IPL
Reduce Redness from Chronic Skin Conditions and More in Thousand Oaks
Unwanted redness in the skin can take the form of anything from small, isolated spots to overall flushing due to a chronic condition like rosacea. Intense pulsed light, or IPL, at Thousand Oaks’ Pierre Skin Care Institute targets capillary and pigmentation problems to provide clearer skin with a more uniform look.
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Sometimes referred to as a photofacial, IPL is a cosmetic treatment that—as the name implies—uses powerful light energy to generate results. Patients enjoy that the treatment is fast, non-ablative (so it doesn’t harm the surface of the skin), and reliable.
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What Does IPL Address?
IPL is primarily used for treating uneven skin tone. Over time, exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation can prompt isolated areas to produce more melanin, which is the pigment that gives your skin its color. These resulting “sun spots” (also referred to as age or liver spots) are flat and typically brown. Some people also deal with ruddiness or frequent blushing and redness due to broken blood vessels that are especially visible beneath the surface. In addition, IPL can treat rubbery red birthmarks known as hemangiomas if they don’t fade on their own.
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How Does IPL Work?
Darker areas in the skin, including the concentrated melanin in sun spots or red cells in capillaries, absorb more light energy than lighter areas. This is the same principle that drives laser hair removal. As pigmented cells take in the light, they heat up—eventually getting so hot they become damaged. This leads to spots fading away and visible vessels collapsing to be reabsorbed by the body.
Unlike the focused single wavelength of a laser, however, IPL devices emit multiple wavelengths of light, sending them in intense, short bursts into the skin. The nature of the broadband light makes IPL better suited for treating larger areas, as well as more versatile, efficient, and cost effective when treating a wide variety of skin types and conditions.
IPL may be used on the face, neck, chest, and hands for all-over cosmetic improvement.
How Is IPL Administered?
Before starting an IPL treatment, you will have a cool gel applied to numb the surface of your skin. Although intense pulsed light does not remove or damage the surface layer, it still creates short bursts of intense heat, so patients appreciate something to improve their comfort during the session.
Dr. Peterson Pierre will then run the handheld IPL device over the skin in the treatment area. Each pulse reaches the dermis, a layer below the surface, leaving the surface skin undamaged. Thanks to the cooling gel, you should feel only a warm sensation.
An entire treatment session can be completed in less than an hour in most cases—and can be as brief as only a few minutes, depending on the area being treated. For optimal results, it is recommended that you schedule one session a month for a total of three to five treatments.
Why Choose Pierre Skin Care Institute for IPL in Thousand Oaks?
Dr. Peterson Pierre is a board-certified dermatologist who holds himself and his team to rigorous standards of care that go above and beyond the basics. He emphasizes both safety and results, giving patients a positive experience in a setting designed to be comfortable and welcoming. His mission includes seeking out, understanding, and applying advanced technology, always with an eye to offer comprehensive services that allow him to treat a diverse population of patients with unique skincare goals.
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What Can You Expect After an IPL Session?
Many patients see an improvement in their skin shortly after getting IPL. The intensity of the light leads to positive changes in about a week, but further and more dramatic benefits of the progressive treatment will become apparent in the following months.
There is no down time needed after a session. Some people choose to come in during their lunch hour, then return to work right after.
As with many skin procedures, patients are advised to protect the treated area from sun exposure. This is because ultraviolet radiation can cause new damage to sensitive skin. In general, be gentle with the treated skin as the spots and redness fade.
What Else Is Available Beyond IPL?
Exfoliating treatments, such as DermaSweep and chemical peels, remove the outermost layer of skin, which can fade certain spots and scars, as well as improve texture irregularities.
Patients interested in exploring more benefits of light treatments may want to consider laser skin resurfacing or LaseMD skin resurfacing, Clear + Brilliant®, and Cutera® Excel V and Laser Genesis.
The Pierre Skin Care Institute team can explain the unique benefits of each of these treatments, as well as help you determine which would be best for you.
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