IPL-Intense Pulsed Light in cosmetic procedures

What is IPL?

IPL is an abbreviation for a treatment called intense pulsed light. Just like it sounds, it uses pulses of very bright light to rejuvenate the skin; sometimes it's referred to as photo rejuvenation. It uses light to make the skin look more youthful. It does this by targeting pigmentation from aging and sun exposure.

It can reduce redness in the cheeks and dilated blood vessels. It also stimulates a very superficial collagen to make the skin look smoother and more luminous. It's done over a series of treatments, so patients should expect to have somewhere between three and six treatments, a month apart.

What is it used for?

IPL or intense pulsed light addresses concerns that relate to aging of the skin. Patients may complain of sunspots, uneven brown pigmentation, redness, dilated blood vessels or just an overall dull complexion and in the right patient IPL could address all of those concerns.

Expectations and Recovery

We do consider IPL or intense pulsed light as a no downtime treatment so patients can come and have the treatment before work or on their lunch hour and head back to work without anyone knowing they've had the treatment done. If patients have a lot of pigment, they'll notice that their pigment becomes temporarily darker--it can actually look like coffee grounds on the skin, and that can last up to a week after the treatment.

Very uncommonly, patients may have a little bit of swelling through the cheeks but that settles quickly. At most, some patients may have a little bit of redness that could look like a mild sunburn but that also settles within the first day after the treatment.

How much does it cost?

IPL or intense pulse light treatments can vary in cost depending on who's doing the treatment--for example is it being done by an esthetician at a spa, or supervised and done by a physician--and that cost can range anywhere from hundred and fifty dollars to six hundred dollars.