What is IPL?

IPL is a non-invasive approach to skin revitalization using Cutera’s LimeLight. The procedure offers the advantage of improving skin tone and surface imperfections associated with aging and photodamage.

What areas can be treated?

IPL is ideal for any part of your face, neck and décolleté with skin redness, telangiectasia (tiny veins) or brown spots. Light (low contrast) brown spots, which were previously difficult to resolve, respond very well to treatment.

What does the treatment do?

By selecting Program A, B or C, your practitioner can customize IPL to your skin type and selectively treat the brown and/or red pigmented areas on your skin. It’s the heating of the pigmented brown or red cells that causes the therapeutic effect.

What do treatments feel like?

When the pulse of light is delivered, patients will experience a mild pinching or stinging sensation. Gel is recommended to cool the skin before vascular treatments. Anesthesia or pain medicine is typically not required.

How long will the treatments take?

Treatment time depends on the area of the body being treated. However, most treatments should take less than one hour.

How many treatments will I need?

One to three treatments are usually sufficient to see results. Additional treatments may be recommended, especially for excessively sun-damaged skin.

What happens after the treatment?

Immediately following treatment, brown spots will start to darken and your skin may appear slightly red. The treated area may be mildly swollen. This typically lasts a few hours and possibly a day or longer. Make-up can be applied to cover the redness.

When will I see results?

Within one to three weeks, the darkened spots will flake off and fade. Diffuse redness or telangiectasia will decrease and your mottled complexion will improve. Will the spots and redness reappear over time? New brown spots, telangiectasia and diffuse redness may appear with new sun damage; however they too can be treated. Remember to always apply broad-spectrum sunscreen when outdoors to minimize sun damage and the appearance of new spots and diffuse redness. Rosacea is chronic and cannot be “cured” with any laser or light source, however its appearance can be improved.