FYI Cosmetics

IPL is intense pulsed light therapy. It uses light to penetrate the skin and stop hair follicles from growing hair. IPL is not laser therapy but seems to be able to deal with all sorts of skin problems such as liver spots, wrinkles, broken capillaries, facial flushing, blue and purple veins on the face, freckles, wine stains, varicose veins, tattoos, sun damage and apparently just about anything else that can wrong with your skin. It is kind of like the Swiss Army knife of skin care. Oh and by the way it removes hair permanently.

IPL is not something that will work on everyone it. The salons that use it will determine if you are a good candidate or not for the procedure. It really displays many of the characteristics of Laser Hair Removal treatments when it first appeared in the United States market in the late 1990’s. The company specifically lists white Europeans with non-oily skin that is somewhat elastic.  The providers of this therapy also state that being dark skinned or having a dark tan or don’t handle burns well, then you are probably not a good candidate for the treatment. Really, I would like to know who reacts well to burns on their body. I know I certainly don’t like the thought of someone burning me and then trying to blame me because my skin reacted “the wrong way” to the burn.

Some users complained that the therapy made them look older and gave them acne. Wrinkles appeared to be forming on their treatment area almost daily. It is really hard to believe that this hair removal treatment can be effective without having a research study done that will show if there are any severe prolonged after effects. Without the research any citations of positive aftereffects cannot be taken at face value.

Now if you really want a treatment that will safely and efficiently, then you should consider Laser Hair Removal. We don’t subscribe to the Swiss Army knife approach to hair removal or do it as an afterthought to getting rid of your live spots. We simply get rid of your unwanted hair off of your body. Many procedures take only a few minutes and most people are done with their treatments in fewer than six months time.

Laser Hair Removal is noninvasive and doesn’t have any adverse side effects. When you appointment is completed you are welcome to go on with your regularly scheduled day. Laser Hair Removal has been proven effective over the past ten years without any long term adverse effects. There really is no reason to choose an IPL treatment when you are not even sure how effective it can be. Don’t take your chances with an unproven therapy and get yourself into a local Laser Spa and see what laser treatments we have for you.

Telangiectasias, more commonly known as spider veins, are the small thin clusters of blue, red or purple veins that reside close to the surface of the skin and commonly appear on the legs and face. While spider veins are connected to the deep venous system, these surface veins are of no benefit to those who have them. There are many causes of telangiectasias, the most common of which are heredity, hormones, weight gain, trauma, prolonged standing and certain medications. Spider veins can come in several forms, they can appear as a true spider shape—dark in the center surrounded by smaller vessels radiating out from it, as tiny branch like shapes or as simple linear lines. Symptoms associated with spider veins range from aching and burning to swelling and cramping; these symptoms are most often experienced at night.

Because telangiectasias are so common among individuals (it is estimated that over 50% of females have some form of spider veins) several treatments have been developed to help combat them. Before undergoing treatment however, it is important to know there is no cure for spider veins and there is no way to prevent new ones from appearing—these treatments are specifically designed to treat the already existing spider veins. However, by treating existing spider veins patients will have assistance with both the visible signs of telangiectasias as well as the symptoms associated with it. This will allow patients to relieve symptoms and experience spider vein free skin.

For spider veins, removal can be done in one of three ways: with sclerotherapy, IPL (intense pulsed light) treatments or laser vein removal treatments. Some surgical vein procedures may also eliminate spider veins however this is secondary to the removal of a larger varicose or feeder vein and would not be performed to treat telangiectasias alone.

Sclerotherapy – Sclerotherapy is a popular method that is used to help eliminate spider veins. This treatment involves a very small needle being injected superficially into the spider vein followed by a small amount of an irritant solution. The solution results in an internal swelling of the vein, which causes it to shut itself down; once shut down the body eliminates it naturally. Several treatments can be required to remove all present veins. Side effects can include redness swelling, bruising, scabs, scarring and skin ulcerations in the treatment area as well as allergic reaction to treatment solutions.

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) – IPL treatments for spider veins utilize pulsed laser light to reach and treat problem veins. The laser energy penetrates though the outer layers of skin to target the veins below. Pulsed light technology reaches and treats veins at multiple levels; the heat from the light cauterizes veins so that they may be cut off from the blood supply. Once cut off from the blood supply, it will be naturally absorbed and eradicated by the body.

Laser Spider Vein Removal – Laser spider vein removal is similar to IPL but differs in that true lasers utilize one continuous light wavelength that penetrates the skin at one specific depth. The light intensity light energy used by the laser can be accurately directed toward the problem veins. The heated vein is effectively cauterized which cuts off its blood supply. With no blood to supply the vein, the body then breaks down the vessel and eradicates it naturally through the lymphatic system.

Before undergoing telangiectasias or spider vein removal, be sure to do adequate research in order to determine the right course of treatment for you.

Intense Pulsed Light or IPL is one of the many non-invasive aesthetic laser devices available to practitioners and patients for skin and body rejuvenation. IPL technology is similar to true laser technology in that it emits a concentrated beam of laser light, but while true lasers target and treat at one specific wavelength depth, intense pulsed light reaches and treats many different skin depths by emitting multiple wavelengths of light. While this makes IPL less effective for some aesthetic treatments such as tattoo removal and cellulite reduction, it makes it more useful for aesthetic procedure such as skin tightening and skin rejuvenation. When considering any aesthetic treatment, speak with your practitioner beforehand about the laser devices being used; be sure you are undergoing treatment with the most precise laser technology available.

Skin Tightening/Skin Rejuvenation

Skin tightening and skin rejuvenation techniques with the IPL laser are always very effective for tightening loose and sagging skin, diminishing fine lines and wrinkles, and giving the skin a smoother, more uniform appearance. When the intense pulsed light laser is passed over the treatment area it penetrates through the outer layers of skin and targets multiple depths in the dermis layers below. The laser energy transforms into heat and that heat causes localized damage to the lower tissue layers. The damage caused by the heat of the laser effectively stimulates the natural growth of collagen within the skin.

Collagen is one of the natural building blocks of our skin—it is what gives the skin its smooth, firm appearance. As men and women age, their collagen growth within the skin slowly decreases, it is this decrease that causes the formation of wrinkles, fine lines and loose and sagging skin. By stimulating collagen growth, the IPL treatments effectively fill in fine lines and wrinkles from the inside out. This is the most effective method for rejuvenating and tightening loose and lax skin.

Permanent Hair Reduction

When performing skin tightening procedures, many practitioners realized that one of the side effects of the IPL treatment was the reduction of hair in the treatment area. There are several lasers currently on the market for the reduction of unwanted hair, and all but the intense pulsed light laser are true lasers. True lasers utilize one continuous wavelength of light which can accurately reach and treat hair at specific depths. The IPL laser can also treat and remove unwanted hair, but because it penetrates the skin at multiple wavelengths, treatments are not as precise. Now this isn’t to say that patients can’t see hair reduction success with the IPL laser, it simply means that on average, patients will have to undergo several more treatments with IPL technology than with true laser technology.

~

Whether undergoing skin rejuvenation or hair removal treatments, know that after a series of intense pulsed light treatments, you will experience safe, effective results that last. Consult with your practitioner today and discover if aesthetic treatments with IPL are right for you.