Repair Sun Damage with Light

This article appeared in Prestige Magazine (05) – February 2009

Repair Sun Damage with Light

By Raye Toscano

When I was growing up, I used sun screen when I vacationed at the beach, but no one I knew used it on a daily basis.  Now, years later, we’ve all paid the price.  Those visible brown and red spots on the cheeks, hands and décolleté are evidence of the damage done by the sun to our delicate skin.

Thankfully, there a wonderful technology available that can erase years of damage in just a few short weeks.  Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) uses powerful bursts of light to break up the brown and red pigments which then rise to the surface and literally flake away.  The results are nothing short of amazing.

“How can light repair damage caused by light?” you might ask.  IPL pulses are filtered so that harmful ultraviolet waves are removed and brown and red wavelengths can pass through and into your skin.  Age spots, freckles, moles, melasma from pregnancy, superficial blood vessels, rosacea and cherry red spots all absorb the pulse, break up and go away leaving behind smooth clear skin.  In addition, IPL also causes new collagen to form leaving the skin noticeable tighter, smoother and firmer, a welcomed additional effect.

I have had IPL done on my own décolleté and I couldn’t be happier with the results.  Usually a series of 5 treatments are necessary at about 3 week intervals so, if you start now, there’s time to get your skin in shape for those revealing summer fashions.  There is a significant discount available if you purchase a series.

Unlike a laser, downtime after an IPL treatment is very minimal.  You may appear a little red for a day or two, like a mild sunburn.  Then the browns and reds darken a little like coffee grounds, rise to the surface and disappear.

The pulses of light feel like a warm “snap” on the skin.  Our Lumenis IPL machine has a chilled sapphire tip that cools the skin before every pulse.  In addition, we use anesthetic cream to provide an extra level of comfort to our patients.

At REDBAMBOO Medi•Spa medical treatments like Botox, Facial Fillers, SmartLipo and Intense Pulsed Light are performed by Board Certified Physicians who do these procedures on a daily basis.  Call us at 727-726-6100 for a complimentary consultation to see if IPL can allow you to reveal with confidence more of that beautiful you.