IPL Photofacials
The Anti-Aging Treatment for Clear & Beautiful Skin
As we age, our skin reflects damage from the sun, the elements and the wear-and-tear of daily life. Photofacials, often referred to as IPL treatments, are a fantastic rejuvenation treatment option to improve skin’s appearance. IPL treatments utilize light based technology to address most brown pigmentation due to sun damage and redness from broken capillaries. Photofacials are ideally suited for today’s active lifestyles as they help “turn back the clock” with little downtime.
Who Can Be Treated?
Almost anyone with fair to light brown skin with discolorations in the form of browns or reds. Browns can be called age spots, liver spots, melasma, solar lentigines, hyperpigmentation, and other names. The IPL treatment can also treat redness. Examples include Rosacea, broken capillaries or blood vessels. This treatment should not be performed when you are tanned or are wearing self tanning products. 
What Device is Used?
Not all IPL devices are the same. Our device is manufactured by Cynosure and considered the gold standard in our industry for IPL devices. It is not a laser, but a light-based treatment using intense light pulses to penetrate deep into the skin.
How Do We Get Discoloration?
The browns in our skin are typically caused by reactions of our cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes give us our skin color, and if over reactive, can cause too much color, causing spots that don’t match surrounding skin. Complete destruction could cause white spots on the skin- a permanent loss of pigment, so the goal is never complete removal, but rather a correction back to the natural baseline skin color. To maintain this correction long term, an ongoing commitment to a minimum of SPF 30 sunscreen is imperative to prevent reactivation of the melanocytes that have a tendency to be over reactive.
After an IPL treatment, it is not uncommon for the browns being treated to become darker and almost crusty by the following day. Then over the next several days for the face, (and for a few weeks for the neck, chest, hands and arms), the brown crusty areas slough off leaving skin that has returned to its natural baseline color, except for some pinkness which may persist for a few days or even a few weeks. On rare occasions, a patient may have a minimal response to IPL, and in that case, we would suggest moving to a different treatment option. Recovery will vary depending on your skin type; for example, some people respond to even a minor treatment with redness, similar to sunburn. This fades quickly and can easily be covered with makeup while it lasts. Some people have freckles throughout the skin and can expect them to darken and float to the surface of the skin. This will last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks but will flake off eventually leaving the skin looking clear and beautiful. Sometimes the use of laser skin resurfacing or Obagi Nu-Derm System in conjunction with photorejuvenation will provide the best result.
Talk with a health care provider to find out if this treatment is right for you.
Pros
- Little to no downtime
- Improvements in skin quality & texture
- Can be performed on most areas of body
Cons
- Not as effective on darker skin types
- Must stay out of the sun before and after treatment
- Treated red areas may swell or bruise for up to 2 weeks
How can Obagi products help improve the appearance of my skin?
The Obagi Nu-Derm System is an anti-aging therapy system that penetrates below the skin’s surface to refresh skin cell functions at the cellular level and correct the damage within- leading to healthier, younger-looking skin. Obagi is the #1 physician-dispensed skin care system to help transform the skin’s appearance by significantly lightening darks spots, revealing younger, healthier-looking skin. Formulated with prescription 4% hydroquinone, Nu-Derm helps correct the following signs of aging:
- dark spots, hyperpigmentation (discoloration)
- rough skin
- fine lines and wrinkles
- skin laxity
Your skin will undergo phases of transformation while using the system. During the first few weeks of use, your skin will have a transition period as your skin acclimates to the new, accelerated turnover. Skin may feel tight, dry or itchy with some redness. A few more weeks in and skin will be noticeably smoother, softer and clearer. Collagen is stimulated and pigmented cells become more evenly distributed. Skin will continue to improve and transform over several more weeks as collagen production continues and pigment gradually fades.
Best Local Spots for Pumpkin Lattes
We were recently debating who had the best Pumpkin Latte in town and realized we all had our favorites. So here’s our top staff picks!
Lacey: “Hands down, the best Pumpkin Latte is at Nugget Market in Town Center. They also make an amazing Pumpkin Chai. Both are made with actual pumpkin. (Photo courtesy of Nugget Markets)
Rachel: “I love the Fall Lattes at Peets Coffee. They always have unique flavor combos and some spicey ones. They also tend to be less sweet than some other places, so I enjoy that”
Haley: “Trader Joes actually has a Pumpkin Spice Coffee mix you can make at home. It tastes delicious and makes your house smell amazing!”
