How Long After a Medium TCA Peel Do I Need to Wait to Have IPL?

In my experience, redness and swelling after a medium depth TCA peel lasts from 4-8 weeks, with neocollagenesis occurring for up to a year.  Although you are probably safe having IPL at 5-6 months, the question is what benefit will you obtain?  A medium depth TCA peel is a reasonably aggressive resurfacing treatment, leading to measurable results which probably won't be further augmented by IPL for 18 months or so.

1 month after a medium TCA peel is enough time to start getting IPLs but you need to be using your cortisone lotion, spf, and possibly a bleaching cream.  See what your doc says.  Sincerely,
 

David Hansen,MD

IPL treatment is safe once the redness, inflammation and peeling of a medium-depth TCA peel is resolved. This may take approximately four weeks.

I would wait until the redness from the peel is gone, and see what is left to treat.  Your peel will continue to improve your skin for several months following this, but any pigmentary issues that remain after several months will likely stay so IPL on these areas if indicated would help.

Following a TCA peel, you will have some redness for a while.  Once that is gone and IPL treatment can be done.  If you do the IPL while you are still red, the redness in your skin will absorb more of the IPL light and may make it more likely to blister or have an adverse reaction the the IPL treatment.