No Results 7 Days After IPL

Hi Sun damaged.  The first thing we would recommend is to find a practitioner that uses q-switched lasers instead of IPL.  While IPL may help to clear some sun damage, it is not the gold standard.  Q-switched lasers are able to permanently remove sun spots rather than just blanching them.

The second issue is that it sounds like you had a subtherapeutic treatment (means not enough energy).  What you should see in 7 days after the treatment is some peeling and flakiness of the sun damage spots.  If you see nothing then it's likely the treatment was not an effective one.  We recommend finding a new practitioner with the right laser and the right experience to get the job done.

It sounds like you may have had too low of a power setting on your IPL OR the IPL that was used is not able to deliver enough power.  It is very important to discern your Fitzpatrick skin type and then set the laser accordingly so you will A. not be burned and B. will get an effective treatment.  It is a fine line and should be done by someone who is able to do this and who is able to discern if the settings are too low so your money isn't wasted.

IPL generally requires a series of treatments (often 4-5).  After the first treatment you may not notice a significant difference in your skin.  If the person treating you has not treated you in the past, it's important to treat more conservatively and see how the skin reacts.  Make sure you discuss what happened (or didn't happen) after your first treatment with your provider so they can make the necessary adjustments for your second treatment.  Know that the more aggressive the treatment the longer your possible downtime with darkened spots, peeling, flaking, etc.  

 

 

IPL is meant to deliver results when done as a series of treatments in a span of 2 to 3 months. I think it is unreasonable to expect results 7 days after a single IPL.  We educate our patients that there will be some minor reaction to the treatment itself, but not to expect results until all the treatments are finished.

Most people will see some response after seven days. Sometimes the results may be very subtle and difficult to appreciate. It may have been that they used very safe settings for your first treatment. I would speak withe the doctor who did it and look over your before and after photos. Also, most people need more than one treatment to see results. I usually recommend 2-4.