Sun Before IPL?

Question

I have an IPL scheduled for 10 days from now, next Wednesday. This Thursday through Sunday, I will be camping In southern Colorado. I have been camping all summer and am religious about sunscreen, and have not tanned at all. I will be wearing a hat and sunscreen (50 SPF, reapplied often) throughout the entire trip, but will spend a lot of time outside. Is it a bad idea to come back after the trip and do IPL three days later?

Anil R. Shah, MD · Answer

Hello! I'm Landry - a medical aesthetician at Shah Facial Plastics in both the Chicago and Winnetka areas.

IPL is a great treatment for hyperpigmentation and vascular concerns; however, even with excellent sun protection, spending extended time outdoors—especially at high altitude—can increase your skin’s sensitivity to IPL. This can raise the risk of side effects like burns or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

To be safe, we typically recommend at our clinic to avoid significant sun exposure for at least 2 weeks before a photofacial to have the best results. Since your treatment is scheduled just 3 days after your trip, I'd suggest rescheduling it for about a week and a half later to allow your skin time to fully recover.

Paul Flashner, MD · Answer

We always recommend waiting at least 2-4 weeks to have an IPL treatment after sun exposure or ample time in the heat. The skin can still hold heat even without a tan from time spent outside, in saunas, steam rooms or other warm environments. When targets within the skin receive the light transmission from the IPL device, the skin converts it into heat. If there is already heat still being held in the skin by sun exposure, etc. it increases the likelihood of an adverse reaction. This can include blisters, burns, or permanent damage to the skin including hyper/hypopigmentation.

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