As much as everyone loves warm weather, there’s no denying that frequent sun exposure is especially hard on the skin. With that, you may be dealing with some leftover discoloration from all of those poolside tanning sessions this summer. Don’t fret, though, LaserAway’s IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) Photofacial can restore your complexion in just a few treatments!
“IPL is typically for very fair-complected individuals,” board certified dermatologist and the company’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Will Kirby explains. “So, we recommend it for people who have a skin type one, two or three and they’ve often had a lot of sun damage in their life — so they’re concerned with redness in their skin or brown discoloration in their skin.”
As far as how many IPL treatments you’ll need to combat any discoloration? Well, it varies person-to-person. “You can get an IPL approximately every four weeks,” Dr. Kirby says, adding, “You may get two or three and have great clarity and improvement in your skin discoloration and then you be done with it or some people get a few at first and then get one a year as a maintenance treatment.”
Of course, it’s not uncommon to hear the word “laser” and start to panic over the possibility of pain. However, Dr. Kirby assures that the procedure is “uncomfortable but very tolerable.” In fact, he likens IPL to laser hair removal. “It’s very fast. Basically, an energy-based device is placed adjacent to the skin and then light is extruded and you get a reaction.”
Dr. Kirby goes on to detail that the reaction involves the skin turning brown — shades vary — and “sloughing off” a few days later to reveal “refreshed” skin. Other notable benefits of undergoing IPL Photofacial treatment include: reducing signs of aging, stimulating collagen growth, harmonizing pigmentation and treating acne flare-ups and rosacea.
Additionally, IPL treatment is 100 percent noninvasive/nonsurgical and requires zero recovery time. So save those well-earned days off!