Cosmetic Surgery

IPL Photofacial

FAQs | Costs | Book An Appointment

IPL Photofacial

What is the IPL photofacial?

IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light; it is the concept where a mix of specific Light Energy Wavelengths is applied to the skin surface. The IPL energy will heat up different depths or layers of the skin, resulting in Exfoliation, Pigmentation Reduction, and stim­u­la­tion of collagen produc­tion. It is one of the Non-invasive, Non-Ablative Skin Resurfacing Treatments.

What are the bene­fits of IPL Photofacial, and what is an IPL Photofacial good for?

The IPL Photofacial is a light-based skin treat­ment that uses a mix of light energy to reduce skin prob­lems like brown spots, red spots, sun damage, and rosacea. It can also be used for prob­lems like broken veins, broken capil­laries, redness, and spider veins. An IPL photo­fa­cial will also improve the impact of enlarged skin pores and light skin wrinkles. IPL is also one of the best hair reduc­tions (hair on the face, neck, back, chest, legs, under­arms, or bikini area) treat­ments for type 1–3 skin (fair to light olive-toned skin).

What is the differ­ence between IPL and Lasers?

IPL uses a mix of Light Energy Wavelengths that are tuned by chan­ging the Filters in front of a Light Source. LASER, which stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, emits just One Light Energy Wavelength, so it is a much more specific type of energy device.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I do IPL at home?

Yes, many devices are avail­able for use at home, while some users may benefit from these treat­ments. The majority of home users will never be able to get the results possible at the clinic, as the IPL at Clinic is a much more powerful and effective machine, while the home IPL devices will always be much weaker.

Are there any contraindications for an IPL photofacial?

You should not have an IPL treat­ment while you are on treat­ment with photo­sensit­izing medi­cines, like Roaccutane. You should also tell the treating doctor if you are on any blood-thinning medi­cines. You should also avoid an IPL photo­fa­cial if you have recently had a chem­ical peel or are applying creams that contain glycolic acid, sali­cylic acid, or vitamin A molecules, or other skin sens­it­izing creams.

Is the IPL Photofacial painful? Can I go back to work after my Photofacial treatment?

Depending on the settings used for you, you will feel a degree of warmth in the treated area. This can some­times feel like a hot rubber band snap­ping at your skin. Yes, you can return to work after this LUNCH HOUR treat­ment. You might need a little makeup to cover the redness if present.

How long does an IPL photofacial take?

On average, the IPL photo­fa­cial takes about 30–45 minutes at the clinic.

What is the aftercare routine after IPL Photofacial? What should I avoid after the session?

Besides the skin­care discussed above, you should certainly avoid any skin treat­ment like waxing, threading, chem­ical peel, filler injec­tion, or anti-wrinkle injec­tion till your skin has recovered completely, and your doctor has signed you off for these treat­ments. Till your skin is completely recovered, you need to avoid tanning beds and strong sun exposure.

What is the IPL photofacial recovery like, what to expect?

The skin type, skin problem being addressed, and the IPL machine’s strength influ­ence how long the IPL treated skin takes to heal. While you can do gentle cleansing the evening of the treat­ment, we advise you to start applying makeup only from the next morning (bearing in mind that all contact with the skin surface should be very gentle). Gentle pH Balanced Skin Cleansers, a good Moisturising Cream with Ceramides, and an SPF 30 + Moisturising Sunscreen will be needed till full recovery and beyond to main­tain the results. The pigment­a­tion on your skin and freckles will look darker for the first 5–7 days before they start redu­cing in appear­ance. You might notice sunburn-like dryness and tight­ness for 3–5 days and rarely will have light skin flaking. You can rarely suffer from bruising after treat­ment, which takes a couple of weeks to recover from.

Can IPL cause scarring? What are the possible risks, complications, and adverse effects?

As with any thera­peutic equip­ment, it is the operator’s skill set that influ­ences the incid­ence of complic­a­tions. Given that heat is gener­ated, there is always a risk of burns, dark­ening of pigment­a­tion, scars that can occur. You should, there­fore, choose the clinic with caution.

How many IPL photo facial treatments are needed?

IPL Hair Reduction is a cyclical treat­ment and will gener­ally require 5- 8 treat­ments, each at 4–6 weeks apart before a satis­factory reduc­tion is achieved. After this, you will require regular 3 ‑6 monthly main­ten­ance treatments.

For skin pigment­a­tion, broken veins, or exfo­li­ation, even a single IPL session might be enough, but some patients might need up to 3–6 treatments.

What are the pros and cons of IPL?

One of the pros of IPL is its versat­ility in the number of skin prob­lems it can help with. The cons are that the given mix of light ener­gies can rarely cause complic­a­tions like burns, pigment­a­tion, or scars. It is also relat­ively unsafe to use IPL for darker skin tones because of its lack of specificity.

What are the alternatives to IPL?

The options you have instead of IPL are Lasers, Fractional CO2 lasers (like SmartXide), Fractional Erbium YAG lasers (like Fraxel Re: store), Medical Microdermabrasion, Microneedling Radio Frequency or (MNRF).

Approximate Costs

An accurate estimate of the costs is only possible after an in-clinic consulta­tion with Dr Prashant. We charge a £50 deposit to secure your consulta­tion with Dr Prashant, this amount will be deducted from the costs of the treat­ment you go on to have at our clinic.

We don’t currently offer IPL at Reforme Medical, but refer our patient to our sister clinics in Cardiff, where the cost will vary from £60 – £250/treatment.