How IPL Can Help You Win The Fight Against Acne
Do you suffer from persistent acne or embarrassing acne scars? If you are one of the millions of Americans dealing with these issues, your dermatologist has an exciting treatment option that can stop current acne breakouts as well as reducing or eliminating scars caused by past acne. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is a safe, effective treatment that can clear up active acne inflammations while restoring the beauty of your skin.
“IPL works by sending short, intense bursts of light from a special applicator into your skin,” explains Emily Johnston, physician assistant at Sanova Dermatology in Austin, Texas. To treat acne, specific wavelengths of light are used that target and destroy acne-causing bacteria in the skin that can inflame sebaceous glands and contribute to acne breakouts.
IPL is also a proven treatment for acne scarring.
Acne scarring can affect both the texture and the color of your skin and often causes small dents or areas of red or dark spots on your skin. IPL energy at different wavelengths can be used to selectively destroy pigment cells that can cause this uneven pigmentation and dramatically reduce the visibility of acne scars by creating a more uniform, even skin tones. While IPL does not reduce or smooth the actual physical scarring or dents, it can make greatly improve their appearance by improving skin tone and eliminating skin tone variations caused by acne scars.
IPL treatments are quick – generally lasting between 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the area to be treated – and relatively painless. At most, you should experience only a brief warming and pinprick sensation as the IPL energy strikes and heats up the affected area. Your dermatologist will apply layer of cooled gel, similar to the gel used in sonograms, to the surface of the skin prior to treatment which will limit and reduce this sensation. Patients generally need a series of three or more treatments, but this will vary depending on the individual patient’s treatment goals.
Side-effects of IPL treatments are very rare, with the most common side-effect being limited to redness in the treated area. This redness is generally short-lived, with most patients reporting a return to normal skin appearance within hours of treatment.
IPL offers a safe, effective, non-invasive and non-abrasive treatment for recurring acne and acne scars.
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At Sanova Dermatology, we are proud to offer our patients the latest in innovative treatment options administered by our highly experienced practitioners assisted by our staff of well-trained, compassionate professionals. Contact us to see if IPL or any of the many treatment options we offer is right for you.
