INFORMATION ON TREATMENT OF HAIR:

What is IPL?
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL™) technology offers a gentle, non-invasive, long-lasting solution to unwanted hair on the face, back, legs, bikini line or any other body area. Based on technology used for nearly a decade in the treatment of port-wine stains and other birthmarks, IPL photoepilation has been performed safely for many years, effectively eliminating dozens of hairs with each pulse.

How can I determine if this treatment
is right for me?
While IPL is capable of treating any color of hair on any skin type, our center limits treatment to patients with light or fair skin and dark hair. At consultation, our nurses will evaluate you to determine if you are a good candidate.

How does IPL remove hair?
Highly controlled flashes of light are selectively absorbed by hair-filled follicles lying below the surface of the skin. The absorbed light heats the hair, which damages or destroys the regrowth potential of the follicle. All without damaging the surrounding tissue. Before Treatment: Parameters are set to ensure effective hair rernoval and skin safety.

What happens during a treatment?
It begins by trimming away the hair above the skin. You may be asked to wear dark glasses to protect your eyes from the bright light. Next, a cold gel (similar to ultrasound gel) may be spread over the treatment area. The IPL handpiece is then applied to your skin and pulses of light begin disabling your unwanted hair. When the gel is removed, much of the hair is wiped off with it. The remaining hair in the treated area falls out over the next week or two.

What does the treatment feel like?
Each pulse of light feels like a slight sting or pinch, similar to the snap of a rubber band. No local anesthesia is required and most people tolerate the treatment well.

Are there any possible side effects?
Side effects are rare. You may experience some slight reddening or local swelling at the treatment site, but this typically goes away within hours. On rare occasions, some
blistering or bruising may occur, but typically resolves quickly. Also, the skin can become darker or lighter following treatment, but will generally return to normal within a few weeks. Limiting sun exposure before and after each treatment will minimize the risk of complications. Following the treatment, you can generally return to work and resume all regular activities immediately.

What kind of results should I expect?
IPL technology has been proven to create a permanent reduction in the number of regrowing hairs following each treatment in most skin types. The number of treatments required depends on several factors related to your specific kind of hair and skin. A customized treatment program will be designed for you along with an estimate of how many treatments you may need in order to meet your expectations.

Important to note:
A patient should expect to be treated at least 5 to 8 times before full clearing occurs. The reason for this is that a hair follicle can only be killed when it is in it's growth stage. Hair grows in cycles. For every hair that shows, only a certain percentage of that hair is in the growth stage. For every hair that shows, there are hundreds of hairs that are in the dormant stage which must cycle to growth stage before it can be killed. Therefore treatment dates are set to catch the many cycles of hair growth.

Hands:
Brown spots on the hands are treated very successfully with Intense Pulsed Light. Intense Pulsed Light is passed along the surface of the skin on the hands. Pigment is shattered at the cell level and then flakes off within a week. There is NO DOWN TIME. Patients apply an icepack for 20 minutes after treatment and resume normal activities. Generally success can be achieved in anywhere from one to five treatments.

Dark Circles:
Dark Circles around the eyes fall into two categories. Some are caused by pigment on the skin around the eyes and some are vascular in nature. Pigment is treated with Intense Pulsed Light and vascular circles are treated with Yag Laser. Generally it should be expected that at least 5 treatments are necessary.