.

I give IPL full thumbs up if you're of Irish complexion, and living in a country where sun damage is really hard to avoid. At the very least I'm now wearing daily SPF 30 sunblock on all exposed skin, and that has to be a plus.

Updated on 22 Sep 2011:
I added another photo 6 months after finishing the five treatments, as I'd heard the results may not last. I found however that they lasted as long as I was diligent with sunscreen.

There's also been a lot of scare postings on Realself claiming that invisible damage will present itself long after treatment. I find no evidence of this.