Individuals who are prone to keloid scarring, are dark-skinned, are darkly tanned, or are sensitive to burns may not be good candidates for IPL therapy because they are more likely to suffer from unwanted scarring and changes in skin pigmentation. The best candidates are of European descent and have highly elastic, non-oily skin. However, IPL therapy has been successfully performed on individuals with all kinds of skin types and you should not be discouraged to consult with a physician about IPL therapy based on your skin type. Individuals of all ages seeking to eliminate blemishes, acne scars and many other types of skin problems, or would like to permanently remove unwanted hair will benefit from IPL treatment. Individuals using blood-thinning medication, are diabetic, pregnant or have special conditions such blood clotting disorder are not suitable candidates for IPL treatment.

Most patients do not require any anesthesia for IPL therapy; however, some individuals may request a topical anesthetic that is applied 20 minutes prior to treatment. A cold gel is also applied to the area being treated. Once the patient is prepared and wearing laser safety goggles, intense bursts of light are delivered to the skin surface non-invasively using a hand-held device. Patients may experience moderate to no pain, which has been described to feel like a rubber-band pinch. Patients can resume normal activity immediately after surgery.

Each treatment session lasts approximately 20 to 45 minutes and 4 to 6 sessions are usually required. The treatment sessions are usually performed every 3 to 4 weeks.

While IPL therapy does not require any pre-treatment tests because of its non-invasiveness, patients should discuss any special conditions with their physician. For example, the safety of IPL therapy has not been tested on patients under 18 years of age, and are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Patients undergoing IPL therapy should avoid taking aspirin and drinking alcohol one week prior to treatment in order to minimize bruising and bleeding at the treatment site and maintain normal blood circulation. Patients should also make sure that the area to be treated is not infected prior to treatment. It is recommended that patients protect their skin from UV exposure before and after IPL therapy.

If patients keep their skin will protected from the sun and receive a full series of treatments, the results of photo rejuvenation can last up to 1 year. Patients usually notice an improvement in the texture, color and tone of their skin, in addition to decreased redness after IPL therapy. IPL therapy for unwanted hair removal is considered a permanent solution. Most patients are extremely satisfied with the results of IPL therapy and are amazed at the short recovery time and absence of pain.

IPL therapy is usually performed at a physician’s office-based facility. Therefore, it is extremely important for patients to make sure that the office facility is accredited by a surgical accreditation body such as AAAASF

Since IPL therapy is expected to cause little or no pain, most patients do not receive any anesthesia. In some cases, patients may opt for a topical anesthetic cream that is applied 20 minutes prior to treatment.

Since IPL therapy is a non-invasive procedure, you can resume most normal activities immediately after surgery. However, patients should avoid touching and washing the treated area within 6 hours after IPL therapy. Patients may experience some redness and mild swelling after treatment that usually disappears within a few hours to a few days. Due to the increased sensitivity of your skin after treatment, patients should protect the treated area from UV exposure for 2 weeks. Patients should wear a high factor broad spectrum sunscreen at all times. It is also recommended that patients avoid strenuous activities for the first 36 hours after IPL therapy.

Patients can return to work immediately after surgery. However, patients with jobs that entail sun exposure to the treated area may require longer work restrictions because patients should avoid UV exposure for the first 2 weeks after IPL therapy.

a) Swelling: Patients may experience mild swelling and some redness after IPL treatment that usually subsides within a few days.

b) Blistering: Some patients may have blistering in the treated area after IPL therapy.

c) Hyper/hypo-pigmentation: Hyper/hypo-pigmentation (darkened/lightened skin color) may occur for some patients and last between 3 to 12 months after IPL treatment. Permanent changes in skin pigmentation only happen in rare cases.

Scarring: Blistering and slight bleeding may occur in some patients. Although rare, blistering and bleeding may lead to permanent scarring in some cases.