Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL)

How IPL Can Give You

the Skin of your Dreams

When we imagine getting our best skin, oftentimes we see ourselves tanning just for that perfect sun-kissed glow, or else smearing creams on our t-zone to get rid of our stubborn acne. But perfect skin can be so much more than no acne. What if you could also reduce age spots, wrinkles, freckles, even unwanted hair?

There are treatments that can help with these skin issues. Laser therapy has been around for many years and has seen great success. But traditional laser therapy often comes with a side of skin damage, and what good is lasering away your freckles if it’s just going to make your skin worse in the long run?

Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL) is similar to laser therapy except for two key ways: it doesn’t cause skin damage, and it’ll cost you about half of what laser therapy would.

Intense Pulsed Light Therapy

IPL is essentially a flash of light (think like a photo flash) that penetrates directly to the second layer of skin. The energy will absorb directly into specific cells, and once the energy is absorbed, the heat from the energy will kill the cell.

IPL can be used to treat unwanted pigmentation by focusing the energy on pigment cells, or else it can be used to treat unwanted hair by focusing energy on hair follicles (killing the follicle prevents hair from regrowing).

IPL will work best on areas of the skin which are even, and is not recommended for people who tend to get thick, raised keloid scars. IPL works most effectively on lighter skinned and lighter haired patients.

How is IPL Different from Laser Therapy?

Laser therapy treats the skin from the top layer down. The energy is directed on the surface of the skin, and works its way down to the desired pigment cells/follicles for treatment. This can leave residual damage to the topmost layer of skin, resulting in long term skin damage.

Due to its scattered nature, IPL reaches the second layer of the skin, keeping your epidermis safe from the energy designed to damage.

IPL will also cost you less than most other options. On average, laser therapy will cost between $1100-$2300, whereas IPL can cost as low as $700, and doesn’t tend to go above $1200.

IPL is an amazing way to feel good about the skin you’re in. Ask your doctor if you think IPL could be your ticket to a blemish-free existence.