Benign pigmented lesions such as age spots, sun damage and birthmarks lend themselves well to correction with IPL treatment. This non-invasive treatment has very few side-effects when in competent hands, and allows you resume activities immediately after treatment.

IPL™ is a non invasive treatment that involves no down time for the patient.  Typically, one week prior to the start of treatment the patient is required to undergo a ‘patch test’ to see how the skin responds to treatment. The information gathered from this is used to optimise the patient’s treatment plan. During each treatment session the patient is required to wear dark glasses or black out goggles to protect his/her eyes from the bright light.  After application of a cool gel to the skin, the smooth glass surface of the IPL hand piece is gently applied to the patient’s skin and pulses of light are delivered to break up red capillaries/veins, pigmentation, rosacea and boost collagen to the skin’s surface. This evens out the skin tone and produces smoother skin and a more youthful look. Patients usually require a series of 4-6 monthly treatments. Facial treatment takes about 20-30 minutes. The skin is cooled down afterwards for 10-15 minutes and Aloe Vera gel is applied to soothe the treated area.

The procedure entails momentary discomfort, akin to being hit by an elastic band, at the time of delivery of each pulse of light. The patient may experience a feeling of mild sunburn for a few hours after treatment. All side effects are rare and machine operator and/or protocol dependent. Side effects include localised redness and swelling, loss or unevenness of skin colour in dark skinned people, superficial burns, scarring, and skin infection.

Patients must not be tanned if they want to have IPL photorejuvenation, as their skin will react adversely to the treatment. Furthermore patients need to be careful in avoiding the sun for up to a year post treatment as their skin becomes more sensitive to the sun as a result of treatment.