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Are You Suffering from Sun Damage? IPL Can Help
With A Warm, Caring Staff and Stunningly Natural Results,
Our Approach to Surgery is Anything but Plastic
As you grow older, it’s normal to see signs of sun damage like sunspots or redness. IPL is a popular treatment designed to remove these areas of hyperpigmentation, and IPL is an exciting option among IPL devices. This treatment allows patients to achieve youthful skin with fewer treatment sessions.
What is IPL?
IPL is an Intense Pulsed Light, or IPL, device. The treatment works by delivering rapid and intense beams of light into the skin. This reduces excess pigmentation in two ways. First, the intense light energy is absorbed into pigment-producing cells, which damages them. This causes the body to naturally metabolize and remove the damaged cells, reducing hyperpigmentation. IPL also causes constriction of facial veins near the surface of the skin. This reduces any vascular discoloration or redness.
What Types of Skin Damage Can IPL Treat?
IPL may be used to treat various types of hyperpigmentation caused by sun damage or other sources.
Sunspots
Sunspots, also referred to as age spots, are a common sign of aging, especially among those with fair skin or those who spend a significant amount of time outdoors. IPL can be used to reduce these brown or red spots and is particularly useful for age spots found on the face, hands, or décolletage.
Rosacea
Rosacea affects millions of people, and symptoms become more common as you age. By constricting facial blood vessels, IPL helps to reduce the redness found on the nose, cheeks, forehead, or chin as a result of rosacea.
Vascular Lesions
Vascular lesions are any visible veins or redness found on the face. They may be caused by a variety of factors, including sun damage. IPL reduces these lesions for a more even complexion.
Uneven Pigmentation
There are many types and causes of uneven pigmentation in the skin. Aside from sunspots, you may have uneven pigmentation as a result of freckles, birthmarks, and more. IPL breaks apart excessively pigmented skin cells, creating a more even and youthful look.
IPL Treatment
During your IPL treatment, you will wear protective eyewear as your technician directs the handpiece to your treatment area. Through this handpiece, IPL delivers rapid, bright flashes of light to the skin. Through this process, you will likely feel a warming sensation as well as a brief snap, which many describe as similar to a rubber band snapping against the skin. This is well-tolerated by a majority of patients. IPL treatment can be completed in about an hour, but your total treatment time will vary depending on the size of the treatment area among other factors.
IPL can be completed in an average of one to three sessions. Each session is scheduled several weeks apart to allow the skin to adequately heal. You should avoid sun exposure throughout your treatment and wear SPF daily.
Most patients will see IPL results immediately, which will continue to improve over time as the skin heals and regenerates new, healthy cells. Final IPL results are typically seen about four to six weeks after your final treatment session.
Schedule a Consultation
To achieve healthy, youthful, even skin with IPL, schedule a consultation at CARE Plastic Surgery in Cary, NC. Call our office at (919) 335-9298 or contact us through our online form.
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Dr. Brian S. Coan is an award-winning, nationally renowned, double board-certified Plastic Surgeon and a member of the distinguished Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). With over a decade of experience, his commitment to excellence has transformed countless lives.