We all want a clear skin, even tan and a healthy glow, just like our favourite (and less favourite) celebrities we see on TV, fashion magazines and billboard ads have. But how do celebrities maintain their flawless skin?
Healthy diet, plenty of water and regular exercise. We’ve all heard it and know it. But is it really only that. Is the combination of olive and macadamia nut oil the only thing that makes Cate Blanchett’ sink zing? Or is Cindy Crawford’s only secret to great skin the home-made facial spray of milk and water? No way. And you must agree with me on this one. There must be more to a glowing skin than just milk and oils. According to recent rumors, the top secret of celebrities and the latest trend in cosmetic industry is IPL laser skin rejuvenation.
IPL stands for Intense Pulse Light. In many ways, this is similar to lasers; the difference is that IPL has a wider target wavelength. People that experience any of the following conditions are the ones that mainly undergo the IPL laser skin rejuvenation treatment:
- excessive pigmentation,
- rosacea,
- poikiloderma de civatte or diffuse vascular blemishes.
It comes down to a simple, non-invasive walk-in/walk-out procedure performed on a certain area of the skin. The intense pulse light is absorbed in the targeted cells causing skin damage. A healing process starts in the damaged area, causing the skin to rapidly produce new skin cells and replace the old ones. The skin that is not affected by the light is left untouched, which only contributes to faster improvement.
IPL laser skin rejuvenation is a procedure that requires preparation of the skin at least 2-4 weeks prior to the treatment. You need to put fading cream on the area(s) you plan to treat. This is also to be done after the treatment has been completed. Every treatment lasts for 20 minutes and is repeated through 4-6 sessions, 1 month apart. The IPL laser skin rejuvenation treatment can also be done on non-facial skin such as the neck, the arms or the decolletage.
The results vary; they depend on the level of skin damage meaning, the redder the skin, the more dramatic the change will be. The freckles usually start to fade in the first 3-4 days. Of course, in the beginning your face will be very red, which is normal. What is not normal, and should not happen, is any type of infection or blistering! So if you experience something of the kind, be sure to immediately contact the beauty salon you had IPL treatment done at.
Every IPL laser skin rejuvenation treatment, just like any laser treatment, should be followed by gentle cleansing with only hypoallergenic products. The first 5 days following the treatment, you should avoid any product that contains active substances in it (like vitamin A or acids). Once the skin has healed, you can return to your basic skin cleaning routine.