What Is Intense Pulsed Light and How Can it Help Your Skin?
Great skin is a goal for countless people. And in order to get the skin you want, it’s important to know about all of your treatment options. If you’ve heard of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy and want to know how it can help your skin, here’s what you need to know.
What to Know About Intense Pulsed Light
What Is IPL Therapy?
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Therapy, also known as laser photo rejuvenation or a photofacial, is a method of improving skin tone and texture that uses light energy. Commonly used as a wrinkle reducing treatment, IPL therapy works by using light energy to target a specific color (pigment) in your skin. When your skin is heated by the light, it will purge cells and as a result, get rid of the pigment that you want removed. While this treatment is similar in some ways to laser therapy, the key difference is that IPL devices use multiple wavelengths of pulsating light, which means it can help treat multiple skin conditions at the same time. So if you’re looking to reduce eye wrinkles and eliminate some signs of photoaging and hyperpigmentation, IPL therapy may be the perfect cosmetic dermatology service to consider. Treatments are typically quick and there’s little to no downtime required. After an IPL therapy session, you may experience a bit of redness around the treatment site. After a few days, your dead skin cells will flake off and you’ll be left with a smoother complexion. But how can this treatment really help you?
Treat a Wide Variety of Skin Conditions
We already touched on the fact that IPL therapy can help treat more than one skin issue during a single session. To add to that, IPL therapy is also an excellent treatment option for a wide variety of skin problems you might be experiencing. Not only is it an excellent wrinkle reducer, but IPL therapy can also help reduce the appearance of stretch marks, broken blood vessels, birthmarks, and even acne in some instances. Have unwanted freckles on your face? IPL therapy can help fade those freckles so that they’re easily covered by your makeup. Discolored skin from hormonal changes and unwanted hair also don’t stand a chance when it comes to IPL therapy. Even redness from rosacea can be treated with this form of light therapy. Of course, it’s important to consult with your dermatologist before you invest in IPL therapy for a skin condition. But in most cases, IPL therapy is a valid treatment option for a number of skin issues.
A Viable Alternative to Laser Therapy
In some cases, IPL therapy can be a viable alternative to laser therapies and be just as effective when you need a wrinkle treatment. For instance, if you’re under 40 and you’re living with moderate to severe redness from rosacea, you may be a better candidate for IPL therapy than laser therapy. While it’s important to take your reasons for treatment into account, IPL therapy is often a little bit gentler on the skin. For instance, if you’re looking for a method of hair removal and you have pretty sensitive skin, IPL therapy may end up being a more effective and less irritating method of treatment for your skin.
IPL therapy comes with a number of benefits for all kinds of skin conditions. If you’re curious about how this cosmetic dermatology treatment could benefit your skin, don’t hesitate to make an appointment to talk with someone on our staff at North Pacific Dermatology today.