Beauty Doc Blog

Plastic surgery and aesthetic beauty treatments for the face and body are on the increase worldwide. As the industry grows and thrives, there is a real need for new technologies that concentrate on non-invasive procedures – catering to those of us who want to combat aging and signs of stress, but are not ready, or financially able, to undergo plastic surgery.

If you have been considering an anti-aging treatment, or are looking for a great alternative for treating acne, Intense Pulse Light (IPL) is a new method that may be of interest to you.

This therapy is a new technology that provides a minimally invasive, non-surgical method that treats various areas of the body that has been negatively affected by sun damage, broken blood vessels and is highly effective in removing unwanted hair. This method also has been used to treat acne scarring and fine wrinkles.

IPL offers the advantages of ease of use, low risk, quick treatment time and minimal downtime during and after treatment.

How IPL Works

The technology uses heat pulsations generated below the skin’s surface that corrects the damage without harming the outer layer of skin. The pulse works by targeting areas of the skin that have been damaged via a 400 – 1200 nm that focuses on melanin in sunspots, melasma and hair follicles as well as hemoglobin in blood vessels. Filters within the hand piece alter the wavelengths in order to optimize the treatment for different applications and skin types. After the damage to the structure is completed, your body will naturally remove the affected treated tissue, leaving the skin a more even, youthful appearance.

Treating Sun & Age Spots

IPL is very useful for the treatment of sunspots and melasma. The process used is to focus light energy on the melanosomes and thus raising the temperature to cause the shattering of the pigment inside. Initially, the dark spots become darker, but eventually they crust or flake off of the patient’s body. On average three to six treatments are necessary, but noticeable improvement occurs almost instantly and with each subsequent treatment.

Easy Hair Removal

Hair removal is also made easier and cleaner with IPL. In fact, any area of the body that has unwanted hair, including the back, neck, chest, legs and bikin area is a candidate for this type of treatment. The pigment within the unwanted hair follicle is targeted and destroyed. This process also destroys the stem cells needed for hair growth. Several treatments are needed for hair removal as a small percentage of a person’s hair in an active growth phase at any given time.

IPL also is good in dealing with vascular lesions. It can be used to treat small broken blood vessels secondary to the rosacea, those present around the nose and cherry angiomas. IPL targets the hemoglobin in the blood vessels and coagulates the vessels. This treatment is almost instant although repeat treatments are often necessary with rosacea.

IPL offers a safe, clean and almost instant improvement for common skin ailments. It can be used for one or a combination of situations and down time is almost none existent. For more information on IPL treatments, contact a plastic surgeon.