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  • IPL Photofacial: See How This Woman's Skin Is Rejuvenated
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Lawrence Osman: One of the most effective treatments we have for treating red and brown discoloration of the skin and for generalized rejuvenation is called the intense pulsed light. The intense pulsed light, or I.P.L., is a device that omits a very bright flash of light that gets absorbed by the skin. Once the skin absorbs it, that light triggers changes in the skin. Including the disappearance of red and brown discoloration as well as an increase in the overall vibrancy and evenness of the tone. The I.P.L. device can used to target red and brown discoloration which can include sunspots, generalized redness and stringy blood vessels. It's a great treatment for rejuvenating the face, the neck, the chest, the hands, the arms or just about anywhere else.

The way I.P.L. works is that we apply a cool gel to the skin. That gel services two functions. It helps protect the skin and it also helps enhance the effects of the treatment. The I.P.L. is then placed on the skin and pulsed so that the entire desired treatment area is covered.

After treatment, the gel is wiped away. One of the nicest things about I.P.L. is that there's almost no downtime after treatment. The area can be a little more red in color but that only lasts for a few minutes to half an hour. So you can go about your normal routine almost right away. Browns spot can turn a little darker brown but that's hardly noticeable. And then they generally flake away in a couple of weeks.

The treatment itself isn't painful either. It's more startling that anything. The results from I.P.L. can be fantastic. Most people require several treatments to see best results. But some people can see excellent results even after only one or two treatments. Each treatment should be spaced three or four weeks apart.

Once you get your desired results, an I.P.L. can be done periodically to maintain results. We have a number of patients who have been doing one or two I.P.L.s a year for several years and have had outstanding results. I.P.L. is a great treatment all by itself. But in general, it's one tool that we use as an entire rejuvenation program. So it can be combined with Botox, fillers, chemical peels, and at the very least, a prescription at home program.

IPL Photofacial: See How This Woman's Skin Is Rejuvenated

Dr. Lawrence A. Osman discusses the skincare tool IPL.