Mild Rosacea - Chemical Peel BEFORE or AFTER IPL Photofacial?

Question

Female, 35 with mild to moderate Rosacea. I am already scheduled to have an IPL Photofacial and then 2 months after I am booked for a 4-layer chemical peel. Should I have the IPL Photofacial then wait and have the Chemical Peel OR should I have the Chemical Peel and then wait to have the IPL Photofacial??? Opinion??? Why??? Length of time between treatments? Also, since I have mild Rosacea should I have more than one Photofacial or would one be enough? Thanks in advance!!!

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD · Answer

Not really sure if a "4 layer chemical peel" is needed here.  However, the IPL will be profound.  Please recognize that how this service is done makes a difference.  You should have redness in the skin after the service.  Find an office where the actual doctor does the treatment not a nurse or technician.   Also find an office where they don't require you to prepay for a bunch of IPL treatments.  While you are likely to need 5 or 6 sessions, if the treatments are done correctly you will seen such a difference with each treatment that you will want to have the next one.  If you are not seeing this type of difference, you will need to find a different office.  Be aware that even with the best photofacial series the redness will reoccur and need to be retreated with one or two photofacials every 6 to 12 months unless your rosacea can be managed with topical products or low dose tetracycline.

Gregory Turowski, MD, PhD, FACS · Answer

If you have mild rosacea first of all you should be very careful about choosing the right peel for your skin. Some chemical peels can aggravate the rosacea instead if calming it. By doing a mild chemical peel first, your skin will be exfoliated and the IPL would penetrate better or the treatment will be more effective. If patient has hyper pigmentation that turned darker after the help IPL you can do another chemical peel 7-10 days later to speed up the exfoliation process. However final decisions should be done after personal consultation

Sam Naficy, MD, FACS · Answer

If you have rosacea, it is highly likely that you may need more than one photofacial treatment.  We often recommend 3-5 treatments spaced one month apart from each other.  Without seeing you, it is difficult to know whether or not you will benefit from a peel.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

Intense pulsed light or IPL is a great way to treat Rosacea.    I would get he rosacea under control before doing anything else.

Mild Rosacea - Chemical Peel BEFORE or AFTER IPL Photofacial?

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Answer: Rosacea and IPL

Answer: Rosacea and IPL

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Mild Rosacea - Chemical Peel BEFORE or AFTER IPL Photofacial?

Answers (4)

Answer: Rosacea and IPL

Answer: Rosacea and IPL

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