--- title: "IPL Photofacial" --- Two things make skin look weathered rather than older: brown patches where the sun has left pigment behind, and small red veins that have surfaced and stayed. Creams do not reach either of them. Light does, because both of them absorb it. A pulse of filtered light passes through the surface of your skin and is soaked up by the brown and the red specifically, leaving everything around them alone. What it hits breaks apart. Over the next week or two your body clears the debris, brown spots darken and flake away, and the redness fades. What is left is your own skin with the weathering taken off it. This is a course rather than a single visit. Most people book three to five sessions about a month apart, because each one takes a layer of the problem rather than all of it, and gradual is what keeps the result looking natural. **What IPL is good at** - Clearing sun spots and brown patches on the face, chest, shoulders and hands - Fading the general background redness that comes with rosacea - Clearing the small broken red veins that surface around the nose and cheeks - Lifting the brown patches of melasma, as one part of a plan built around it - Evening out overall tone so skin looks brighter rather than treated - Covering a large area in one visit rather than spot by spot - Being combined with resurfacing in the same appointment, which is what ThreeForMe does This is the part most pages in this market leave out, and it is the part that decides whether you get a good result or a problem. IPL works by being absorbed by pigment. That is the whole mechanism, and it is also the catch: a tan is pigment too. Treat skin that has been in the sun and the light goes into the tan rather than into the spot, which is how people end up with burns, blisters, or pale and dark patches that can take months to settle. The same logic applies to deeper skin tones, where more pigment sits throughout the skin and the settings have to account for it. Getting that judgment right is most of the outcome, and it is the reason this is a physician's decision rather than a setting someone picks off a chart. So we ask you to stay out of the sun and off sunbeds for two weeks before your appointment, and self-tanner counts as a tan. If you arrive with color, we will move you rather than treat you, which is not us being difficult. One more thing, and it is the reason a dermatology practice is the right place for this. Every pigmented mark is examined by a dermatologist before any light goes near it, by someone qualified to tell one kind of brown spot from another. That check costs you nothing and it is built into every appointment here. None of this is a reason to avoid IPL. It is the reason to have it done somewhere that assesses your skin before it turns the machine on. These are our own patients, photographed at our San Luis Obispo office and published with their consent. Individual results vary. There are more in the practice's private gallery, and we are happy to show you cases similar to yours at your consultation. Every med spa on this coast has a light device, and most of them will book you without ever looking at your skin properly. The device is not the difference. Knowing which mark on your face is a sun spot, which is a broken vessel, which is something that needs a biopsy rather than a treatment, and what your skin tone means for the settings, is the difference. That assessment is a dermatologist's job and it happens here before anything is scheduled. [Melasma](/conditions/melasma/) is the clearest example of why that matters. IPL can lift it and we do use it for melasma, but melasma is not a spot you clear and forget. It is a condition that keeps being switched back on by sun, heat and hormones, and light on its own tends to buy you a few good months before it returns. Visible light has been shown to worsen melasma, and more so on skin that carries more pigment. [4] So when melasma is what you have, IPL goes into a plan rather than being sold as the plan: prescription-strength topical treatment doing the steady work, [a daily sunscreen](/treatments/heliocare/) you actually wear, and light used to accelerate it. That is what the evidence supports and it is what we will recommend. [3] [5] A practice that sells you a course of IPL for melasma and nothing else has sold you a relapse. The same honesty applies elsewhere. If your redness is heavy vessels rather than background flush, [VBeam](/treatments/vbeam-photorejuvenation/) is the better instrument. Getting sent to the right treatment first time is cheaper than getting sold the wrong one. **IPL is probably a good fit if:** - You have brown spots, freckling or mottled sun damage on the face, chest, shoulders or hands - You have background facial redness or small broken veins around the nose and cheeks - You have melasma and want light as part of a plan that also includes topical treatment and daily sun protection - Your skin has not seen recent sun and you can keep it that way through the course - You can plan around a week or two of spots darkening and flaking - You would rather do a short course than one heavy treatment **We will steer you somewhere else if:** - You are tanned or sunburned right now, from the sun, a bed or a bottle - You want IPL alone for melasma, without the topical treatment and sun protection that hold it - You are pregnant, or taking anything that makes you more sensitive to light - You have recently finished a strong oral acne medication - You have a pigmented spot that has not been examined yet, which comes first Not sure which of those you are? That is exactly what the consultation is for, and it is why we look at your skin before booking this one. For the first day your skin feels warm and looks flushed, like mild sunburn. Then the treated spots go darker, sometimes noticeably darker, before turning crisp and flaking away over three to fourteen days. Redness fades more gradually. Plan the week if you have something on. **In the first week, do** - Wear broad spectrum SPF 30 or higher every day without exception [2] - Keep the area moisturized and let the spots flake off on their own - Cool the skin gently if it feels hot on the first day - Tell us if anything blisters or hurts rather than waiting **In the first week, don't** - Pick, scrub or exfoliate the darkened spots - Go back to retinoids or acids until we clear you - Sit in the sun, use a sunbed or apply self-tanner - Book a hot tub, sauna or heavy workout on the first day Call us about blistering, real pain or any sign of infection. We would far rather hear from you. IPL clears what the sun and time have left on the surface: pigment and small vessels. Pick a concern to see how we approach it. IPL is priced per session and per area, and most people are booking a course of three to five rather than a single visit. We quote you the whole course at your consultation rather than one number that grows once you have started. If a cheaper option or a different one would serve you better, that is the one you will be offered. **Q: Does it hurt?** Most people describe it as a warm rubber band flick, over in a fraction of a second and repeated across the area. It is uncomfortable rather than painful, and a full face takes under half an hour. **Q: Why do I have to stay out of the sun for two weeks first?** Because a tan is pigment, and pigment is what the light goes for. Treat tanned skin and the energy lands in the tan instead of the spot, which is how burns and blotchy patches happen. Self-tanner counts. Two weeks, no sun, no beds, no bottle. **Q: Does IPL work on melasma?** Yes, and we use it for melasma, as part of a plan rather than on its own. Melasma is a condition rather than a mark: sun, heat and hormones keep switching it back on, so light clears the pigment and then the pigment has every reason to return. Used inside a plan, with prescription-strength topical treatment doing the steady work and daily sun protection holding the line, it earns its place and gets you there faster. Used on its own, it usually buys a few good months. [4] [5] If melasma is what you have, come in for a plan rather than a course of light. **Q: Why do the spots darken before they clear?** Yes, and that is the treatment working. Treated spots usually darken for a few days, go crisp, then flake away over about two weeks. Do not pick them. **Q: How many sessions will I need?** Usually three to five, about four weeks apart, depending on how much sun damage there is and how your skin responds. You get the number and the price for the whole course before you book the first one. **Q: Will they come back?** The sun spots we clear are gone. New sun makes new spots, which is why daily sunscreen is the difference between a result that holds for years and one that needs redoing. Melasma is the exception and is answered above. [2] Offered in San Luis Obispo. Not yet available in Santa Maria. 1. Bjerring P, Christiansen K. "Intense pulsed light source for treatment of small melanocytic nevi and solar lentigines." *Journal of Cutaneous Laser Therapy.* 2000;2(4):177-181. Eighteen patients with solar lentigines received one treatment; average clearance 74.2% at two months, with pigment reduction in 96% of patients. Follow-up ran to two months only, so it supports no claim about how long the result lasts. Only the sun spot figure is used. PMID 11350673. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11350673/ · Peer-Reviewed Study 2. American Academy of Dermatology Association. "How to select a sunscreen." Broad spectrum, SPF 30 or higher, water resistant. [https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/sun-protection/shade-clothing-sunscreen/how-to-select-sunscreen](https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/sun-protection/shade-clothing-sunscreen/how-to-select-sunscreen) · Medical Organization 3. American Academy of Dermatology Association. "Skin conditions that lasers can treat." Laser and light treatments are listed as useful to "reduce melasma," alongside age spots, scars, spider veins and other concerns. [https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/skin-conditions-lasers-treat](https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/skin-conditions-lasers-treat) · Medical Organization 4. American Academy of Dermatology Association. "Melasma: Self-care." "Visible light has been shown to worsen melasma, especially for people with darker skin tones." Melasma "may go away on its own" but "for some people, it can last for years," and because sunlight triggers it, daily protection matters even on cloudy days. [https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/melasma-self-care](https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/melasma-self-care) · Medical Organization 5. American Academy of Dermatology Association. "Melasma: Diagnosis and treatment." A laser or light treatment "can improve results for patients who are already applying medication to their skin and protecting their skin from the sun," and should only be performed by a board-certified dermatologist. [https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/melasma-treatment](https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/melasma-treatment) · Medical Organization Content on this page is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Mild redness and a warm, sunburned feeling for a day or two are expected, and treated spots commonly darken before flaking away over three to fourteen days. Blistering, burns, crusting, and lightening or darkening of the skin that can last months are recognized risks, and the risk is higher on tanned skin and on deeper skin tones. Melasma can recur after light-based treatment and can worsen without topical treatment and consistent sun protection. Machines of this class are cleared, not approved. This treatment is not suitable on skin that is tanned or sunburned, during pregnancy, alongside medications that increase sensitivity to sunlight, on or shortly after a strong oral acne medication, or where the skin is broken or infected. An unexamined pigmented spot is assessed by a dermatologist before any light-based treatment. Call us about blistering, real pain or signs of infection. Individual results may vary. Cosmetic consultations are $125, paid at booking and credited toward the cost of treatment. ```ld+json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Service", "@id": "https://coastaldermaesthetics.com/treatments/ipl-photofacial/#service", "name": "IPL Photofacial", "url": "https://coastaldermaesthetics.com/treatments/ipl-photofacial/", "description": "An IPL photofacial uses pulses of light to clear the two things that make skin look weathered: brown spots and small red veins. 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Coastal Dermatology + Aesthetics performs it at its San Luis Obispo office after assessing skin type. Most people need three to five sessions about four weeks apart." }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://coastaldermaesthetics.com/treatments/ipl-photofacial/#webpage" }, "url": "https://coastaldermaesthetics.com/treatments/ipl-photofacial/" }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Review", "reviewBody": "Dr. Kilcline and her staff are amazing to work with...everyone is always so friendly!", "itemReviewed": { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://coastaldermaesthetics.com/#organization", "name": "Coastal Dermatology + Aesthetics" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brittany M." }, "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": 5, "bestRating": 5 } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Does it hurt?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

Most people describe it as a warm rubber band flick, over in a fraction of a second and repeated across the area. It is uncomfortable rather than painful, and a full face takes under half an hour.

" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why do I have to stay out of the sun for two weeks first?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

Because a tan is pigment, and pigment is what the light goes for. Treat tanned skin and the energy lands in the tan instead of the spot, which is how burns and blotchy patches happen. Self-tanner counts. Two weeks, no sun, no beds, no bottle.

" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Does IPL work on melasma?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

Yes, and we use it for melasma, as part of a plan rather than on its own. Melasma is a condition rather than a mark: sun, heat and hormones keep switching it back on, so light clears the pigment and then the pigment has every reason to return. Used inside a plan, with prescription-strength topical treatment doing the steady work and daily sun protection holding the line, it earns its place and gets you there faster. Used on its own, it usually buys a few good months. [4] [5] If melasma is what you have, come in for a plan rather than a course of light.

" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why do the spots darken before they clear?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

Yes, and that is the treatment working. Treated spots usually darken for a few days, go crisp, then flake away over about two weeks. Do not pick them.

" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How many sessions will I need?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

Usually three to five, about four weeks apart, depending on how much sun damage there is and how your skin responds. You get the number and the price for the whole course before you book the first one.

" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Will they come back?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "

The sun spots we clear are gone. New sun makes new spots, which is why daily sunscreen is the difference between a result that holds for years and one that needs redoing. Melasma is the exception and is answered above. [2]

" } } ] } ] } ```