One of the most common concerns for aging skin is discoloration. Sun exposure, genetics, and hormonal changes can cause dark patches on your skin. Unlike cute freckles that lend you an active, outdoorsy look, these discolored spots tend to be larger and can give your skin a mottled appearance.
Photorejuvenation with intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy is a safe and effective way to fade dark spots and make your complexion look smoother and more even. By increasing your skin volume, IPL can also improve other signs of aging, like fine lines and wrinkles.
What Is Photorejuvenation?
IPL, also called a photofacial, uses light waves to target the pigment in the skin. It’s not a laser treatment, though it does use energy from light, and some of the effects are similar. Photorejuvenation is gentler on the skin than many laser treatments.
The energy from the concentrated light heats the pigment in the skin, destroying the darker-colored cells without harming the surrounding skin. The result is skin that looks more evenly colored, with fewer visible dark spots, blood vessels, and scars.
Photorejuvenation benefits include improving a variety of skin concerns, such as:1
- Acne scars
- Birthmarks
- Liver or age spots
- Broken blood vessels
- Dark spots from hormonal changes
- Fine wrinkles
- Freckles
- Redness from rosacea
- Spider veins
What to Expect With Photorejuvenation
Before starting IPL treatment, your provider may offer numbing cream to reduce your discomfort during the procedure. Photorejuvenation treatment feels like a rubber band being snapped on the skin, and the numbing cream makes it more tolerable.
Once your skin is prepared, your provider will cover your eyes with protective goggles. Then, they’ll apply the IPL device across the treatment area. The duration of the procedure depends on the size of the area being treated. Treating a few small spots may take only 15 minutes, whereas IPL for your whole face or upper chest may take an hour or more.
Photorejuvenation Side Effects
The side effects of photorejuvenation are typically mild and should go away quickly. Immediately after treatment, your skin may feel slightly sore, and you may have mild redness or swelling. Cool compresses can help with any discomfort, and your skin should feel better within a day.
In the days after your IPL treatment, the dark patches on your skin will get darker before flaking off. You can use makeup to cover the dark spots, but you should let them flake off naturally and not pick at or scrub the skin.
After the dark spots flake away, your skin should look fresher and more even.
Depending on your treatment goals, you may see significant improvement after one session, though most people need several sessions spaced a few weeks apart to get complete results.2 Sunscreen and proper skin care can help maintain the results, and you can go back for periodic touch-up treatments as needed.
To learn more about photorejuvenation and other anti-aging skin treatments, contact a provider in your area or keep reading MySkinTreatment.
Sources:
- WebMD: “Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Treatment.”
- MedicalNewsToday: “What to know about intense pulsed light treatment.”