Skin Care Education

IPL (Intense Pulsed Light)

A non-invasive light-based treatment that uses broad-spectrum light energy to target pigmentation, redness, broken capillaries, and sun damage, improving overall skin tone and clarity with minimal downtime.

What Is IPL?

IPL stands for intense pulsed light. It is a non-invasive light-based skin treatment that delivers broad-spectrum light energy to the skin to target and improve specific concerns. Unlike a laser, which uses a single precise wavelength of light, IPL uses a range of wavelengths simultaneously. Different wavelengths of light are absorbed by different targets in the skin, which means IPL can address several concerns at once in a single treatment, including pigmentation, redness, visible blood vessels, and sun damage.

The light energy is absorbed by the specific targets in the skin, such as the pigment in a dark spot or the haemoglobin in a visible blood vessel, and converted to heat. This heat damages or destroys the target without significantly affecting the surrounding skin. The body then processes and removes the damaged material over the following days and weeks, gradually clearing the treated concern.

IPL is one of the most widely used light-based treatments in aesthetic practice and is offered under a range of brand names, with BBL by Sciton being one of the most well known. It is used on the face, neck, chest, hands, and other areas, and is particularly effective for addressing the cumulative sun damage, uneven pigmentation, and background redness that develop with age and UV exposure.

What to Expect

Before treatment, a cold gel is applied to the skin and protective eyewear is provided. The IPL handpiece is placed against the skin and a series of light pulses are delivered across the treatment area. Each pulse feels like a brief, warm snap or flick, similar to the sensation of a small elastic band against the skin. The intensity of the sensation varies with the settings used. Most people find IPL very manageable, and treatment of a full face typically takes 20 to 30 minutes.

After treatment, the skin is typically pink and warm for a few hours, similar to mild sunburn. Dark spots that have been targeted often appear darker immediately after treatment before gradually flaking away over the following one to two weeks. This darkening before clearing is a normal and expected part of the process and is a sign that the treatment has engaged with the pigment successfully. Redness and visible blood vessels that have been targeted typically fade over one to two weeks.

Most people return to their normal activities the same day. Sun protection is essential in the weeks following treatment, as the skin is more sensitive to UV after IPL and unprotected sun exposure can lead to new pigmentation or reverse the improvement achieved. A course of three to five sessions spaced three to four weeks apart is typically recommended for the best result, with annual maintenance sessions thereafter.

Who It’s For and Results

IPL is well suited to those with sun damage, age spots, post-acne redness, rosacea-related redness and flushing, broken capillaries, or an overall uneven skin tone. It is particularly effective for addressing the combination of pigmentation and redness that typically develops together with cumulative sun exposure, making it a popular choice for the face, neck, and chest.

Skin tone is an important consideration for IPL. The treatment works by targeting contrast between the pigment in a concern and the surrounding skin. In lighter skin tones, this contrast is clear and the treatment can be delivered safely and effectively. In darker skin tones, the higher baseline pigmentation reduces this contrast and increases the risk of the treatment affecting the surrounding skin as well as the target, potentially causing pigmentation changes. IPL is generally considered most appropriate for Fitzpatrick skin types one to four, with careful assessment and adjustment of settings required toward the darker end of this range.

When performed on appropriate candidates, IPL produces a meaningful improvement in skin clarity, evenness, and overall tone. Pigmentation is reduced, redness and visible vessels fade, and the complexion looks cleaner and more uniform. Results are progressive across a course of treatments and are best maintained with ongoing sun protection and periodic maintenance sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions: IPL (Intense Pulsed Light)

No. IPL and laser are both light-based skin treatments but they work differently. A laser produces a single, precise wavelength of light that is highly targeted to a specific concern. IPL produces a broad range of wavelengths simultaneously, making it less specific but capable of addressing multiple targets at once. This makes IPL versatile for treating a combination of pigmentation and redness in the same session, while a laser may be more precise and powerful for a single specific concern. Neither is universally better than the other; the right choice depends on the concern being treated and the individual skin type.

When IPL light energy is absorbed by the pigment in a dark spot, it heats and breaks down the pigment. This damaged pigment is drawn to the surface of the skin as part of the body’s clearing process, making the spot appear temporarily darker before it flakes away. This darkening, which typically lasts one to two weeks, is a normal and expected response that indicates the treatment has successfully engaged with the pigment. It should not be confused with a worsening of the pigmentation; it is a step in the resolution process.

Yes. IPL is one of the most widely used professional treatments for the redness and visible blood vessels associated with rosacea. The light energy targets the haemoglobin in the blood vessels that create the redness, causing them to break down and be reabsorbed by the body. This reduces the persistent background redness, flushing tendency, and visible capillaries characteristic of rosacea. It does not cure rosacea, as the underlying condition remains, but it can significantly improve the visible presentation and can be repeated as a maintenance treatment when the redness returns.

Both IPL and laser hair removal use light energy to target the pigment in hair follicles and damage them to reduce hair growth. However, laser hair removal uses a specific single wavelength laser optimised for hair follicle targeting, which generally produces more consistent and more permanent results than IPL for hair removal. IPL for hair removal uses broad-spectrum light, which can be effective but is typically less precise and may require more sessions. Conversely, IPL is more versatile than most hair removal lasers for treating skin concerns such as pigmentation and redness, which dedicated hair removal lasers are not designed to address.