“Happy with my IPLs, Going Back for More! - Long Beach, CA”

My twin sister and I are turning thirty this year. We have struggled for years with very ruddy skin, including red and brown 'sun' spots. I attribute our uneven skin tone to running around without a drop of sunscreen though the better part of our childhoods. Anyone with truly ruddy skin knows how embarassing it is to always have your skin look dirty, no matter how much you cleanse. Foundation wears off quickly to reveal the aged skin beneath. After much research, I am convinced that IPL is the best treatment for our skin.

I chose the same office where I got my breast augmentation to get my IPL, for both price and familiarity with their practice. I have gone twice and have noticed a great improvement in my skin tone. I think I need about two more treatments to really feel great about my skin, and I plan to continue on with the treatments.

Pros:
* They use a topical numbing cream and separate cooling gel, which makes the process viturally painless. Yay! So worth it!! I hear that many places dont even offer this.

* They run specials a few times a year, so you can really get a bargain if you are willing to wait for the specials to come out. Overall, I have priced it out and even their regular prices are competitive.

* Very little downtime. You might not look your best, but you can go back to work after reapplying your makeup.

Cons:
* Plan for some risidual redness and PLAN FOR YOUR SKIN TO LOOK ITS WORST FOR A WEEK. What happens is that the brown spots in your skin are burned to 'ash' and it creates this weird look on your skin, like there are tiny bits of coffee all over it. Hang it there, its worth it. As your skin exfoliates, it will go away and reveal the new even tone! In fact, the more coffee grounds you see, the better it worked. Bust still...dont plan any special events for two weeks (just in case) or you will be not be at your best.

*Have a beauty mark that you love? Well, I did. Right on my cheek, Cindy Crawford style. I might not look like her, but I loved my beauty mark. It is one of the only things that really distinguishes me from my twin sister. I was so nervous on my first trip that I forgot to mention it, and they went right over it. Well, the mark faded...alot. But, after a month, some color began to return. On the second IPL, I made sure to mention how important it is that we not repeat the mistakes of the past. They put their finger over it as they passed it, but it was still affected by the light and faded again. I am again hoping that the color will return. When my twin, who has many freckles, went in, they covered her freckles in tape, but she reports to me that they faded as well. Something to consider, ladies. I am thinking that next time, I will request that they double tape it and keep their finger over the area when they are within two inches of it in any direction. I think what happened is that the laser light is so powerful that it can go right through tape and may affect spots even when not directly over them.

*The cooling gel. This stuff is awesome, because it keeps your skin feeling cool despite the intense heat of the laser. I love it. But there are two issues. Number one, it gives you a good ice cream headache for about a minute. It honestly didnt bother me too much, but it is unpleasant, so you'll have to suck it up. Number two, and this one could be fixed I think, the application was by no means sophisticated. The gel was not carefully applied and spattered everywhere. My sister actually brought it up to me and I totally agreed. It really should be more carefully applied. We ladies dont like having out nostrils stuffed with cooling gel or getting it all over out hair unnecessarily. Eeew.

Overall, I love what IPL has done for my skin so far and I appreciate that the practice offers numbing cream and has a better safe than sorry approach when it comes to the intensity of the laser.