I Have Some Light Olive Skin Tone with Freckles, is IPL a Good Thing for Me

As discussed, the darker your skin tone the more difficult IPL treatment becomes.  I would consider topical treatments for brown spots first.  This may improve your skin pigmentation alone.  Also, the creams tend to quiet everything down so that if you do opt for a laser treatment it will be somewhat safer for you.  Don't be set on an IPL though-- discuss options with your provider. Good luck!

Yes. IPL when used appropriately can be safe in darker skin types. More importantly is what issues need to be addressed. IPL is ideal for softening “reds and browns” including broken capillaries, sun damage, solar lentigines and other evidence of sun damage. When used at appropriate settings, IPL can be both safe and effective in darker skin types. 

Yes, IPL is fine to do.  Please make sure you go to an experienced provider.  Multiple treatments may be needed.  I would encourage you to use hydroquinone or kojic acid inbetween your treatments for best results....

Hope this helps.

Dr. Grant Stevens   

Hello,

I personally would not treat a skin type IV.  I would also reccomend seeing a board certified dermatologist who has a great deal of experience with lasers and IPL.  I have seen too many burns and resultant scars referred to me over the years to take the risk of making the treatment worse than the problem in darker skin types.

Sincerely,

 

Dr. Malouf

IPL works well for skin types I - IV, however skin type IV requires caution and solid knowledge of the IPL machine parameters. Treating freckles or any surface hyper pigmentation with IPL requires that there is a difference in pigment between normal skin and freckles. The closer that difference the higher the risk of side effects, like pigmentary changes and burns.

This also goes for sun exposure before the procedure. Tanning makes the difference in pigmentation smaller also increasing the risk of a burn. So there should be no sun exposure for a month before and a month after the procedure.

Skin type cannot be estimated. It must be calculated from a chart. The statistics say that skin type IV is the most under diagnosed skin type. If the IPL machine parameters are set for skin type III and the patient is type IV, there may be a burn.

I recommend a consultation with a board certified dermatologist with training and experience in IPL treatments.

If you have a tendency to easily tan when you are in the sun, IPL, or Intense Pulsed Light Treatment, may cause you to get dark discolorations after treatment. Check with an experienced specialist before getting IPL Treatments. In my practice, I will do a test spot (or spots) before doing a complete treatment. It may also be worth considering light peels such as alpha hydroxy acid (such as glycolic acid) peels for pigmentation, such as freckles.