Intense Pulsed Light therapy is used to effectively remove wrinkles, scars (both depressed and elevated) freckles, age spots and lesions involving excessive accumulations of blood vessels (hemangiomas and port wine stains, for example).  With the ability to selectively deliver thousands of different wavelengths simultaneously, IPL can be customized to treat individual skin problems by targeting only the areas that need improvement.

How does IPL Work?

To eliminate superficial wrinkling, shorter wavelengths are implemented to avoid including skin that does not need treatment. Longer wavelengths capable of penetrating deeply into the skin are used to smooth scars, reduce the appearance of hemangiomas and inactivate hair follicles responsible for the growth of unwanted hair.

Intense Pulsed Light treatments are performed at the Mayoral Dermatology clinic and take anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the type of skin condition that is being addressed.  IPL is referred to in this way because the device used in the procedure delivers bursts or “pulses” of light that occur in one to five bursts at one time. The length of each pulse as well as the delay between implementing one pulse after another is modified according to the skin or hair issue being treated. Other components of IPL treatment that can be customized are the wavelength intensities and pulse numbers that can be adjusted to match the qualities of each patient’s skin problems.

IPL Before and After

IPL For Hair Removal

In regards to hair removal, many people report that IPL is less painful than waxing, lasers or electrolysis and does not present side effects such as swelling, stinging or itching. While traditional hair removal methods such as depilatory creams and waxing provide short-term solutions to excessive or unwanted hair growth, IPL actually destroys the mechanism of action within hair follicles that promotes hair growth.

IPL for Brown Spots

One of the most common uses of the IPL treatment is for brown spots on the skin.  Melanin, which is the chemical that gives skin its color, is overproduced by the body and causes brown spots (age spots).  The melanin absorbs the bursts of light emitted by IPL devices and damages the melanocytes. As a result, the skin repairs itself with cells no longer containing an abundance of melanin.

IPL for Vascular Lesions

For removal of vascular lesions lying on or just below the skin’s surface, Intense Pulsed Light treatments offer a virtually painless and quick alternative to sclerotherapy or diathermy, both procedures that require the insertion of a needle, as well as vein-killing chemicals, into blood vessels. With IPL, patients can have the appearance of unattractive vascular lesions reduced by allowing a Mayoral Dermatology physician attack veins with heat that is intense enough to shrink veins until they are harmlessly absorbed by the body. Any area of the body can be treated for vein removal by IPL, including the face, back, chest and legs.

IPL for Acne

Increasingly, Intense Pulsed Light therapy is being used to improve acne and reduce the chance of future breakouts. To do this, a dermatologist will adjust the light pulses so that only specific frequencies are emitted that trigger a substance called porphyrin, a molecule containing oxygen that is already found in facial oil glands.

When these light pulses activate porphyrin molecules, enough oxygen is released to kill the anaerobic bacteria primarily responsible for acne. Dermatologists then employ another frequency that debilitates oil glands which helps inhibit glands from overproducing oil. The combination of oxygen stimulation and oil gland inactivation greatly improves the patient’s skin appearance without the patient resorting to long-term use of antibiotics or salicylic acid-based creams that tend to dry and irritate skin without really addressing the primary causes of acne.

Get IPL in Coral Gables at Mayoral Dermatology

Intense Pulsed Light represents a non-invasive, painless method to rejuvenate aging or damaged skin without suffering the downtime and distressing side effects associated with cosmetic surgical procedures. To discover if IPL is right for you, contact Mayoral Dermatology to talk to a caring physician who will be glad to discuss the details of Intense Pulsed Light therapy. Find out today how you can enjoy skin that is healthy, glowing and free of unattractive wrinkles, acne or vascular lesions.