BEFORE AND DURING IPL LASER TREATMENT
Excitedly nervous about my IPL laser treatment, I met Katy in the lobby of The Graivier Center, and my nervousness quickly subsided. Katy has such a positive, gentle, upbeat nature that relaxed me from the start. After she escorted me to the private treatment room, I removed my jewelry and laid down on the treatment bed. She patiently explained each and every step to me. First, she gave me protective eyewear to protect my eyes from the bright beams of light that would soon be flashing from her IPL hand piece. A cool gel was then applied to my face to lubricate the hand piece and to help cool the skin during treatment.
Katy then began the IPL laser treatment, and applied brief pulses of very bright flashes of light to my face (except for the eye area) via the hand piece. Depending on the size of the area being treated, the procedure may take anywhere from a fifteen minutes to an hour. Mine lasted about 45 minutes. During the IPL laser procedure, I could sense very bright pulsing flashes of light (even though my eyes were covered), and a feeling similar to a rubber band “snapping” my skin at the points at which the hand piece touched my face. It was very tolerable, although I “jumped” a little bit at the first few bright flashes of light.
The side effects of IPL laser treatment went away within a few hours for me. My side effects included very pink facial skin, the appearance of very tiny “coffee grounds” dots on the surface of the skin, and some stinging, but again, it was very tolerable. For most patients, the redness and/or tiny dark spots may take 24 hours or up to a week to fade. My recovery was pretty easy, and I was able to return to my everyday routine immediately. In very rare instances, mild bruising or swelling may occur, but this will subside within a day or so. I did not experience this. Permanent side effects from IPL are extremely rare, and include hyper- and hypo-pigmentation (darkening and lightening of the skin), blistering, scarring, and infections. Infections with IPL happen more when the procedure is used for hair removal, and when the skin is overheated by the light and blistering is caused.
The most important things to remember following IPL laser treatment are to avoid the sun for several days and to wear plenty of sunblock. IPL can give you excellent results for a year or more, but you must make sure your skin is protected for the first few weeks after treatment. As we have all been ordered, SUNSCREEN IS A MUST each and every day!
IPL LASER TREATMENT RESULTS
After several weeks I am noticing creamier and younger-looking skin. Brown age spots from sun damage, and red broken capillaries from rosacea have practically disappeared from my face!
The IPL protocol suggests one to two follow-up treatments each year thereafter—how easy is that to beat Mother Nature and keep your skin in anti-aging mode?!
