FotoFacial Guide

 

Photofacial skin care treatments, also known as IPL, IPL for short, is very effective, no downtime, safe methods to remove the pigment, or brown spots, and excess or damaged blood vessels from the facial skin. Brown spots, broken capillaries around the nose, chin and cheeks are classic signs of sun damage and aging of facial skin. Brown spots, often referred to as age spots caused by pigment produced by skin to protect skin from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. New blood vessels grow into the skin in response to skin injuries, first to wash out the damaged skin debris and later to bring in healing factors. As our skin ages, the brown spots and broken blood vessels left on the skin after inflammation or skin damage has passed. These pigmented and vascular red spots create a mottled look of aged facial skin called dyschromia, and is a sign of facial aging. Photofacial skin care treatments are the treatment of choice for benign facial skin pigmentation, age spots, brown spots and broken capillaries and small red spots called telangiectasia in the face. Photofacial treatments are now preferred over laser treatments for these specific pigment and vascular lesions.

What Causes Age Spots, sun spots, red spots and Broken blood vessels on the face neck and chest area?

Browns spots and broken capillaries around the nose, chin, cheeks, neck, hands and chest area are classic signs of sun damage and skin aging. Brown spots, often referred to as age spots caused by pigment produced by skin to protect skin from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. New blood vessels grow into the skin in response to skin damage by the sun. This process of new blood vessel growth is called inflammation.

The new blood vessels bring blood into the facial skin first to wash out the damaged skin cell debris and later to collect skin healing factors.

As our skin ages, the brown spots and broken blood vessels remain on the skin after inflammation or skin damage has passed. These pigmented and vascular red spots create a mottled look of aged facial skin called dyschromia, which is a sign of facial aging.

Photofacial skin care treatments and IPL treatments is the non-surgical anti-aging skin care treatment of choice for benign facial skin pigmentation , age spots, brown spots and broken blood vessels, called telangiectasia small red spots, face, hands, neck and chest area. Photofacial treatments are now preferred over laser treatments for these specific pigmented and vascular lesions. Results of photofacial non-surgical anti-aging skin care treatments can be good – see before and after pictures of photofacial treatment of neck and chest area below:

How Do or IPL Photofacial Light Non- surgical anti-aging Skin Care treatments work?

Photofacial or IPL anti-aging skin care treatments using a bright flash of visible light, as light of a camera flash to remove pigment and veins non-surgically from the skin. This pulsating or flashing light is very different from a laser, and in most cases, less powerful and less dangerous that the laser light.

I use a machine called Photofacial IPL IPL LuxGreen made by Palomar Medical Laser Company in Burlington, Massachusetts. Palomar Medical is the leading manufacturer of aesthetic laser and light therapy machines in the world. The LuxGreen Photofacial Photofacial is the best technology I’ve ever used. The LuxGreen Photofacial IPL machine is very effective and is the most comfortable for you the patient of the IPL device available.

Photofacial skin rejuvenation works by sending a flash of light through a filter that only allows a particular color of light in the flash to pass through the filter and hits the skin. In the case of LuxGreen Photofacial, only light with a wavelength of 550nm (nm = nanometer, or one millionth of a meter, and is the target for the green light wavelength in the visible light spectrum) to pass through the filter and hit the IPL skin.

The LuxGreen IPL 550nm light is selectively absorbed or taken up by the brown pigment in an age spot or dark reddish brown color of blood in a blood vessel. When Photofacial light energy is absorbed by the pigment or blood vessels, destroys the heat of IPL Photofacial or light pigment or blood vessels by heating it. The results can be good – see before and after picture of photofacial anti-aging skin care treatment of the face below:

This process is called Specific Photothermolysis. A specific goal, which is a color, is heated (Thermo) with a light (photo) beam and dissolved or destroyed (lysis).

Using color filters placed in front of the IPL beam, a wide range of colors can be allowed through to treat many different skin disorders, including hair removal (LuxRed), acne (LuxViolet) and others.

What My Skin Look Like Immediately After a Photofacial Skin Care Treatment?

Unlike lasers, which can cause the skin to peel and possibly leave scars, Lux Green IPL treatments are very gentle on the skin. The pigment in the brown spots or age spot will darken very light, and the treated blood vessel will also darken a bit. However skin will remain intact. The treated areas may be slightly pink in some hours.

We place ice or a cool pack on the treated area immediately and this can also make your skin pink. However, the pinkness be covered with makeup immediately. You can go back to work. And your skin will be almost normal next day.

Have One IPL Skin Care Treatment Hurt?

There is minimal discomfort during an IPL treatment care. Anesthesia or numbing medicine is not necessary. When the IPL flash hits the skin you will feel a small snap or sting, but this is easily tolerated by all my patients.

How Many IPL Skin Care treatments should I have?

Usually 3 IPL skin care treatments are necessary distance 4-5 weeks apart for best results. Several treatments are the price for gentle treatment that is not painful and does not harm the skin.

Technically enough power can be used to remove the brown stain or blood vessels in a treatment, but this energy level would be painful, blistering of the skin and possibly add leave a scar. This is what happened to old-time laser treatments, and the new IPL is designed to remove pigment and veins painlessly and without a trace or scar left. To achieve this we need to stage removal in 2-3 treatments 4-5 weeks apart. The results are well worth wait.

How Soon My IPL Skin Care Treatment Will I get a result?

Generally you will see the results of IPL skin care treatment for 4-5 weeks. The brown stain is lighter, or disappears and the red spot or blood vessel will be much less. Some patients with thin skin and very light pigment or small broken blood vessels will see the complete removal of a treatment.

However people see clear improvements 5 weeks after IPL treatment and requires two additional treatments for complete removal.

Who Should I Consult For My IPL (IPL) Skin Care Treatment?

The best IPL machines are found in a doctor’s office. Less powerful IPL machines are allowed in spas, but the results are not as effective with those downgraded machines. In my experience patients do not get the results they want in a spa, and often going to practice my repeated treatments with IPL LuxGreen after having already spent money for the IPL in a spa.

The other advantage of having IPL treatment a doctor’s office, is that you will be examined by a doctor who can properly diagnose your skin condition. Some brown lesions are dangerous and require medical assessment and should not be treated with IPL. If you have Rosacea or major blood vessels in your face, is another treatment is required. These are medical treatments and should be done in a doctor’s office. Your skin will be evaluated for more serious skin conditions, and you will get more effective IPL skin care treatments.

How do I find a good doctor to do my IPL Skin Care Treatment?

Light laser-based and non-surgical skin rejuvenation treatments are best done by a doctor who is well trained and have specialized in anti-aging skin treatments. Your safest bet is to seek consultation with board certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist who has experience with laser and light based treatments such as IPL Light.

I is of course biased because I am a board certified plastic surgeon. However, a plastic surgeon trained and able to offer the full range of non-surgical and surgical skin anti-aging procedures and skin treatments can adapt to your unique face. Doctors can not provide all the treatments are tempted to “fit your unique face” into the skin special treatment they offer, and it is not the best situation for you.

Good sources honest objective information about choosing a doctor is available the following sources:

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons

The American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons