What Does IPL Stand For, What Does it Do, and Who Does it Work For?

One of the many skin care therapies available today is the IPL treatment, which has gained considerable popularity. But what does IPL stand for, how does it work, and who is it for?

In addition to the many advantages this type of light therapy offers to the skin, it can also treat skin conditions and permanently reduce body hair.

Initially, IPL procedures mainly focused on body hair removal. Experts, however, realized its effects extended much further when observing its positive impact on the skin. For this reason, the machines and the technology itself began to become more and more professionalized to improve the results related to the improvement of the appearance of the skin.

Today, IPL is a procedure that offers improvement and healing effects on the skin, acceptable costs, and permanent results to anyone who wishes to utilize it.

This article will discuss both the aesthetic and therapeutic uses of IPL.

What Does IPL Stand For and What Does it Do to the Skin?

IPL stands for intense pulsed light. With IPL, you can treat a variety of body issues and improve your skin condition. Light emitted by devices that contain the technology can reach the unwanted cells directly and, through the emission of heat, destroy them, making way for the growth of new, positive cells.

By emitting pulses of light into the dermis, IPL can treat specific body cells and areas without injections or prolonged, painful procedures. In that way, what it does to the skin is to improve it, destroying what makes it imperfect and stimulating a natural process of self-repairing the skin and its cells.

IPL can treat the following conditions:

• Acne scars.
• Facial redness.
• Effects of rosacea
• Sunspots.
• Broken capillaries.
• Stretch marks.
• Wrinkles.
• Unwanted hair.

How Can IPL Achieve All of This?

Light enters the dermis (middle layer of skin) via a manual device known as a professional IPL machine. In the moment of collision, the light draws to the cells with dark pigmentation (they contain melanin) and destroys them so that collagen can form and new tissue can grow.

The same is true when it comes to attacking the redness present on the skin's surface. In this particular case, the cells that cause redness are the ones that attract light; and when they collide, the unwanted cells are destroyed. As a result, the affected blood vessels are destroyed; and with the passing of the days, the skin recovers its natural tone and shine.

Because of the triggered natural regeneration process, you'll notice how your skin will look a little redder (or the spots darker) during the first few hours and days after the treatment. Red skin is a result of your skin is removing the bad skin cells, giving space to the formation of new ones. 

In addition, you may notice peeling on your skin in the days following the procedure and experience some stinging. However, you will also start noticing how progressively your skin will feel softer, be more hydrated and regain its natural shine.

To help you maintain these results for much longer, you can implement a skincare routine that includes the following:

• Use of sunscreen.
• Facial cleansing with non-invasive products that promote hydration.
• Remove makeup every day.
• Eat healthy and stay hydrated.

Upon seeing the results of an IPL treatment, you may wonder for how long the benefits will last? The answer is permanently, if you take good care of your skin, attend the first session and re-evaluation sessions once or twice a year, as well as do both mandatory sessions.

As long as your skin care routine is effective - your skin will maintain the natural stimulation of collagen for a long time and will continue to prevent the appearance of more wrinkles, spots or various imperfections on the skin.

Benefits Provided by IPL

• Softer skin.
• It does not require downtime.
• Recovery is fast.
• The procedures take between 30 to 45 minutes, then you can get back to your routine.
• It is viable and safe for any part of the body (face, hands, arms, chest, neck, among others).
• The results are permanent as long as you go to treatment once or twice a year.
• The technology is totally safe and proven.

What Does IPL Mean in Permanent Hair Removal?

Achieving permanent hair reduction is exactly what IPL means in terms of the area of hair removal. The light technology is built to reduce hair on a patient's body.

In addition to removing hairs on the body, intense pulsed light also creates heat in the skin by energizing the cells by entering the dermis. After 6 to 8 sessions, hair growth slows down (so you can enjoy hair-free skin for longer), and its density decreases. As a result, hair follicles weaken with each successive treatment, even to the point of no longer growing in some areas.

As with IPL sessions for improving skin conditions, the same goes for hair removal sessions. Once the first stage of treatment is completed, review sessions must be carried out - every six months - to maintain the results.

With IPL hair removal both men and women can treat the parts of the body they want:

• Back.
• Chest.
• Arms.
• Hands.
• Legs.
• Buttocks.
• Bikini area.
• Face.
• Neck.
• Shoulders.

IPL is most effective on skin tones and hair with strong contrast. For instance, light skin with dark hair. Since the light energy is attracted by the melanin in our skin, reducing hair is more effective if there is a contrast between the skin and the light.

A benefit of IPL hair removal is the ability to perform the procedure by yourself at home. Due to its simplicity, you can easily follow the instructions and perform the hair removal yourself after purchasing a homemade IPL hair removal machine.

These machines can recognize each type of skin and hair tone and adapt their power accordingly; therefore, your skin will not suffer extra damage at the time of treatment.

Additionally, you will not need to undergo a recovery period after the procedure since this is a non-invasive technology. Remember (also in this case) to avoid exposing the shaved area to the sun, as the acquired sensitivity can cause discomfort and even worse damage, such as bruises or redness.

IPL as a Commitment to Aesthetic Beauty

Even though IPL has its risks and side effects, what IPL does for your skin is more positive than negative, as you have seen throughout the article.

When you use IPL to remove hair or use it directly to treat a condition that affects your skin, you'll contribute to rejuvenating your skin. Light stimulates collagen production, so at all times, your skin will be improving naturally.

Likewise, we want to remind you that people of all ages can easily enjoy the benefits of this technology. The best method of photorejuvenation for adults will be IPL. In contrast, photorejuvenation for young people will prevent your skin from showing signs of aging or sun damage (which is quite common because of our continuous exposure to the sun).

Alternatively, suppose you're interested in learning more about all that this technology can do. In that case, you'll find all the relevant articles in our blog that can both clarify your doubts and expand your horizon regarding everything related to skin care in general.