IPL Photofacial in Vancouver, WA

From a spectator’s perspective, the treatment session looks like a handheld temperature gun placed on the patient’s skin, with flashes of light every few seconds. The device we use in our treatments is able to deliver a concentrated energy of 500-600 Newton Meters, which is a unit of torque where one Newton Meter equals 0.738 pounds-per-feet of torque. This energy mixed with the pulsing light stimulates collagen and encourages increased collagen production, which is what gives your skin a healthy shine.

From the patient’s perspective, you’ll be lying back in a comfortable chair with protective goggles over your eyes. The flash of light will be accompanied by a subtle elastic-band feeling and a pleasant warming sensation.

This treatment can diminish pigmented and vascular lesions. Since these can appear anywhere on the surface of the skin, you can use this treatment for just about any area on the body. For the majority of our IPL patients, we commonly treat the face, neck, arms and legs, hands, and décolletage.

Another, far lesser-known reason someone might seek out this treatment is for the permanent reduction of body hair. Many people successfully use IPL treatments to get rid of freckles as well, and the treatment is equally effective no matter where the freckles are located on the body.

Our non-surgical, non-invasive treatment has much less strict pre-appointment session guidelines than invasive procedures. Because of this, there isn’t much we’ll ask you to do in preparation for your session. We generally advise that our patients avoid direct or prolonged sun exposure and skip the tanning bed for about a month before their treatment. This is so that your skin won’t be over-sensitive to the heat of the pulsing light.

If you’d like to be absolutely certain that you’ll get the most out of your treatment, you can opt to follow more strict guidelines for yourself. You can choose to avoid smoking up to six weeks before your session, use moisturizers with built-in sun protection, and only schedule your appointment after you have finished your full course of assigned antibiotics a month prior.

About an hour after your appointment, any redness from the heat will fade away. In the next 48 hours following treatment, you may notice dark spots, and these are a completely normal part of the skin’s regeneration process. Any pigmented spots will clear up about a week after your session as your skin begins to show desirable results. If you sought our treatment for lesions, you’ll notice them blanching and slowly disappearing over the next few days after your appointment.

The duration of an IPL photofacial session typically ranges between 20 and 30 minutes. However, this timeframe can vary based on the size of the treatment area and the specific skin concerns being addressed. For instance, a session targeting the full face might take longer than one focusing solely on the cheeks or forehead. Regardless of the duration, patients usually find the treatment relatively comfortable, with minimal downtime required post-treatment.

The number of treatments one might require largely depends on the individual’s skin condition and the specific outcomes they are aiming for. While some might observe visible improvements after just one session, achieving optimal results often necessitates a series of treatments. Typically, a course of three to six treatments spaced a few weeks apart is recommended. This allows for progressive improvement, with each session targeting deeper and more stubborn irregularities, ensuring a more consistent and long-lasting result.

After getting an IPL treatment, many people see their skin looking better right away. This quick change happens because the IPL targets things in our skin that cause dark spots and red areas. After the treatment, the skin often has a healthy glow because of better blood flow and the making of collagen, which helps skin look young and fresh.

Yet, the full benefits of IPL photofacials don’t show up instantly. The best results can take days or even weeks to see. This happens because the skin needs time to heal and refresh itself. Old, damaged skin cells are replaced with new ones, and the skin produces more collagen, making it look smoother and more even. The changes that happen in the weeks after the treatment show how effective IPL can be.

Most of our patients enjoy this treatment after they’ve already had a different treatment session with us. Our photofacial treatment is the most ideal for maintaining your desired results and keeping your skin’s renewed elasticity far beyond the timeframe of your appointment. Since the IPL photofacial is so effective at encouraging sustained collagen production and is an important part of any anti-aging skin care maintenance plan, we offer packages to help your results last even further.

We are especially excited about our Bright and Clear Lumecca Package, which contains everything you’ll need to keep your results for as long as you want. With this package, if you buy four items, you’ll get the next two completely free!