IPL: Stories

Bought a deal for 3 ipl facials from a reputable med spa. I was very nervous, especially after reading some of the horror stories on here. I'm 36 and fairly pale. I had freckles as a child which have turned into sun spots as I've gotten older. I also have a few broken capillaries on my cheeks and nose. The day I had it done, the technician wrapped a cloth around my head at my hairline, she washed my face, put on the protective eye goggles, then put a cooking gel all over. She said she was going to target the brown spots first, then the red on the second time through. Don't let them fool you, and I'm not much of a baby, but it hurt!! Luckily for me, she worked fast so the first time through took about five minutes. Then she adjusted the machine for the red spots and started all over again. It still hurt! My skin felt very warm. After another five minutes, it was over. She took off the goggles and washed my face, and rested a cold cloth on it for a minute or so. She then put on some lotion and sunscreen. She handed me the mirror and I was afraid to look! However, it was not bad at all. I was a little red in my cheeks, a little blotchy everywhere else and my skin felt similar to a sunburn. Within 20 minutes, the redness was gone and I looked fine. Right away, I could see some of my freckles and sun spots had turned darker. The next day, I did have more of the "coffee grind" look, and now it is two days later and they are still there. My skin feels smooth so it's not like I can pick them off (which she said not to anyway), they should all flake off within a week. My next appointment is the beginning of December so I will post again then.