IPL/Photofacial uses light energy to target a certain color in your skin.

When the skin is heated, your body gets rid of the unwanted cells, and that gets rid of the thing you’re being treated for. Unlike lasers, an IPL device sends out more than one wavelength of pulsating light. It can treat a range of skin conditions at the same time. After IPL, you may look younger because your skin tone is more even. Since the light causes minimal damage to surrounding tissue, you can heal quickly.

Light-based hair removal in Seattle can be safely used on all skin types.

Photofacial works best if you have pale or light brown skin. Talk to your laser technician if you want to lessen or get rid of:

• Acne
• Birthmarks
• Stretch marks
• Liver or age spots
• Broken blood vessels
• Brown spots, also called liver or age spots
• Dark spots from hormonal changes
• Discolored skin
• Fine wrinkles
• Freckles
• Redness from rosacea
• Scars
• Spider veins
• Unwanted hair

light skin to very dark skin. It is most effective on individuals with dark hair. Candidates with very light or gray hair are not ideal. However, we will determine if you are a good candidate for the procedure based on a variety of factors during your consultation.

Talk to your doctor first if you:
Are pregnant
Have a skin condition
Take medication for other conditions

IPL/Photofacial isn’t a good idea if you:

• Are sensitive to light
• Have recently tanned your skin using sunlight, tanning beds, or tanning creams
• Might have skin cancer
• Use a retinoid cream
• Are very dark-skinned
• Have a skin resurfacing disorder
• Have severe scarring
• Have keloid scar tissue
• On the day of your appointment, avoid using perfume, makeup, and scented products that can irritate your skin.

How well IPL/Photofacial works can depend on what you want the treatment to fix.

Redness: After one to three treatments, light therapy can get rid of 50%-75% of broken blood vessels for most people. They could completely go away. While treated veins don’t come back, new ones might show up later.

If rosacea causes your face to flush, IPL can be a good alternative to laser therapy. You may have better results if:

• You’re under 40
• Your condition is moderate to severe
• Sun damage: You may see 70% less of the brown spots and redness caused by ultraviolet (UV) rays.

Hair removal: You’ll get the most benefit if you have light skin and dark hair. It may not work at all if you have dark skin or blond hair.

Acne: IPL may help if you have acne or the scarring it causes. You may need about six sessions to notice a difference. Research is continuing.

IPL is safe when done by a trained technician. But the treatment could cause hormonal brown spots to flare up. You could have other unwanted side effects.

Your skin could:

• Scar
• Hurt
• Swell
• Bleed
• Become infected
• Change color
• Get crusty
• Blister
• Contact your doctor if you feel sick after your treatment or your symptoms get worse.

Before the procedure, don’t:

Tan in the sun, in a tanning bed, or with tanning creams for 4 weeks before you go
Wax, or get a chemical peel or collagen shots for 2 weeks before
Wear perfume, makeup, deodorant, or any skin irritants
Take aspirin or another drug that can make you bleed more
Take any medication that will make you sun-sensitive; for example, the antibiotic doxycycline.
Once you’re there, a technician will rub gel on your clean skin. You’ll wear dark glasses to protect your eyes. The handheld IPL device will go right on your body. The session will probably last 30-45 minutes. Large areas could take an hour or more.

While most people are fine with the light pulses, the treatment could sting a little. It might feel like someone is snapping a rubber band on you.

It may feel like you have a sunburn for 4-6 hours after you’re finished. Ice packs or a cool washcloth can help you feel better.

Your skin may be red or bruised for a day or two. Some of your brown spots may get darker, but they should peel off within a few weeks.

While you heal:

• Don’t put on makeup if your skin hurts.
• Use moisturizing lotion.
• Protect yourself with sunscreen. Make sure it has an SPF of at least 30 and a physical blocker like zinc. Reapply it every 2 hours, even if it’s not sunny outside.
• Wash your face with cleanser for sensitive skin.
• Your dermatologist can tell you when it’s safe to return to your normal skin care routine. It might take a week.

Most people get between three and seven sessions. It depends on the condition you’re treating. You’ll wait 2-4 weeks between each visit. It may take several weeks for you to notice any changes in your skin.

IPL/Photofacial can make your skin look better, but it can’t stop future aging. It also can’t help the condition that affected your skin. You can get follow-up treatment once or twice a year to maintain your look.

Alternatives to IPL Treatment

These options also may treat your skin spots, fine lines, and redness.

• Microdermabrasion. This uses small crystals to gently buff off the top layer of your skin, called the epidermis.
• Chemical peels. This is similar to a microdermabrasion, except it uses chemical solutions applied to your face.
• Laser resurfacing. This removes the damaged outer layer of the skin to promote growth of collagen and new skin cells. Lasers use only one wavelength of light in a concentrated beam. IPL, on the other hand, uses pulses, or flashes, of several types of light to treat multiple skin issues

IPL is designed to treat age spots, sun damage and freckles on the face, neck, chest, arms, hands, legs and feet.

IPL is designed to treat spider veins and broken vessels on the face, neck, and some other areas of the body.

IPL can be safely used on most skin types. During your consultation, we will determine if you are a good candidate for the procedure based on a variety of factors.

You can expect to see a decrease in the appearance of brown spots, sun damage and vessels for a more even skin tone. You will see a continued improvement over the first 6 weeks after your treatment.

Depending on the size of the area and the condition being treated, the sessions could range anywhere from 5-30 minutes.

Most people feel only a slight “snap” like a rubber band followed by warmth of your skin. You will also feel cooling on your skin as the handpiece glides over the treatment area to help in providing a comfortable session.

Depending on the condition being treated, 3-6 treatment sessions are recommended for desired results.

Treatment sessions should be scheduled 3-4 weeks apart.

Treatment costs vary depending on the size of the area to be treated.

Specialized pulsed of optimized light are used to target brown spots, sun damage and vessels without harming the surrounding skin. These imperfections absorb the energy delivered to your skin causing them to slowly disappear through your body’s natural healing process.

You can resume regular daily activities immediately following treatment.

Immediately after the treatment, it is common to feel a mild sunburn-like sensation around the treatment site, which typically lasts 2-24 hours. Redness and/or swelling may accompany this and usually resolves in 2-3 days. We will discuss any other possible side effects and the necessary post-treatment care with you during the consultation, and it is also on your intake forms when booking your service.