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 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.
Contact Le Reve Skincare & Laser Center in Fort Worth, TX for more information about IPL treatment. We would love to help you get youthful-looking skin with this amazing technology.
