Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is a kind of laser treatment that can be used to treat all kinds of skin problems and complaints, from removing unwanted body hair to treating pigmentation problems.
If you are planning to undergo IPL treatment, it can be useful to know more about it. Here are the 5 key facts you need to know about IPL:
1. IPL focuses on the lower layers of skin, such as the middle layer, the dermis. It doesn’t affect the epidermis, the upper layers, so it is known as a non-ablative treatment.
2. The lasers used in IPL target the cells with melanin (pigment or colour) in the skin. The light from the laser is turned into heat, which damages only the specific targeted area and not the area around it.
3. IPL is different from other types of laser treatment in that it uses many wavelengths in each pulse of light, so it can increase penetration without using too much energy.
4. Many IPL machines have in-built cooling systems, such as those used for laser hair removal treatment. If not, cold gels are used to soothe the affected areas.
5. Unlike surgical or other invasive treatments, IPL does not require a lot of ‘downtime’ or recovery time.
6. To protect your eyes special glasses are worn by the patient and the practitioner.
