The secret to natural-looking under eye wrinkle treatment is Ipl laser. It’s a non-invasive, non-surgical procedure that can be performed in minutes and has no downtime.
Ipl laser for under eye wrinkles works by using an intense pulse of light to stimulate collagen production. This stimulates the skin to produce new collagen, which helps to tighten the skin around the eyes and improve the appearance of wrinkles. The treatment can also be used to treat other areas such as the forehead and neck.
Ipl laser for under eye wrinkles
If you have some unwanted signs of aging, you don’t have to live with them. The technology behind modern skincare offers a range of amazing solutions, including IPL treatment. IPL stands for intense pulsed light. The facials that use this technology use a hand-held device that treats the skin with special wavelengths to target the signs of aging. At Le Reve Skincare & Laser Center in Fort Worth, TX, we recommend this approach for people who want to improve the appearance of sun spots, facial redness, and fine lines.
What Is an IPL Treatment?
This IPL facial treatment, which is sometimes referred to as a photofacial or photorejuvenation, is a way to restore evenness to your skin’s texture by stimulating collagen and heating up cells that have acquired a dark pigmentation over time. The device emits a broad spectrum of wavelengths that are attracted to the brown and red areas of your skin. When the cells in these areas heat up, they diminish and are absorbed back into your body, giving you a more evenly colored complexion.
This is similar to a laser treatment with one key difference. Most lasers only emit one wavelength and are used for a single purpose, such as removing tattoo ink. IPL devices use a spectrum that can address multiple signs of aging at the same time. This is helpful for people who want to achieve a generally youthful appearance because aging usually shows itself in several different ways. For example, you might have both facial redness and sun spots.
Which Signs of Aging Can Improve With IPL?
Fine Lines
What Causes Them?
In your 20s or 30s, you might start to notice fine lines appearing on your face. This happens as a result of genetics, sun damage, and several other factors. Collagen is a protein that plays a very important role in maintaining a youthful appearance by giving our skin an elastic quality. When we are young, our skin produces it in great quantities. After age 30, the production decreases by 1% to 2% every year. This natural process is accelerated by exposure to UV rays, which can damage cells and inhibit their ability to make collagen. Another collagen-limiting factor is cortisol, the hormone we produce when we are stressed.
A lack of collagen alone does not cause our fine lines. They appear as a result of facial expressions. When the skin on our face moves, it folds and creases in certain areas. In people who have an abundance of collagen, the skin can relax back into its original position without acquiring any creases. In older people, however, fine lines start to form in places where the skin folds repeatedly.
How Does IPL Help?
In the process of heating up your skin, IPL encourages the production of more collagen. It stimulates the natural process by which your body repairs all kinds of damage. Once produced, the collagen goes to work on improving the effects of sun damage and the other factors that make your skin look more age. After IPL, you will notice a big improvement in the appearance of your fine lines.
Sun Spots
What Causes Them?
Sun spots are the little brown dots that start to sprinkle your skin as you get older. They are especially common in people over the age of 50, but they can occur in younger people as well. UV exposure is the main cause of sun spots. The harmful rays from the sun cause certain cells to produce too much melanin, which is responsible for the color of your skin. As a result, clusters of darkly pigmented cells start to form, showing up as spots. You might have a few large ones, many smaller ones, or a combination.
Sun spots are most common on areas of your body that are uncovered by clothing when you go outside. They include the:
- Face
- Arms
- Hands
- Chest
How Does IPL Help?
When you get an IPL treatment, the beams are attracted to the color of the cells that show dark pigmentation. These wavelengths heat them up until they are destroyed. Afterward, your body will clear the targeted cells naturally and create new tissue to replace them. This eliminates the brown spots.
Facial Redness
What Causes It?
Some redness in your face is temporary. Your skin might flush after a good workout or get a little sunburn after a day at the beach. However, when your skin is consistently red in certain areas, it is usually a sign of aging. This happens as thousands of tiny blood vessels become damaged and show at the surface. Because this occurs over time, it is more apparent in older people.
How Does IPL Help?
IPL repairs facial redness in a way that is similar to its treatment of sun spots. The wavelengths are attracted to the redness of the damaged areas. Next, the targeted cells heat up and the visible blood vessels are destroyed, leaving clearer skin.
General Lack of Brightness
What Causes It?
As we get older, our skin loses some of the youthful glow we enjoyed when we were young. This happens as we develop an uneven texture and lose the ability to fully rejuvenate our cells.
How Does IPL Help?
By helping our bodies produce more collagen, IPL can brighten the skin and increase its smoothness. As a result, you will enjoy a rejuvenated appearance overall in addition to improvements in specific areas.
The Benefits of IPL Treatment
It Is Gentle on Your Skin
IPL is a safe, noninvasive treatment that doesn’t have any set downtime. Unlike methods that remove the upper layer of your skin, IPL penetrates below the epidermis. It can therefore treat the elements that cause the signs of aging without damaging the surface of your skin. Its gentleness makes it a good alternative to chemical peels, facelifts, and other more intense measures. After this treatment, most patients can go about their day as usual.
It Is a Fast, Straightforward Treatment
Getting IPL usually takes 30 minutes or less. You might even be able to schedule your appointment on your lunch break.
It Can Treat Almost Any Area of the Body
Sun damage and aging skin occur in areas other than your face. Any part of your body that tends to be exposed to UV rays is prone to developing the signs of aging faster. IPL is safe and effective almost anywhere. The benefits are the same whether you are treating your hands, your chest, or your face. Many people use this treatment in multiple places for an all-over rejuvenated appearance.
The Results Last
You can expect your skin to show the benefits of IPL for years after your treatment. The first results will start to appear about a week after your appointment and will continue to develop as time passes. Many patients opt to maximize their results by doing a series of three to five sessions. These sessions are spaced about one month apart. The reason for this is that our skin turns over every month.
Your skin will continue to age visibly after the treatment, and new spots may appear after we clear away the old ones. However, IPL can be an ongoing part of your skincare routine. After their initial series, many patients come in every year for a touch-up appointment.
It Can Complement a Healthy Skin Regimen
After having IPL, most patients are inspired to take better care of their skin. Good skincare can be achieved through a combination of regular at-home practices and professional treatments. Each day, you should wear SPF, drink plenty of water, and eat nutritious foods. In the morning and at night, you should cleanse your skin and moisturize it. At-home exfoliating is recommended about twice a week, with more frequency or less depending on your condition.
Professional treatments like IPL can go a long way to maintain the optimal health and appearance of your skin. They can maximize the results of the things you do every day to keep your skin looking great. While your at-home routine is very important, IPL can go beyond the results you can achieve with over-the-counter products. For that reason, consistent care at home and IPL are an excellent combination when it comes to your appearance.
It Treats a Variety of Concerns
As we get older, our skin changes in a number of ways. IPL is an excellent option for people who want to address many of the signs of aging with one treatment. You can greatly improve fine lines, sun spots, redness, and dull skin, all with the power of light.
It Uses Advanced Technology to Achieve Amazing Results
The world of skincare has entered a new era of effectiveness. In the past, most people just had to live with the signs of aging. The topical creams that have been used for centuries usually do little beyond moisturizing the skin. While traditional facials feel good and can hydrate your skin, they do not usually have lasting results. On the other end of the spectrum, surgical procedures like facelifts have been around for decades, but not everyone is drawn to them.
Laser treatments and IPL can improve your skin in ways that would have been impossible in times gone by. By harnessing the healing potential of light, you can take years off your appearance. Getting an IPL treatment is a great way to take advantage of state-of-the-art developments in the world of skincare.
Schedule a Consultation
If you would like to know more about what IPL can do for your skin, come in for a consultation. We would love to show you our facilities and take the opportunity to get to know you. When you visit us in person, you can ask us all of your questions and tell us about what results you would like to achieve.
During the consultation, we will take a look at any areas that you want treated. You can point out the specific sun spots or areas of redness that you want to address. When we see the current condition of your skin, we can tell you about the options that will work best in your case. Together, we can create a plan that will give you beautifully rejuvenated skin.
Get Younger Looking Skin With IPL
IPL offers an effective modern approach to skin rejuvenation. It targets many concerns to achieve an overall glow, giving you a beautifully even appearance. Sun spots, facial redness, and fine lines are no match for the power of light. This treatment provides long-lasting results and can give your skin the professional attention it deserves.
Best home ipl for dark spots
Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy is typically used for hair removal, but it can also be an effective way to reduce skin pigmentation issues. But how does it work and is at-home IPL for dark spots—i.e. the DIY option—a safe solution?
Whether you call them age spots, sun spots or just pesky annoyances, those dark spots on your complexion can be tough to get rid of. They’re caused by pigment-making cells called melanocytes that live under the surface of your skin. As your skin matures, or gets aggravated by sun exposure, those melanocytes get to work, producing melanin that leaves you with the appearance of dark spots.
So how exactly do you get rid of them? While you might have considered using at-home laser hair removal for, you know, actual hair removal—it’s also effective when it comes to erasing dark spots too.
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We spoke with several skincare experts to learn more about how (and how well) intense pulsed light treatments help clear up pigmentation issues—and whether it’s something you should try at home.
WHAT IS AN IPL TREATMENT?
How does IPL therapy work, then?
“IPL uses light energy at different specific wavelengths to treat many skin concerns,” explains Dr. Robert Morrell, M.D., founder and director of Medical Rejuvenation Centre(opens in new tab) and Di Morelli Skin Care(opens in new tab).
“It’s used for many therapeutic purposes due to the broad spectrum of wavelengths in IPL treatments,” he says. More specifically, IPL can be used to treat pigmentation, rosacea, veins, acne and hair removal, too.
HOW DOES IPL HELP REDUCE DARK SPOTS?
As Dr. Morrell explains, “IPL works to fade dark spots by selectively heating up the brown color with a band of light specific for brown pigment. Typically, these spots will become coffee-like granules that will shed off on the surface of the skin in five to seven days.”
When the light penetrates your skin, the targeted heat zaps only the spots with excess melanin, and leaves the rest alone. It works to eliminate the pigmentation that you see toward the surface of your skin so that you can naturally slough off or exfoliate those cells.
Unfortunately, IPL doesn’t permanently stop or remove melanocytes from producing melanin, so your dark spots will likely return in time. However, a lot of women see significant reductions in visible dark spots after professional treatments.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF USING AN IPL LASER AT HOME?
So if getting IPL done in a professional setting works well on dark spots, can we try at-home IPL for dark spots? Using this kind of advanced technology at home sounds like risky business—and, according to the experts we consulted, it is.
“In the last few years, there has been a rapid increase in home light devices that have had very little testing,” says plastic, reconstructive, and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Simone Matousek(opens in new tab). “Home IPL devices are unregulated and should not be used for management of pigmentation, or any skin problems,” she advises.
Both doctors noted that these DIY devices aren’t really strong enough to produce significant results. In fact, they can actually cause “darkening of pigmentation, as the intensity of home IPL units is too weak,” says Dr. Morrell. “And, if the intensity is stronger, there is a possibility of burns.”
So, zapping your skin with an at-home IPL device might actually worsen your unwanted dark spots, by making them even darker.
“Even in the hands of trained medical practitioners, an IPL device can cause side effects,” adds Dr. Matousek. Clinical trials(opens in new tab) have found that these can include redness, rashes, blistering, swelling, and hypopigmentation—patches of skin lightening—in addition to dark spots. If powerful IPL technology is misused, it can even lead to eye injuries and scarring.
AT-HOME IPL VS PROFESSIONAL IPL
If you’re comparing at-home IPL devices against professional-grade equipment, the latter will always be safer and more sophisticated.
“The more high-end IPL devices that are operated in medical practices are more tunable, have more precise targeting of skin problems, and are safer in darker skin types. Medical-grade broadband light is one such device, and is more effective and has inbuilt cooling to make it safe,” explains Dr. Matousek.
She continued, “At-home devices will likely be too weak to have any real impact, as any manufacturer would be worried about the potential of being sued. The machines that will actually have a real impact on skin problems are way more powerful than is safe for any consumer to use.”
Moreover, despite how easy at-home IPL for dark spots might sound, managing pigmentation concerns isn’t as simple as zapping your skin a few times. According to Dr. Matousek, “It requires correct topical medication before and after such treatments; some of these can only be prescribed by a doctor.”
So, if an at-home IPL product promises to clear up dark spots in no time—without any medical oversight, topical treatment, or training—it’s probably too good to be true.
HOW TO USE IPL TO TREAT DARK SPOTS
If you want to proceed with an IPL treatment for dark spots, “You should always go see a professional; do not try it at home,” advises Dr. Morrell.
The price tag for professional treatment might be higher, but experts advise against trying a DIY device as a way to cut costs on skincare.
As Dr. Matousek suggests, “Going to a trained plastic surgeon or dermatologist, having a proper skin assessment and treatment plan, and getting effective, evidence-based therapies is a far better use of time and money than buying a home device. There’s a reason the best lasers and light devices cost hundreds and thousands of dollars; they require precise engineering and regular checkups and tuning to keep your skin safe.”
CAN I STILL USE AN AT-HOME IPL FOR HAIR REMOVAL?
So, what if you’re already using an at-home IPL device for hair removal? Is that still safe?
These at-home devices aren’t suitable for treating skin pigmentation concerns, but they can be useful when it comes to hair removal.
Gia Jurosky, director of influencer marketing and brand strategy at RoseSkinCo(opens in new tab), a brand that makes an at-home IPL handset, notes that they are not intended as a treatment for your complexion. “While IPL can be used to treat acne scars, melasma, and other concerns, we recommend the devices for long-term hair removal,” she says. “Someone looking for an IPL skin treatment should consult a physician beforehand.”
At home ipl for dark spots
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At this point, anyone who feels compelled to try hair removal can choose from an array of options. From depilatory creams to sugaring to old-school razors, there are more ways to eliminate hair than you could count on both hands.
IPL hair removal is one common option, which offers a more lasting result than shaving or even waxing. (In fact, it was one of the top five most popular minimally-invasive procedures in 2020, according to the most recent Plastic Surgery Statistics Report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons [ASPS].) While you may associate the treatment with med spas, numerous at-home IPL devices have hit the market, promising an alternative for people who’d rather take matters into their own hands. If you’re wondering whether the ability to use the tech from your home is too good to be true, here’s the full scoop.
What are at-home IPL devices?
IPL stands for intense pulsed light, the form of scattered light that these handheld tools give off. “These are devices that emit a wide spectrum of light to treat the skin,” says Joshua Zeichner, M.D., director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. The technology is similar to but different from laser hair removal. “Technically [IPL devices] are not lasers since lasers emit only a single wavelength of light,” while IPL emits multiple wavelengths, explains Dr. Zeichner. (Related: Everything You Need to Know About Trying Laser Hair Removal at Home)
IPL can be used to treat brown spots or broken capillaries and redness in addition to its application in reducing hair production. “Different filters are used to limit the light that is delivered by the device to offer a customized treatment that addresses your particular need,” says Dr. Zeichner.
“[IPL] uses a big [dose] of light to capture certain targets in the skin,” says Azadeh Shirazi, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist at La Jolla Laser Dermatology. “In terms of hair removal, the target would be melanin.” (Reminder: Melanin is a natural pigment in your skin and hair.) When the goal is hair removal, IPL devices are filtered to emit light at a wavelength of 600 to 700 nanometers, which can selectively heat and destroy melanin without heating the surrounding skin, she explains. When the light heats the melanin in a hair follicle, that causes the strand of hair to fall out and kills the hair follicle, thereby decreasing regrowth. (Although it takes multiple sessions to achieve full results, which only ever amounts to a reduction of hair growthrather than permanently eliminating new growth, according to Dr. Shirazi.)
Home IPL devices — e.g. Kenzzi, SmoothSkin, and Braun IPL devices — use the same technology at lower energies compared to what the pros use, according to Dr. Zeichner. Of course, that comes with a tradeoff. “The IPL devices in the office are obviously going to be a lot more powerful and hopefully are being used by trained professionals, whereas the IPL devices at home are going to be much weaker in terms of the amount of energy that they’re able to deliver so the results aren’t going to be as good,” says Dr. Shirazi. That said, a small study on at-home IPL devices published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology reported a 78 percent reduction in amount of hair at the one-month mark and a 72 percent reduction after three months, with participants receiving biweekly treatments with an at-home device over the course of six weeks.
What are the perks of using at-home IPL devices?
You can use at-home IPL devices on any area of the body where hair is found, whether that means treating your facial hair or giving yourself a full Brazilian, according to Dr. Shirazi. Investing in an at-home IPL device can also save you money compared to in-office treatments. Home IPL devices typically cost around $150 to several hundred dollars, while the average cost of a single session of professional IPL cost roughly $412 in 2020, according to the ASPS report. Most people need six to 12 IPL treatments to achieve full results, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Then there’s the convenience factor. Switching to using an IPL at home will save you time if you normally shave. To give you an idea, Braun recommends using its Silk Expert Pro 5 once a week for four to 12 weeks, then every one to two months for maintenance. Taking matters into your own hands also eliminates any awkwardness you might feel around having a stranger treat your bikini area while you attempt to make small talk. (Related: How to Shave Your Bikini Area Without Causing Irritation)
What are the downsides of trying IPL at home?
IPL can be moderately painful. It also comes with potential side effects, which is one reason why Corey L. Hartman, M.D., F.A.A.D., a board-certified dermatologist in Birmingham, Alabama, finds the idea of putting the technology in the hands of non-professionals unsettling. When used improperly, IPL can cause “blistering, redness, scarring, discoloration, hyperpigmentation, pain, oozing, or crusting,” says Dr. Hartman. “IPL devices are not casual.”
“I’ve seen some terrible burns and terrible scarring from IPL done in the office and done at home,” echoes Dr. Shirazi. “It’s tricky because you’re playing around with energy and heat and if the skin absorbs all of that, you can certainly get a burn.”
Additionally, both IPL and laser devices have the potential to do the exact opposite of what you want. “If you use conservative settings or low energy settings of light to try to remove hair,” you can actually stimulate growth,says Dr. Shirazi. “You could end up with a condition called paradoxical hair stimulation from laser treatments. The low energy is not enough to chill the hair follicle, but it’s enough to stimulate the hair follicle to grow.” That’s why you may have heard of low-level laser-emitting caps designed to promote hair growth.
Another major downside? IPL isn’t well-suited to dark skin tones or light-colored hair. “IPL is high-risk for people with dark skin tones,” who naturally have more melanin, according to Dr. Shirazi. “What happens, as the light passes through it’s going to capture the melanin on the surface of the skin. The more melanin there is on the surface of the skin the more likely it is to absorb all the energy, and then you can end up with a burn.” IPL device brands often provide charts on their websites indicating which skin tones should avoid using their products altogether.
All in all, is at-home IPL worth trying?
The experts interviewed for this story were divided on whether at-home IPL is worthwhile or even okay to try. If you buy an at-home IPL device, you can assume that it uses lower energy than professional devices, making it safe to use at home, says Dr. Zeichner. “The biggest potential risk associated with using IPL devices is the development of hyperpigmentation,” he says. “This risk is very low with at-home devices because of the safety measures put in place that allow them to be used without professional supervision.”
Not everyone gives at-home IPL devices a thumbs up. Any IPL device will be either be able to “really do some harm” or they’ll be ineffective, and that there’s no in-between, says Dr. Hartman. “I don’t understand at-home IPL devices,” he says. “I’m scared of them. I do not recommend.”
IPL technology is better suited for treating brown spots, redness, and sun damage than hair removal, he adds. When his patients ask him about IPL for hair removal, Dr. Hartman steers them toward laser hair removal instead. More specifically, Nd:YAG and alexandrite laser hair removal are ideal for dark and light skin tones, respectively, he says.”They just work better, and they have more science and studies behind them,” says Dr. Hartman. (Related: I Was ~This Close~ to Lasering Off My Pubes for Life—Here’s What Stopped Me)
Finally, IPL is fine to try at home provided you a) don’t have a dark skin tone, b) have read up on IPL, and c) have managed your expectations, in Dr. Shirazi’s opinion. “I always recommend that people do a test spot, wait a day or two and make sure that your skin is not reacting in an adverse fashion,” before using one of the devices on a large area, she says. Another pointer: “You have to be really careful around going around curved areas, so particularly around the bikini or contours of the face it’s really important to have good contact [between your skin and] the device, because if you’re at an angle or you don’t have full contact of the light with the skin you could just be delivering pure heat rather than the light,” preventing the device from functioning properly, she adds.
If you’re after a dramatic reduction in hair growth, it’s probably best to visit a pro, since they’ll use a much more powerful device, says Dr. Shirazi. “I think [at-home IPL] is fine to use as a maintenance treatment but it’s really not going to work as effectively as in-office IPL.” And IPL in general is “much weaker” than lasers for hair removal to begin with, she adds.
One thing’s for sure: If you want to remove your body hair but at-home IPL doesn’t feel quite right, you’ve got plenty of other options to consider.