Intense pulsed light (IPL), is a technology aimed at producing light of high intensity during a very short period of time. IPL laser (Intense Pulsed Light) is also known as photorejuvenation or photofacial; IPL can be used to treat sun damage, wrinkles, stretch marks, and age spot. It is a new reality of the high street that establishments formerly known as beauty salons are reinventing themselves as medical aestheticians, touting a quasi-scientific approach to skincare. Along with cosmetic dentists offering teeth-whitening treatments, this new breed are poised to transform the looks of the nation, catering less to regular maintenance regimes than to our growing reliance on instant makeovers and the holy grail of new technology.
Though their treatments are far from cheap, a growing number of us are signing up for novel therapies, particularly Intense Pulsed Light (IPL), or Photo Rejuvenation, as it's more commonly known. Developed in hospitals where treatment was originally given under the guidance of physicians, independent salons registered with the Healthcare Commission (England's healthcare watchdog) are now able to charge between £50-£200 a session, delivering intense bursts of red or blue light directly to the skin.
Intense Pulse Light, or IPL is a new and exciting way to improve and rejuvenate the skin. Unlike a laser, which emits one specific wavelength of light, IPL emits a broad spectrum of light with each pulse. The broad spectrum of light in each pulse allows us to treat a variety of skin imperfections at the same time. The state of the art machine we use is the Lumenis One, one of the most advanced IPL units produced. Treatments are quick and effective with very little downtime.
IPL promises a panoply of benefits: from hair removal to the eradication of rosacea and the blitzing of spider veins, from improved skin texture and pigmentation to the banishing of fine lines and wrinkles; even an end to acne and a reversal of some of the signs of sun damage. Several treatments are usually recommended, so IPL could represent quite a significant investment, but despite the credit crunch there appears to be no shortage of customers.
I decided to give it a go. The promise of regained youth was not high on my agenda. Instead, my aim was to get rid of some small broken veins on my face and chest.
Descriptions of the IPL process and its possible side-effects are fairly standard across all practitioners. Typically, we are told that it feels like a mild "pinging" on the skin and that there may be "warm tingling sensations". Which all sounds rather lovely. Generally, we are told that it can feel like an elastic band snapped on the skin, but that discomfort is "momentary" and occasional small bruises will vanish with the application of arnica cream. More to the point, "downtime" is brushed aside: most claim that IPL can be undertaken in a lunch hour, and that your colleagues will be none the wiser.
Let me take the rose-tinted specs from your eyes. My hour-long process to fix a handful of spider-veins was as painful as childbirth. Rather than "mild warmth" I felt I was descending into the seventh circle of hell and, afterwards, as if I had gone sunbathing on Bondi Beach with a bottle of baby oil. The burning sensation lasted a good 12 hours, mitigated only by endless packs of frozen peas. But it's not just a question of pain thresholds. Who knows? Perhaps mine is lower than average.
More to the point, my face swelled to almost twice its size and stayed that way for the best part of a week, despite doses of antihistamine.
The last of several livid purple bruises faded two weeks later. Most irritating of all, despite having exactly the kind of fair skin that apparently responds best to the treatment, no one I know can see any improvement at all. It seems that I might as well have chucked 200 quid down the gurgler.
Now, I've talked to women who swear they found IPL painless, and to others who loathed it (one said she cried throughout each of her hour-long sessions) but who are evangelical about the results. They go back time after time. Equally, it is not hard to find others who would ''rather be tortured by the Gestapo'' than endure it again and who, like me, were unconvinced.
Whether or not my experience was extreme, we should remember that practitioners require no medical qualifications and that the Healthcare Commission relies on clinic self-assessment, inspecting on average only once every five years. Reactions to IPL will vary according to skin type, but the majority of providers – when asking for your "informed consent" – play down both the discomfort and the potentially debilitating side-effects. Ask for a patch-test before embarking on the treatment. Either that, or plan to live in a cupboard for up to a week post-consultation, just in case.
Light therapy looks set to be a long-term trend, though the jury is still out on whether this is a miracle cure or a waste of cash. It's certainly not for me. In fact, I've learned a valuable lesson: there is such a thing as a deal of pain for absolutely no gain at all.
What is possible
The most common application of IPL is a skin rejuvenation technique known as FotoFacial (also PhotoFacial). This treatment provides an average of 70 percent improvement in the signs of sun damage (redness, brown spots, etc). There may also be some improvement in wrinkles, pore size and flushing. An entire zone, such as the face, is treated during each treatment The sessions are scheduled every 3 weeks. Using a numbing cream (discussed later) immediately before the session may reduce any discomfort. Usually the treated skin stays red for 1-3 days and there may be a little bruising. Brown spots that have been treated usually flake off within 5-7 days. Most people can go back to work right away.
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In addition, IPL may be used with different parameters for a variety of other conditions such as port-wine stains, hemangiomas, brown spots, scars, blood vessels, rosacea, acne and more. Displayed below is a patient treated at Baylor Dermatology for poikiloderma (redness on the neck) with 2 IPL treatments. A consultation will determine If you might be a good candidate for treatment.
