Glacial Rx: What You Need to Know

Pros

• Glacial Rx is comfortable, requires no anesthesia, and improves overall brightness across all skin types.
• The treatment device is FDA-cleared to temporarily reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation.
• It's also indicated to remove benign lesions like age spots (also known as sunspots, liver spots, or solar lentigines) anywhere on the body.
• Most people see results in less than a month, sometimes even within days. In clinical trials, 87% of treated age spots lightened, 84% of patients saw improved radiance, and 81% saw an improvement in skin tone evenness at three months.
• There’s no true downtime afterward. In clinical trials of more than 600 participants, minor side effects—redness and microcrusting—resolved on their own in a few days  (so if you're being treated in a highly visible area, you may want to plan on a day or two of social downtime). 

Cons

• You may need more than one Glacial Rx treatment to clear your skin of unwanted sunspots and splotches.
• While the treatment normalizes melanin production in spot-treated areas, you may develop spots in other areas, particularly if you're not diligent about avoiding sun damage.

First, you’ll lie down on a table and relax. Your provider won’t need to apply a topical anesthetic or numbing agent because the treatment’s cooling technology will help keep you comfortable.

Each treatment is customized to your individual needs and the specific treatment area. It typically takes about 45 minutes, depending on the specifics of your treatment.

If you’re having a full-face treatment, your provider will glide the Glacial Rx handpiece across your skin, and the cooling will reduce redness, puffiness, and other signs of inflammation. 

If you’re having a more targeted treatment of dark spots, your provider will gently apply the sub-freezing cold plate to each spot for 15 to 20 seconds. 

During the treatment, your skin will be more receptive to topical skin care. Your provider will apply serums with brightening agents and antioxidants, to help protect your skin and accelerate cell turnover. They may also recommend topical products for you to use at home, to maximize and prolong your results.

In clinical trials, patients were able to return to normal activities immediately after treatment.

Your skin will feel calmer and look brighter almost immediately. Many patients find that the improvement continues over the coming weeks. 

If you had spot treatments, the age spots and splotches of excess pigment gradually start to lighten within a few days, as cells turn over.

Within the first few weeks after your treatment, you may have some social downtime if you have multiple spots treated in a conspicuous area like the face, with more microcrusting than usual. If that happens, let the crusts flake off naturally (resist the urge to pick, which could cause scarring).

You should see optimal results within one to two months.

Using sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 and wearing wide-brimmed hats when you’re outside will help protect your skin from sun damage so that you’ll need fewer maintenance treatments.

The Glacial Rx photos in our gallery have been shared by the provider who performed the procedure, with the patient's consent.