What is Rosacea?
Rosacea is a very common skin condition that causes redness and flushing of the skin. Some people with rosacea also experience acne or pustules along with their redness accompanied with broken blood vessels. Rosacea can be uncomfortable and embarrassing, but IPL treatments can help alleviate your symptoms.
What is IPL and How Can it Help?
IPL stands for ‘intense pulsed light’ and is also known as a photofacial. IPL heats the epidermis, collagen, and blood vessels below the surface. The hemoglobin found in the blood and the vessels absorbs these pulses of light and heat up rapidly, resulting in the destruction of the vessels and capillaries that contribute to the appearance of rosacea. Over a period of several weeks the body reabsorbs the vessels, and the facial redness diminishes.
IPL helps to reduce the appearance of redness and also strengthens the skin to become less reactive and more tolerant. This is extremely helpful, since rosacea-prone skin tends to be very sensitive. IPL also helps to alleviate pustular rosacea and broken vessels. The IPL treatment also incites collagen production, resulting in the improvement of overall skin texture.
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IPL Treatments and What to Expect
Each IPL treatment takes about 15 to 30 minutes. Your skin will be cleansed prior to treatment, and you must wear protective eyewear to shield your eyes from the brightness of the light flashes. A lubricating lotion is applied to the skin which acts as a protective barrier as well as a conductor during treatment. The pulses of light feel warm and similar to a rubber band snapping the skin with each pulse. Our patients do very well and find it tolerable without the use of a numbing cream.
Most people looking to treat their rosacea need a series of 4 or more IPL treatments spaced 3 to 4 weeks apart. The number of treatments will vary based on the severity of your rosacea symptoms. For instance, if you are just starting to notice redness in the skin, you will more than likely need fewer treatments to control redness compared to people who have been suffering with rosacea for a long time. Individuals that have had rosacea for years, on the other hand, may need more initial treatments in order to get their rosacea symptoms under control.
Keep in mind that after completing a series you will need to plan on receiving 1 to 2 treatments each year to maintain results. However, IPL is a long-term solution for rosacea and a great option for people who want to significantly reduce the symptoms of rosacea.
After Treatment
It is not uncommon to experience swelling after treatment. Often the individual vessels treated can look like little welts on the skin. We recommend icing the treated area immediately after treatment and off and on for the rest of the day.
Sleeping with an extra pillow to elevate your head, can also help reduce swelling. Bruising is less common, but it is a possibility with IPL treatments for rosacea.
Your skin can feel drier than normal the days following treatment, so use a good moisturizer and of course sunscreen to protect the skin. A vitamin C serum is also great to help reduce redness and will help to speed the collagen production that the IPL treatment has started.
Call or Visit WIFH to Schedule
At WIFH, we offer skin care consultation to find out if IPL is right for you and the treatment of your rosacea. We welcome you to call or visit today to schedule your consultation and/or your first IPL treatment! You can get relief from your Rosacea symptoms.
