IPL or Intense Pulsed Light Therapy – The Gentle Alternative for Wrinkles
Copyright 2005 Wendy Owen
Laser treatments have come a long way since they first appearedin the mid nineties. IPL – also called Flashlamp, MultiLight orPhoto Laser – can perform minor miracles on sun damaged skin(photoaging) anywhere on the body, but most significantly on theface and hands.
IPL is a safer option than tradition laser resurfacing and iscommonly used for facial hair removal, removal of birth marksand even tattoo removal. What we are mainly concerned with here,however, is skin resurfacing. Skin resurfacing can eliminatefine lines, spider veins and pigmentation and significantlyreduce deep lines and acne scarring.
Broad spectrum light is a lot more gentle on the skin and therisk of burning or blistering is significantly reduced. So muchso that IPL can even be used for the treatment of redness androsacea. Many patients have also noticed a reduction in poresize and a smoother skin.
The benefits are ongoing too. IPL stimulates the skin to producemore collagen, plumping out the skin and making it appearyounger.
IPL usually needs more that a single treatment and may need fourand as many as six treatments for the full effect to berealized. Because of this, there are no “dramatic” effects afterone treatment which makes it a great alternative for those whodont want to be conspicuous.
For this
reason its very popular with males who would ratherdie than admit to any form of facial rejuvenation!
Because the treatments are gentle, there is also minimal, ifany, down time. Wonderful for those busy people on the go.
IPL is also much safer for dark skinned people than traditionallaser treatments as it doesnt cause as much loss of pigment,although this is still a risk.
The deeper the treatment, the more the benefits are increased,but this has to be balanced against the increased risk ofburning. Always select an experienced practitioner and ask tosee photos.
Side effects? A pink face for a while and possible loss ofpigment in the deeper IPL treatments. You will need to treatyour skin gently and use a high UV sunscreen (15+ or more)
IPL will not work on natural aging such as sagging skin. Only aface lift or neck lift can improve this. There is a non surgicalprocedure called “thermage” which may help and of course the”thread lift” which is gaining in popularity and which will givesome “lifting” effect.
About the author:
Look more radiant! http://www.holistic-facial-skin-care.com willshow you how. For the complete “skinny” on skin, visit us now.The author Wendy Owen is a health researcher and writerdedicated to natural healthy options. Sign up for our monthlynews letter and receive a free book.
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