Question 1

What is an IPL or Photofacial?

Accepted Answer

Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL), also known as a photofacial, fotofacial, or BBL, is a non-invasive treatment that uses multiple wavelengths of light to penetrate the layers of the skin to help in a variety of ways. The various wavelengths of light target hyperpigmentation (brown spots, freckles, liver spots), redness (blood vessels, rosacea), and sun damage (fine lines and sun spots). The side effect of IPL is that it generates heat to naturally stimulate and generate collagen. As a result, your skin will have a smoother, healthier appearance.

Question 2

What is the difference between an IPL and a laser?

Accepted Answer

While a laser uses a single wavelength of light, an IPL utilizes multiple wavelengths of light to treat pigment, redness, and sun damage. Dr. Chilukuri and our team tailor the wavelength spectrum to specifically target your skin care concerns.

Question 3

How do I know if I’m a candidate for IPL?

Accepted Answer

Patients who want to reduce the appearance of sun damage, signs of aging, dark spots, and redness ideal for the treatment. In the wrong hands, patients with darker skin may not be ideal for this treatment. With improper treatment, IPL can cause hyperpigmentation and even scarring. With our board-certified dermatologist and our professional, well-trained aesthetic team, you will be personally evaluated to see if IPL is the best option to address your concerns.

Question 4

What are you looking for during an in-office consultation?

Accepted Answer

An in-office consultation is essential as we not only review your full medical history, but we also perform a physical examination. The examination will determine the underlying cause of your pigmentation or redness. For example, brown spots may be lentigines, ephelides, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, melasma, or seborrheic keratoses (SKs). Do you know which one of these can’t be treated by IPL?

Question 5

What to expect during the treatment?

Accepted Answer

Patients find the treatments quite tolerable and many prefer avoiding a topical anesthetic cream. For those wimps (like Dr. Chilukuri and most men), we offer local anesthetic as well as nitrous oxide (Pronox) in addition to topical anesthesia to make the treatment painless. We place goggles to protect your eyes since the pulsed light is very bright. Most patients describe the feeling of a “rubber band snap” or “pinching of the skin” sensation along with heat during the treatment. Typically, the actual IPL treatment takes 30-60 minutes depending on the area(s) you wish to improve. Please plan to be in the office for an extra 30 minutes to allow us to properly sterilize the area and take pre-procedure photos. You will love comparing your one month follow up photos with these initial photos.

Question 6

How to prep for the treatment?

Accepted Answer

During your consultation, we will customize the ideal regimen to meet your goals. We may enhance your current skin care program to make sure your skin is optimized for each and every treatment. For instance, you may need a prepping agent (e.g.—Alastin Skin Nectar) to remove extracellular matrix debris for two weeks. In other cases, we may modify your retinol (e.g. – PCA Skin Intensive Brightening Treatment Retinol) or increase your retinol use to maximize your results. You may be directed to stop certain over the counter supplements that hinder healing.

Question 7

What to expect after the treatment?

Accepted Answer

Immediately after treatment, the treated area will be pink with mild to moderate swelling, which will usually resolve in 24 hours. In some rare cases, you may have swelling for 3 days. Dr. Chilukuri and your personal skin care concierge will warn you well in advance if prolonged swelling is anticipated. The sun-spots and pigmented lesions will darken to look like coffee grounds within 24 hours (please photos below for examples). These darker areas will flake off to reveal the beautiful, healthy skin you originally had as a young man or woman.

Question 8

When do you see best results?

Accepted Answer

You will notice a significant improvement within 2-4 weeks after treatment. Depending on your goals, we may recommend performing more than one treatment for optimal results. If a second session is needed, you should wait a minimum of three to four weeks to enhance treatment efficacy. After a second treatment, your skin will continue to improve for 4-6 months.

Question 9

What to do to enhance and prolong results?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Chilukuri and our team will provide you with at home solutions to enhance your results. Its best to continue wearing a professional grade sunscreen daily and avoiding peak hours of sun exposure. When combined with a retinol customized to your skin, your results will last a long time.

Question 10

How many treatments for best results and how often?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Chilukuri is a thought leader in the aesthetic space and has helped launch numerous lasers and technologic advancements throughout the world. Therefore, we only use the best in class devices and have the latest IPL machines that reliably produce maximum results with minimal treatments. While the number of treatments vary, most of our patients need only one to two treatments to achieve his or her goal. If a second session is necessary, plan to wait at least one month between treatments. To keep looking the same or better for the next 10 years, most patients come in once a year for a booster. Remember to always use a tolerable retinol and a professional grade sunscreen.

IPL Photofacials

Photo Facials from Refresh Dermatology in Houston, TX

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