Research the Technician and Equipment

• Find out if the doctor or technician doing your procedure has lots of experience in IPL therapy. A skilled technician can vary the wavelength on the equipment being used to target different layers of the skin targeting blood vessels, red blotches or even hair follicles.
  
  Ask the technician about the equipment being used and how up-to-date it is. Ask the technician to explain the name of IPL; some of the other names that intense pulse light therapy is known by are photo facial, foto facial, photo rejuvenation, light therapy, and also the name of the machine that is being used for the procedure.
  
  Make sure the equipment being used is not an LED or normal light emitting device. This type of light has been used to help treat some minor skin discoloration and wrinkles, but it is not an IPL machine and is not nearly as effective.
  
  Make sure the equipment being used is an authentic IPL machine, which uses broad-spectrum light, only the helpful light, not the harmful wavelengths, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
  
  Ask what your recovery time is going to be after IPL. The treatment is non-ablative, which means that it is gentle on the skin and does not destroy the top layer or epidermis to get down to deeper new layers. You should not need to recover at home with true IPL and should be able to go back to work that day.
  
  IPL penetrates with the means of a light to close off veins and cause collagen production to occur to smooth out wrinkles and get rid of blotchy skin. Collagen is a protein in our skin that provides firmness and elasticity. Our bodies produce collagen, but as we get older we produce less of it. IPL therapy encourages the production of more collagen. When your skin has more collagen it is more elastic and firm and will look less saggy and wrinkly.
  
  

Make Your Appointments

• Make an appointment for your treatment. Two weeks before treatment do not do any type of indoor or outdoor tanning. Do not use any self-tanning lotions.
  
  Schedule three or four treatments for maximum effectiveness. IPL is done in approximately 4 sessions, each about 3 weeks apart. Your doctor will tell you how many sessions you need for the type of skin problems you are experiencing.
  
  

Treatment

• Go in for your treatment without wearing makeup. Sit back in your chair and relax as your technician applies an anesthetic gel on the area being treated. Your technician will place a glass prism above the area being treated, and you will sit and wait for the amount of time necessary. The treatment is not painful.
  
  Afterward, expect some slight pinkness to your skin and some mild swelling. A tiny amount of bleeding is also a side effect but should go away quickly. Call your doctor if you skin has not returned to better than normal in a few days.
  
  Avoid the sun and wear sunscreen.