Curious about IPL? If brown spots, sun damage, redness or broken capillaries are on your list of things you’d like to clean up, you’re in the right place.
IPL is one of our favorite tools for targeting unwanted reds + browns and creating clearer, brighter and more even-looking skin. It can address everything from sun spots and freckles to facial redness, rosacea and visible vessels—with minimal downtime.
And while we use IPL year-round, fall happens to be one of our favorite times to start a series. After a summer of being outside, traveling and (hopefully) having fun, it’s a great time to take a closer look at what became more noticeable and make a plan.
New to Lifted? Your first step is an in-person consultation or facial. We’ll take a close look at your skin, talk about what you’re seeing and what you’d like to change, and determine whether IPL is actually the right tool for you. With an in-person consultation, we can also use our Glimpse skin analysis to get an even better look at what’s happening with your skin.
And don’t be surprised if we recommend getting your home skincare routine dialed in first. Sometimes you’re ready to jump right into IPL; sometimes a little skin prep makes more sense. Either way, we’ll build the plan around your skin—not the device.
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Want to know more before you book? Here’s everything you need to know about IPL.
Okay, so what exactly is IPL?
IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light, and despite often being lumped into the laser category, IPL isn’t actually a laser.
It uses pulses of broad-spectrum light to selectively target specific colors within the skin. For brown pigment, we’re targeting melanin. For redness and visible vessels, we’re targeting hemoglobin.
In the simplest terms:
IPL uses light to find color.
That’s what makes it such a great tool for addressing the reds and browns that can make skin look blotchy, uneven or less clear than we’d like.
Is IPL the same thing as a laser?
Nope!
This is one of the most common misconceptions about IPL. While both use light energy, a laser delivers a specific wavelength of light. IPL uses a broad spectrum of light with filters that allow us to select the wavelengths appropriate for what we’re targeting.
That flexibility allows us to customize how we use IPL based on your skin and what we’re trying to accomplish rather than approaching every person—or every concern—the same way.
What does IPL treat?
IPL can be used to address a variety of skin concerns, including:
- Freckles
- Uneven pigmentation
- Facial redness
- Broken capillaries + visible vessels
- Blotchy or uneven skin tone
For our photofacial clients, we’re most commonly using IPL to address pigmentation and redness and create an overall clearer, brighter and more even-looking complexion.
What kind of results can you see with IPL?
IPL before + afters: brown pigment/sun damage
IPL before + afters: facial redness/visible vessels
IPL can make a noticeable difference in the appearance of unwanted pigmentation and redness, but everyone’s skin—and starting point—is different. Your results and recommended number of sessions will depend on what we’re addressing and how your skin responds.
Before-and-after images provided by the device manufacturer. Individual results vary.
What happens to brown spots after IPL?
This is one of the coolest parts.
When IPL light is absorbed by unwanted brown pigment, the spots will often get darker before they get lighter.
Don’t panic. We want that.
Over the days following your visit, the treated pigment gradually comes toward the surface of the skin and can take on a darker, almost coffee-ground-like appearance before naturally flaking away.
So if you look in the mirror a couple of days later and think, Wait, weren’t these supposed to get better? Give them a minute.
They’re packing their bags.
Does IPL help with redness and broken capillaries?
Yes. Brown pigment isn’t IPL’s only target.
IPL can also target hemoglobin within visible blood vessels, making it a great tool for certain types of facial redness, rosacea, broken capillaries and small visible vessels.
And because many people have a combination of pigmentation and redness, we can often address multiple concerns as part of the same overall skin plan.
That said, not every type of redness—or every brown spot—is appropriate for IPL. Identifying what we’re actually looking at is an important part of deciding whether IPL is the right choice.
How many IPL photofacials do you need?
There isn’t one magic number for everyone.
You may notice improvement after a single IPL photofacial, but we commonly recommend a series when we’re working on more significant pigmentation, redness or accumulated sun damage.
A series allows us to work progressively, see how your skin responds and adjust as we go. Your starting point, goals and the concerns we’re addressing ultimately determine how many visits make sense for you.
Does IPL hurt?
We wouldn’t call it a spa nap, but IPL is quick.
Most people describe each pulse as a warm snap, similar to a rubber band against the skin. How it feels can vary depending on the area we’re working on and what we’re targeting.
The actual IPL portion of your visit doesn’t take very long—and most people find it very manageable.
What is the downtime after IPL?
IPL typically has minimal downtime, which is one of the reasons we love it.
You may experience temporary redness, warmth or mild swelling after your visit. If we’re targeting pigmentation, those brown spots can darken and remain visible for several days before gradually flaking away.
You’re not necessarily hiding out at home—but you may have a few days where your pigment is more noticeable before it gets better.
Plan accordingly if family photos are tomorrow.
Can you do IPL in the summer?
YES.
Can we please retire the idea that all lasers and light-based services have to disappear for the summer?
IPL can be safely used year-round in appropriately selected clients. The important consideration isn’t whether the calendar says July or January. It’s the condition of your skin.
Recent sun exposure, an active tan, your skin type, the concern we’re addressing and the settings we’re using all factor into whether IPL is appropriate at that particular time.
We assess you, not the season.
Thoughtful sun protection matters before and after IPL—and really, every other day of the year too. SPF is your BFF for a reason.
Then why do we call fall “IPL season”?
Because fall is a really good time for a cleanup.
After a summer spent outside, traveling, vacationing and hopefully having fun, this is often when people look at their skin and start noticing things they want to address.
What got darker? What showed up? What’s suddenly bothering you that you weren’t thinking about in May?
We’re not waiting for fall because we have to. We just think it’s a pretty perfect time to take inventory, clean things up and head into the rest of the year with clearer, more even-looking skin.
Is IPL right for everyone?
No—and we think that’s an important question to ask.
IPL isn’t appropriate for every skin type, every type of pigmentation or every concern. Certain conditions can look deceptively similar, and something you think is a sun spot may not be something we want to address with IPL at all.
That’s why we want to actually see your skin before we make the plan.
Sometimes IPL is the answer. Sometimes another technology makes more sense. Sometimes we need to work on your homecare first. And sometimes IPL becomes one part of a larger plan.
The goal isn’t to get everyone under an IPL handpiece.
It’s to choose the right tool for your skin.
Ready to find out if IPL is right for you?
If you’re new to Lifted, start with an in-person consultation or facial.
During an in-person consultation, we’ll take a close look at your skin, talk through your concerns and goals, review what you’re currently using at home and use our Glimpse skin analysis to help us build your plan.
Prefer to start with a facial? That’s a great option too. It gives your Master Aesthetician a chance to get to know your skin up close and personal while beginning to address what it needs now—and determining what should come next.
You may be ready for IPL. We may want to get your skincare dialed in first. Or we may recommend something completely different.
That’s the whole point: your plan should start with your skin, not with a device.
