IPL for Fair Skin Types?

Question

I am fair skinned (high type II or low type III) and my skin turns red easily -- just 20-30 minutes in the sun without protection and I'm red (more pink than red, though). I have a few spots of hyperpigmentation that I want to get rid of, and Photofacial (IPL) was recommended to me by my dermatologist. However, I had been exposed to the sun (unexpectedly, as I use SPF 30 everyday) and was told to wait 2 weeks and wear sunblock. I'm scheduled for this treatment in about another week.

	Now, after researching this website and others, I have begun to wonder if IPL is the best treatment option for me. Am I at risk for more hyperpigmentation? Since wrinkles are not a problem for me, I do not want a treatment that has a lot of downtime, unless someone thinks that is best for me. My main concern are the dark spots, a few broken capillaries, and maybe some improvement in texture would be nice as well. Help. I'm confused and anxious and appreciate your expert opinions.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Our office has many different treatments for scars depending on the depth of atrophy or hypertrophy. Scars require a combination approach using our HI DEF protocol which uses a combination of lasers, topical scar modulation, and RF treatments to pixelate scars, improve contour, reduce hyperpigmentation, and improve the visibility of the scars so that they are no longer visible in ambient light. Everyone has a unique pattern of scarring and we employ our HIDEF technique to improve texture, color, contour, and topography. We often use a combination of treatments that begin with a careful examination to examine the micro texturing of the acne scars. Atrophic scars and indented  scars can benefit from injectable fillers such as Radiesse, Sculptra, and Restylane with or without subcision to remove tethered scars and atrophic depression. Hyper-redness in scars can be improved with V beam laser, Excel V, BBL, IPL, and Venus RF to improve  the redness and reduce the visibility of deep scars. Fractional Thulium laser and clear & brilliant can also reduce the inflammation and redness of the scar when combined with topical therapy. Fractional lasers such as Fraxel, erbium, and CO2 laser can be combined with radio frequency and also fractional RF to improve textual issues and microtopography. Subcision and TCA cross are also used for deep ice pick scars and narrow valley scars in order to improve the micro texture.  Above all, our combination approach with our clinical nurses and board-certified plastic surgeons can improve the quality of your skin by using at home Melarase creams combined with PRP treatments in our office to improve your skin quality and tone. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with an experienced team of experts in order to reduce your scarring.
 
Finally, hyperpigmentation of scars can be improved with at-home Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads to help reduce active PIH and melanin deposition.

Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

William Ting, MD · Answer

IPL or photofacial laser treatment mainly works to partially shrink and collapse superficial blood supplies on sun exposed areas of face, neck, and or chest. Therefore, IPL laser is perfect for a fair skin individual with rosy complexion. IPL is also helpful to remove sun spots. However, IPL may not be as usfullyj in wrinkle or pore size reduction.

Harold J. Kaplan, MD · Answer

The IPL is a fair option for you for the skin issues you are describing.
With that said, we view IPL as the printer/fax/copier/scanner of the cosmetic world and would recommend the following lasers for your issues.  Rather than trying to treat many skin conditions (like the generalist IPL devices), these lasers are more specifically designed for just these conditions.

Sun/age spots - q-switched lasers for permanent resolution (IPL is temporary)
Broken capillaries - Pulsed dye or KTP lasers.

You may ask yourself, why is IPL so highly recommended?  The reason we feel is that many practices that do not focus on laser procedures do not want to buy the best laser for each skin condition they treat. They'd rather buy just one device and hope that it can address a bit of everything.

Stella Desyatnikova, MD · Answer

Sounds like you are an ideal candidate for IPL. Fair skin with hyperpigmentation, few broken capillaries, and not much of textural changes - this treatment was invented for you! You usually need several sessions, spaced 3 - 4 weeks apart, and you need to be careful about sun exposure before and after treatment, just like your doctor told you to do. You should see nice results with this.
There is usually no downtime.  If you wanted to get improvement in skin texture as well, you would need to upgrade to a more invasive laser, like Active FX, fractional CO2 resurfacing. It will come at a price of several days of downtime and much steeper price tag.  Enjoy your IPL treatments! You should do very well.

Don Mehrabi, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question.
Yes, IPL is an EXCELLENT treatment for you. It will work great on the broken capillaries and the hyperpigmentation that you have, but I wouldn't expect too much of a textural change with this laser. Some research has been able to show a textural change and beneficial anti-aging effects by using aminolevulanic acid (ALA) prior to the IPL procedure, but that is considered a more advanced IPL procedure that you may have not discussed with your physician.
IPL is ideal for fair skin types and for what you seem to have. However, your dermatologist is perfectly right -- you will want to stay out of the sun and wear SPF 15-30 sunscreen for 2 weeks BEFORE and AFTER the procedure. The reasoning is that the IPL does cause some inflammation that may lead to some darkening, that may be more likely or will persist with sun exposure.
In short, with what you want to accomplish, your fair skin type, your wish for minimal downtime, IPL is an excellent choice and should provide you with good results. Good luck!

IPL for Fair Skin Types?

Answers (5)

Answer: IPL is a perfect treatment for you!

Answer: IPL is a perfect treatment for you!

Answer: IPL is an excellent treatment for you

Answer: IPL is an excellent treatment for you

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IPL for Fair Skin Types?

Answers (5)

Answer: IPL is a perfect treatment for you!

Answer: IPL is a perfect treatment for you!

Answer: IPL is an excellent treatment for you

Answer: IPL is an excellent treatment for you

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about IPL

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.