What Are Those Black Specks on the Skin After IPL?

This advanced light based technology otherwise known as IPL is targeting any discoloration or pigment on the skin. When the light is delivered to the skin it causes any pigment to come to the surface of the skin.  Depending on how pigmented the brown spots or lentigos were prior, they can turn very dark, sometimes almost black and can remain on the skin for up to 2 weeks until they naturally flake off.

Having black specks on the skin after IPL treatment is a good sign.  This means that the darker areas of the skin or the sun damaged spots absorbed most of the energy from the IPL.  The IPL is bringing the pigment closer to the surface of the skin.  Over the next days to few weeks, this pigment will flake off.   

The specks are the signs of success. They are the accumulated brown pigment from sun damage that have absorbed the light emitted by the light source and heated to the point of separating from the rest of the skin. This is a 2-3 day event of discoloration and will wash off after a few days.