IPL: Stories

I've had 7 IPL photofacials in the past 5 years and I couldn't be happier with the results. My first experiences were pretty typical of those described elsewhere on this site.

My 4th experience was traumatic. I had so much melasma from my pregnancies, that the laser lifted up TONS of pigment, in a scary stripey pattern. YIKES! After that lifted off about a week later, I had stripes of clear skin. The subsequent treatment removed the remaining stripes, and my skin looked great! I also used the Obagi system starting a week after treatment, which helped.

I had my last photofacial 4 days ago, and my skin is responding normally, the "coffee grounds" are starting to appear. I think people need to keep in mind that to keep up the results, you need to be vigilant about hats and sunscreen, and have additional treatments as the years go on. Also this is not a "no downtime" procedure. I looked red, swollen, and splotchy the first day, and had spots that needed a thick layer of makeup the following week. Yes, the recovery is traumatic, but the results are totally worth it! (of all the skin treatments I've tried, peels microdermabrasion, Triluma, Obagi, this is the best)

My melasma and sunspots are GONE. I am thrilled with IPL photofacials!