How Intense is the Pain in IPL? I Have Mild Rosacea.

Fractional laser is an amazing and highly effective treatment in our office. We use the laser treatment to help with acne scars, large pores, fine wrinkles, tissue collagen loss, scars, sebaceous hyperplasia, active acne, and for brightening dark pigmentation. Although there are very strong fractional lasers such as CO2 laser, we use lighter treatments for corrective skincare and maintenance of results. Our Thulium fractional laser, clear and brilliant laser, and Ultra Thulium laser are excellent options in our clinic. We also perform CO2 fractional and erbium depending on skin tone and tolerance for downtime. Patients do have to use a Melarase cream before and after treatment to help further reduce pigmentation after laser. Dark spots can improve with these treatments. I recommend fractional laser for incisional scars as well, especially after plastic surgery.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

We use the Cutera laser platform.  Both the IPL and "laser genesis" settings have little pain.  The patients report, at worst, a mild sting.  Most of the time, they're chatting away while we perform the treatment!

We have been using the Palomar StarLux IPL system for PhotoFacials and permanent hair removal since 2007 with excellent results. Facial treatments to reduce redness are not painful. There is no need for topical anesthetic, and you should notice diminished redness after 3-4 treatments.

All the best from NJ.

IPL can feel like a snap of a rubber band, not painful at all.   Most clients go without topical numbing cream and can tolerate the treatment quite well.  We have the Lumenis One IPL system which has a great cooling system which numbs the pain.  Good luck!

Most patients treated with IPL report a mild sting or "snap" sensation, and usually rate the pain as 2 or 3 out of 10.  Topical anesthetic cream can reduce this, as well.  Afterwards, patients experience a mild sunburn like sensation which usually lasts only a few hours.  

IPL is an excellent light source for a wide pallate of cosmetic complaints, but excellent alternatives exist and can achieve better results with less time and frankly less risk, particularly for rosacea.  The V-beam laser or Gemini KTP laser are both favorites for treating facial redness and have exceptional safety track records and offer a better therapeutic window for achieving great results with less risk.  Consult with a dermatologist or plastic surgeon who may understand the alternatives if you are worried about getting a 1-size-fits-all treatment with IPL.

We use Sciton's Broad Band Light (IPL) to treat diffuse redness from rosacea.  Our patients do report some mild stinging, comparable to a rubberband snap, when the light pulses are delivered.  But they all tolerate the procedure very well.

Afterwards, what our patients report and what is the desired effect is the feeling of a very mild sunburn or heat for 2-3 hours.

Pain is controlled with the energy settings in IPL.. 
The higher the settings the more the pain, but in some cases the better the results.

IPL feels a bit like a rubber band snapping on your skin.  A little topical local and you'll be fine.  Feels like a very mild sunburn that night then it is gone by the next day.

We have used the Syneron Aurora for several years. It combines  Intense Pulsed Light with Radiofreqency.

The Radiofreqency penetrates a little deeper than the Intense Pulsed Light, this way we obtain collagen remodeling at two different levels.

We don't use topical anesthetics (Numbing creams) for this procedure, as it is nearly painless.