IPL Laser Side Effects - When do They Go Away?

Older IPL systems have a low threshold between effective treatment and a facial burn.  A burn can result in transient tiger striping, hyperpigmentation or can result in much harder issues to resolve such as hypopigmentation or scarring. Newer IPL systems are much more powerful but targeted in their delivery system and less likely to cause these issues, particularly coupled with a reputable aesthetic physician's office.

Sciton® BBL technology treats sun-damaged and
aging skin effectively. The light energy delivered by the BBL will gently be
absorbed by the unwanted melanin responsible for pigmented lesions in the upper
layers of the skin. Pigmented lesions can be removed by full-face or
spot-treat superficial resurfacing. Red veins will simply disappear!   Pigmentation is not scarring and can be remedied with the BBL by a skilled provider.#BBLtreatments   #lowrisklasers   #BBLsideeffects

Sciton® BBL technology treats sun-damaged and
aging skin effectively. The light energy delivered by the BBL will gently be
absorbed by the unwanted melanin responsible for pigmented lesions in the upper
layers of the skin. Over the next few days the pigmented lesions will darken
and fall off. Pigmented lesions can be removed by full-face or spot-treat
superficial resurfacing. Red veins will simply disappear!
Gentle
cleansing without harsh products for a few days is recommended as well as a broad
spectrum sunscreen.
#ScitonBBL
#BBLtreatsspots #IPLBBL

The descriptions of the scars are not entirely consistent with the shape of the Syneron handpiece (rectangular) or the rails. You may be having some pigment irregularity from past scarring and the IPL removed the pigment over the scar. Loose skin is not caused by any laser I know of. The pock like indentions can be treated with a fractional laser system by a reputable company and competent practitioners.

You mentioned several possible IPL side effects and so we will address each one independently.
1. Hyperpigmentation from Burns. Hyperpigmentation is a darkening of the skin caused by trauma. For light skin types this type of coloration normally goes away on it's own. If it persists for you, there are two options we use, hydroquinone bleaching cream and q-switched lasers. If using q-switched lasers, make sure the practitioner is extremely experienced as you are treating a trauma scar with more light, which can be tricky.
2. White Hypopigmented scars. There is no easy solution for this. We hope they will resolve on their own. If not, you may want to look into Excimer lasers. These are the lasers used to treat Vitiligo and they can help with repigmentation, but it is a slow (and many times temporary) process.
3. Pock Like indentations. Were you heavily scabbed after the burns? Are these pock marks in the same location as the burn? If so, they will probably not go away on their own and you may need to consider some form of laser resurfacing to help (Erbium, fractionated, etc).
4. Loose Skin. Did you have your neck treated? You only reference a facial treatment and not the neck. In any event, we do not know of a laser treatment that would cause the neck skin to loosen. Usually it would be the other way around with light based treatments improving skin laxity.

Thank you for your question.  I am sorry that you are experiencing these side effects.  From what you said about your skin, you are a prime patient for IPL.  The white scar-like spots may be hypopigmentation.  Usually the pigment comes back within a year as your melanocytes reactivate although in some cases hypopigmentation can be permanent. There are numerous treatments for hyperpigmentation and the IPL is a good choice.  If due to your experiences you would like to avoid the IPL, hydroquinone 4% might be a good choice.  It is a topical cream that helps suppress melanin.  The "pock like indentations" on your cheeks may be best treated with Microneedling with PRP to help break up the scar tissue and promote heeling.  This would also help treat the loose skin in your neck as it promotes collagen and elastin formation.  I hope this helps answer some of your questions.  Best of luck.

I am sorry to hear that you have had some complications from IPL. In general, when performed by an experienced provider IPL is extremely safe and well tolerated. However, there are some real complications that can occur if people are not cautious and start conservative with treatment parameters. 
It sounds like you have a couple different issues going on. First, the areas of hyperpigmentation are likely PIH (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation). Depending on how recent these are I will initially treat this with topical steroid creams, but this is usually only effective within the first few days and weeks after the pigment occurs. Sometimes enough time will improve them but if not any better after a few months I prefer using one or a combination of topical lightening creams, microneedling, PRP, and fractional laser.
The areas of hypopigmentation (white areas) sound like either scars which unfortunately are more difficult to treat, or potentially simply areas that were overrated and lost some natural pigment.  If it is the latter then time may be all that is needed for the pigment to come back (can take months or years) or sometimes additional laser around the areas to even out the skin can help. If it is true scarring then multiple treatments with microneelding, ablative and non-ablative fractional laser, and sometimes topical brimatoprost can help reduce the scar and improve the color.
In regards to the changes in your neck, it is difficult to say. IPL does not changes volume or skin laxity/elasticity. I would just recommend watching that for now.

Hi, there! Just basing on whatyou have posted, you seem to have the best skin suited for IPL treatments.Based on what you mentioned, I can only conclude that you possibly experienceda type of pigmentation called hypopigmentation. It may be due to the settingsused on the last treatment, which are possibly set on high. My advice here isfor you to observe the affected area and wait for several months to 1 year tosee if there would be changes. Unfortunately, if the pigment in thehypopigmented area is removed via IPL, there may be no medical treatment thatwould be able to bring the skin color back. That said, there are alternativemethods that could be used to bring back color such as medical tattooing.
On the other hand, on thehyperpigmented parts, future IPL sessions can be undertaken to resolve them.Moreover, creams like hydroquinone may be used in conjunction with the IPLtreatment to get better results.
As for the situation on yourcheeks, this may sadly be scarring. You can undergo other treatments to resolvethis such as fractional ablative laser. The loose skin on your neck maybe adifferent issue as this is not something that IPL would cause, even in rarecases. This may need to be assessed by a plastic surgeon who is boardcertified.
Please note that this comment is solelybased on the information that you have posted. If you need accurate resolutionfor your case, you may want to visit your plastic surgeon again so he or shecan check on you personally. Best of luck!

Thank you for your question missy05. I am sorry to hear about your situation. An IPL photofacial is an
outstanding treatment for facial rejuvenation. It works by using bright light
to target and destroy pigment and redness in the skin. It is difficult to make an assessment without a
formal exam in the office where I can directly view the skin. However, I hope
the information provided here is useful.For my patients I recommend a series of six monthly treatments. I start using conservative parameters to avoid possible side effects such as those you described. With each treatment, if there were no side effects from the previous treatment, slightly more aggressive settings are used.After a treatment sometimes dark discolorations may get darker before they get lighter. This is normal and can take up to two weeks. Prolonged discoloration beyond that (PIH) can be treated with creams and peels.Lightening of the skin, or hypopigmentation, is much more rare. In these cases, topical products such as hydroquinone will not help. However treatment with fractional lasers may help to even out the color of the skin with the baseline color. A series of such treatments may be required.Atrophic scars, which look like pox marks, are also a possible but rare complication after an IPL photofacial treatment. This can also be treated with fractional lasers as described above for hypopigmentation. Again a series of such treatments may be required.In terms of the neck, I am not sure I understand completely. You stated that your treatments were on the face. If the neck was not treated, then I would not expect any changes in the skin on the neck other than normal changes seen over time with age and sun exposure. Before and after photographs are helpful. The IPL photofacial can sometimes provide a tightening effect on the skin and if the skin on the face gets tighter the skin on the neck may appear looser when compared to the skin on the face.
Please consult
with a doctor for specific recommendations. Good luck!

It sounds like you have the perfect skin type
for an IPL treatment. Unfortunately, you
may have experienced hypopigmentation as a result of the burns. It is possible that the settings were too
high on your last treatment. You will
have to give it a good year to see if this area changes but typically if the
pigment has been removed from the IPL there is no treatment to bring it to your
baseline skin color. I usually recommend patients with this type of
complication to consult with a medical tattoo artist as many times a good
artist can fill in these spots with medical tattooing. ] As for the hyperpigmented areas IPL can be
used in future treatments and a topical cream such as hydroquinone can be used
twice per day. From what you described it
sounds like you may have some scarring on your cheeks. A fractional ablative laser would be an ideal
choice to help with the symptoms you are describing. As far as the loose skin, this is typically
not an adverse affect from IPL, and you may need to seek a board certified
plastic surgeon to address any laxity you are noticing in your neck area. As for follow up to your post IPL concerns, I
feel it is best for you to reach out to your provider to compare your before
and after photos and have them address your current concerns.