Have you noticed changes in facial skin tone, inflammation or overactive small blood vessels?
Your skin tone and texture may have changed due to sun damage, aging, acne scarring and certain conditions, such as rosacea.
You may have noticed overactive small blood vessels (capillaries), hyperpigmentation, discoloration, age spots/sun spots, broken capillaries, unwanted hair, fine lines or inflammation.
When medications or topical treatments aren’t helping your skin texture and tone, facial light therapy may be a good treatment option. IPL is one type of laser skin resurfacing.
What is intense pulsed light treatment?
Intense pulsed light (IPL) treatments target blood vessels below the skin’s surface and within the deep layers of the skin. Pulses of light stimulate production of collagen and elastin while cauterizing (burning off) overactive capillaries.
Laser treatments usually target a specific area and depth, while IPL covers a wide area of skin and a deeper range of skin depth, allowing many issues to be treated at once.
IPL is offered as part of Med Spa services at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. You’ll schedule your appointment with experts in the Department of Ophthalmology (eye care).
How much does IPL treatment cost?
The cost of IPL can vary depending on the number of treatment areas (face, neck, etc.) as well as the number of sessions needed to achieve your desired result.
As treatment for a cosmetic condition, IPL typically is not covered by insurance, although there are some exceptions. Contact your doctor’s office to get a cost estimate prior to your appointment.
What areas of concern can IPL treat?
- Uneven skin texture, including fine lines
- Uneven skin tone, such as sunspots, overactive capillaries and pigmentation
- Unwanted facial hair
- Chalazions and styes
- Dry eyes and ocular surface disease
- Ocular/facial rosacea and dry eye (blepharitis) caused by overactive blood vessels
- Demodex mites (microscopic bugs that live on the eyelashes)
Our ophthalmologists are experts in administering these treatments while protecting the health and safety of your eyes. Treatment can target your entire face, but also the eyelids and the orbital area.
IPL for facial rejuvenation
Facial treatment includes ResurFX lasering, photorejuvenation and photofractional treatments. ResurFX treatments use a nonablative laser attachment for IPL technology that targets skin texture (nonablative lasers resurface skin texture without harming skin structure). Photorejuvenation treatment uses IPL technology to target skin tone. Photofractional treatment refers to the use of sequential treatment of IPL and ResurFX.
ResurFX treatment can visibly improve:
- Fine lines
- Skin texture
- Overall skin appearance
Photorejuvenation can visibly improve:
- Pigmentation
- Age/sunspots
- Broken capillaries
- Overall skin appearance
Photofractional combines ResurFX and IPL technology to visibly improve:
- Fine lines
- Skin texture
- Pigmentation
- Age/sunspots
- Broken capillaries
- Overall skin appearance
How IPL works for facial rejuvenation
Both IPL and ResurFX technologies can be used in the same treatment session. Stellar M22 IPL technology removes both unwanted pigmentation and blood vessels from the skin, while the ResurFX fractional laser stimulates the production of new collagen and elastic fibers in the deeper layers of the skin.
To ensure utmost comfort, your physician typically applies a topical numbing cream before treatment and uses air cooling during treatment. Depending on your specific concern, you can expect the session to last between 15 and 30 minutes. You may experience a warm or prickling sensation as the laser is applied to the skin, but the treatment is gentle and shouldn’t feel uncomfortable or painful.
Results of IPL facial treatment
Typically, about three sessions are needed to have visible improvement in the skin texture and fine lines. Optimal results are achieved after three to five sessions in two-to-six-week intervals.