Skin damage from ultraviolet tanning lamps or perhaps the sun is different from what you’ll get with normal aging skin. Ultraviolet light causes wrinkling on the epidermis, rough texture, liver spots, and loss of elasticity. Similar changes also can happen to the superficial capillaries which may become those nasty thread veins and spider veins which may be quite difficult to camouflage.
Some treatments like YAG laser resurfacing, CO2 laser resurfacing, dermabrasion and deeper chemical peels, although effective, can have quite a long recovery period, alterations in skin colour, infection and significant risks of scarring. Intense pulsed light is really a super treatment which, when correctly tailored for your particular skin type and rejuvenation needs, is very effective but doesn’t have a high risk of downtime or harmful effects. The main downsides of IPL are a temporary mild crusting lasting one to three days after treatment in 1 in 5 clients. Redness for more than 4 hours occurs in 1 in 6 clients. Mild bruising occurs in 1 in 15 clients and all of these usually go away within 1-5 days without subsequent hyperpigmentation. Mild facial swelling for 1-3 days occur in about 1 in 6 people treated with IPL. It’s very important that you are treated with intense pulsed light by a well trained and experienced operator. These are definitely powerful devices and in the wrong hands, these machines are capable of significant harm with risks of permanent scarring.
Just how much can this cost? Well, for your full face, neck and chest treatment the price is £150 per session or £600 for five sessions booked and purchased before hand. I would personally normally recommend five sessions at monthly intervals if you have significant sun damage. The rejuvenating effect with this is normally extremely striking and lasts for years.
I was trained in London at the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine. I qualified in 1982. I spent many years working as a consultant in paediatric medicine in Middlesbrough. I retired from the NHS in July 2010 and am now working as an aesthetic doctor. I am married and have two children, who are home educated.