Sometimes the suggestion of IPL or Laser treatments to clients can initially seem a bit extreme or scary, often summoning images of bright red or peeling skin... however the development in technology of treatment machines has advanced hugely in recent years allowing us to offer safe and extremely effective results with little to no downtime.
It can often be a case of finding the right aesthetician who understands your skin and knows how you might benefit from these treatments. Laser and IPL can fit really well in a skin plan combined with other treatments such as Peels, LED and Radiofrequency.
IPL, intense pulse light as it is more commonly known, doesn't have to be used over the full face, this can be targeted at smaller areas of concern whether that be thread veins around the cheek and nose area or pigmentation marks on the cheekbone, temples or forehead or it can be tailored to an all over rejuvenation and evening of the skin tone.
How does it work?
Rebright IPL works on blood vessels, pigment and tone.
When we are treating blood vessels; these are vessels which are no longer used by the body which is why they are visible and damaged on the surface of the skin. This can be due to skin conditions, trauma to the skin or UV damage. The light heats up the vessel, causing the blood to coagulate within the vessel, as we are telling the body this is no longer being used. Your body then absorbs it, and over the following weeks the damaged vessels are absorbed naturally by the body and taken away through the lymphatic system.
Types of vascular lesions we can treat:
Thread veins
Rosacea
Spider naevi
Campbell de Morgan
Port wine stains
Typically 1- 6 treatments may be needed.
When we are treating pigmentation we use slightly different settings to allow us to reach the melanin (pigment). In the same method light is absorbed into the skin causing the cells to heat up, this breaks up the pigment beneath the skin. The pigment is pulled to the surface of the skin and can initially appear darker; over the following weeks it will gradually flake away leaving little trace of the mark.
Pigmented lesions that can be treated:
Age spots/ liver spots
Sun spots
Freckles
Seborrheic keratoses
1-3 treatments may be needed.
Both of these treatments also help to stimulate collagen production helping with anti-ageing, alongside the benefit of evening the tone of the skin. After both these treatments the skin can feel slightly warm and have some redness or darker spots depending on what's being treated. This will subside within the first 12 hours.
Resurface Fractional Laser is a treatment for the full face. The laser handpiece targets tiny sections of the skin with laser light, creating microscopic holes in the top-most layers of the skin. The skin appears tighter due to immediate collagen shrinkage and is followed by long-term stimulation of fibroblasts, which are the cells which will produce new collagen over the following months.
This process retextures the skin for maximum smoothness, reducing the appearance of lines, tightening pores, and erasing irregularities, resulting in dramatic skin renewal.
You can expect your skin to feel warm and red for up to 24 hours after your treatment. It is also normal for your skin to feel tight and flaky skin for a few days after. Once the flaking subsides your skin will feel silky soft!
Typical number of treatments recommended for best results is 3-6. Or as part of a Skin Health Programme.
IPL or Laser are beneficial for most skin types, whether that be a full face treatment or more targeted areas. All of our treatments are able to be tailored to each individual and their skin needs. Begin your skin journey with us today with a consultation to find out how we can help your skin.