IPL Skin Treatment in Silicon Valley
While durable and resilient, human skin isn’t always perfect. It can be affected by imperfections that may include wrinkles, age spots, sun damage, and broken facial blood vessels. If you have some concerns about laser treatments or other more invasive procedures, you may have a better experience with IPL skin treatment in Silicon Valley.
IPL (intense pulsed light) is a type of non-invasive skin treatment that uses light therapy to address multiple skin-related issues, including unwanted hair. Here’s what you need to know about IPL and how it may benefit you.
Who May Benefit from IPL Skin Treatment?
In order to be an ideal candidate for IPL skin treatment in Silicon Valley, you’ll need to have cosmetic issues you want corrected. This usually includes mild wrinkles, sun spots, and other surface imperfections that aren’t necessarily health-related. IPL may also benefit people with unsightly skin patches related to varicose veins and conditions such as rosacea. Also, IPL is sometimes recommended to minimize or eliminate birthmarks, freckles, and unwanted hair on various areas, including the face, legs, neck, back, and bikini line.
How Do You Prepare for IPL?
To prepare for IPL skin treatment in Silicon Valley, you’ll go through a skin evaluation to examine the area you want treated. You’ll likely be asked about any existing skin conditions you may have that could affect the healing process, such as eczema or inflammatory acne. You may also be asked to avoid certain medications during the procedure and subsequent healing period.
What Happens During the Procedure?
The area to be treated is cleaned and a cooling gel is rubbed into the skin to improve comfort during the procedure. The intense pulsed light is then applied to the target area. If your face is being treated, you’ll be asked to wear dark glasses during treatment. IPL goes through the first layer of skin into the second layer (dermis). The upper layer of skin (epidermis) is unharmed, which results in less damage to skin tissues. The heat from the light destroys unwanted pigment cells. Doing so clears up skin abnormalities like age or sun spots or freckles.
If used for hair removal, the light applications destroy hair follicles to keep hair from growing in the treated area. You can have IPL skin treatment in Silicon Valley on any part of your body. However, it usually works better on uneven spots. Treatment typically takes about 20-30 minutes, depending on what specific area is being treated. Following treatment, patients are typically advised to avoid direct sunlight, anti-inflammatory drugs and other medications that may increase bleeding, and the use of tanning beds. It’s also best to avoid chemical peels, collagen injections, and other similar treatments until the treated area has healed.
Newer forms of IPL skin treatment in Silicon Valley generally work as well as laser treatments when surface imperfections are targeted for cosmetic purposes. When used for hair removal, IPL tends to perform better on patients with darker and thicker hair. Possible side effects associated with IPL are typically mild. There may be some temporary redness or swelling and skin sensitivity after the procedure. With some skin issues, it may take 3-6 IPL treatments spaced out to allow the skin to heal between each appointment to see the desired results. Hair removal usually requires 6-12 treatments.
