What Can an IPL Machine Do For You?
The device emits a flash of light that is absorbed by pigment located in the hair follicle. This energy heats up the follicle and interrupts the growth cycle.
IPL is more effective on darker hair and skin tones — it’s also a bit slower than laser treatment. IPL machines have a range of shapes like wand-like, remote-like, gun-like or more, and the weight, auto-gliding, thumb-press mode and treatment window size all differ.
Hair Removal
IPL (intense pulsed light) is one of the most popular minimally-invasive cosmetic treatments for removing unwanted hair, especially on the face. It’s widely used by luxurious salons and has been adapted for at-home use in numerous IPL hair removal devices that promise to deliver smooth, permanent results without the nipping and prickling of shaving or waxing.
When a light-based treatment such as an IPL machine flashes onto your skin, it penetrates your hair follicles and the pigment (which gives hair its color) is absorbed. This causes thermal damage to the follicle, which can either delay its regrowth or permanently destroy it.
If you’re considering purchasing an IPL hair removal device, look for a model that diode laser hair removal machine supplier has FDA clearance (the Food and Drug Administration regulates this type of equipment). A good IPL will also have different power levels depending on the area you’ll be treating. Some even automatically adjust the intensity level to best suit your skin tone and hair color.
If you’re not sure what to look for, try searching for a product with 6,500+ five-star reviews on Amazon. It’s the Philips Lumea Prestige, which provides a whopping eight weeks of hair reduction on your legs after four treatments (with follow-up sessions once per month). The smart attachments let you treat other body areas as well—underarms, bikini area and face—with little to no discomfort.
Skin Rejuvenation
If your client or patient suffers from excessive freckles, sun spots or other skin discolorations, IPL photo facial treatments can help. These treatments can even out the skin tone by eradicating the discoloration and stimulating the production of collagen, which helps to firm and lift the skin.
During the treatment, the handpiece is placed against the skin and the light pulses are fired. Unlike lasers, IPL machines emit a burst of light with multiple wavelengths that harmlessly bypass the epidermis, or top layer of the skin, and reach the deeper layers where they can affect cells. Those cells will then react to the damage by releasing melanin, or pigmentation. The body’s natural healing processes will then remove the excess melanin, leaving the skin with an improved appearance.
IPL can also be used to treat vascular lesions such as broken capillaries or spider veins. The photo facial treatment releases precisely controlled strong pulses of filtered light that penetrate the blood vessels and heat them up. The damaged vessels then close and are absorbed by the body, leaving little to no trace of the original lesion.
IPL photo facial treatments can also reduce fine lines and wrinkles by encouraging the production of collagen, a protein that gives skin its elastic quality. The skin will look tighter and more vibrant after a series of sessions.
Vascular Treatments
IPL machines can be used to treat a number of skin concerns that are not easily treated with laser devices alone. The filtered light used in IPL machines is a bit like a Swiss army knife that offers a variety of treatments to help improve pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles, redness, stretch marks and vascular conditions.
Vascular treatments using the IPL Machine target small blood vessels in the skin known as telangiectasias. IPL machines emit pulses of light that are readily absorbed by the oxyhemoglobin in these blood vessels. This process of photothermolysis destroys the vessels and the area clears, with little trace of the original lesion remaining.
The same treatment can also be used to treat larger blue veins, some vascular birthmarks and general redness in the face or body. Pigment lasers are often used alongside IPL machines to further refine and improve the overall look of sun-damaged skin.
The procedure is quick and effective, although some clients have reported a pinching sensation similar to that of a rubber band being snapped against their skin during treatment. Some providers offer a chilled gel or topical anesthetic to alleviate this discomfort.
Acne Treatments
An IPL photo facial is a safe and effective treatment for acne and the scarring it causes. The treatment is similar to laser treatments in that light energy is absorbed by specific rf skin tightening machine cells with colour (chromophores) and converted into heat. Unlike lasers, which have a single wavelength of light, IPL machines use filters to refine the light energy into a range of colours that are used for treating specific areas of skin. These light wavelengths can also help to prevent the formation of new scars.
In IPL photo facials, a light handpiece is placed against the skin. It releases a series of pulses of yellow, green and red light. The yellow and green light destroy the bacteria that cause inflammation and enlarged pores. The red light targets the sebaceous glands to reduce over-production of oil which contributes to acne and cystic acne.
The treatment can also reduce freckles, sun damage and uneven skin tone. It can take several treatments to achieve noticeable results, but the results are long-lasting and the treatment doesn’t require any downtime.
A qualified esthetician will provide an explanation of the treatment to clients and answer any questions that they may have. Treatments are generally comfortable and the sensation is similar to a rubber band snapping on the skin. Depending on a client’s tolerance and pain threshold, a topical numbing cream can be applied to make the treatment even more comfortable.