I have finally decided to tackle the problem of my dark/sun-damaged face via the route of Photorejuvenation, which is Intense Pulsed Light or I.P.L. treatment.
Often referred to as a laser treatment, but it differs in that "The IPL™ photofacial skin procedure involves the use of an intense beam of broad-spectrum light, as opposed to lasers, which operate within a very specific wavelength"
Source
Put as simply as possible, a machine blasts this intense light down into and under the skins surface to the dermis and helps to corrects a number of skin issues including sun damage, age pigmentation, freckles, acne scarring, some birth marks, fine lines, redness, rosacea, acne.... basically it improves the colour, tone, consistency and texture of the skin.
Another happy result of this treatment is that it stimulates the skin to produce more collagen, and in turn filling out any fine lines in the areas.
My main issue is the pigmentation of my skin which was caused by sun damage from travelling in hot countries and not taking enough care of protecting my skin from the sun.
The kind of results that can be expected from Photorejuvenation
(Source; Google pics)
I went to the Galway Laser and Skincare Clinic which is just outside the city centre and came highly recommended by many people I know who have gone there for various treatments.
I had actually gotten the treatment done on a smaller area around my eyes last year and was very happy with the results from just the one treatment, though I had never followed it up.
This time I am going through a course of full face treatment, which will include 2 to 3 sessions with intervals of 4 to 6 weeks for the full benefit.
The treatment for full face costs €200 per session (€80 for a specific single area on the face) and I was in and out in about 45 minutes.
There is no down time after the treatment, side effects being mild enough and lasting only a couple of days.
These include red and puffed face immediately after, but the redness will fade within a couple of hours once the heat escapes from the face. Any pigmentation marks on the face will grow dark and more noticeable than normal, but these will come to the surface and flake off after a few days, leaving a lighter more even-toned base.
During the treatment your eyes are covered to protect you from the intense light, a cold gel is applied to the the area, and the light is 'zapped' into the skin, which feels like a very hot elastic band being snapped against the skin. For the most part it is very mild and very bearable, but certain areas, like just around the eyes and around the nose are more intense in sensation. Saying that though, I still found it very bearable, and once it's done, it's totally forgotten about.
The face was a little hot to the touch after, but I was given an ice pack to hold against it for a while before a cooling Aloe Vera Gel was applied to the entire area.
Here are a few photo's of before and immediately after.....
Before.....
Immediately after the treatment.....
(Shiny face from the Aloe Vera gel)
The following morning.....
Day 2.....
(Pigmentation is darkening)
My nose freckle fell off while cleansing!!!
Yay!!!
I will post periodic updates on this blog over the next few months, and when the courses are totally finishes I will of course do a before and after.
'Til next post,
Take Care!!
Siobhán.
xx
I'm looking forward to your updates, well done on showing your bare skin, I doubt I could!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I just thought I'd let you know I'm giving away a Clarisonic Mia on my blog! I'd love it if you could check it out on my blog. You can gain up to 10 entries! Here’s a link xx
http://daisy--meadow.blogspot.com/2012/02/giveaway-clarisonic-mia.html
Can't wait to see how this turns out, I've been so curious about IPL.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds fab..I have a broken blood vessel on my cheek and some broken capillaries around my nose that I'm really conscious about and tend to go with full coverage makeup to cover them up..i think i might just bite the bullet and get it done before the summer.I was always afraid to get it done thinking there would be a long recovery time - or even worse the thoughts of not being able to wear makeup for a week!!Thanks for the review Sionhain..xx
ReplyDelete@Courtney Thanks Missy:) You can't really get away without showing your skin if on youtube! ha ha
ReplyDelete@ Tracy D ; I'm dying to see how it turns out aswell!
ReplyDelete@Hilly's fairy dust; I wanted to get this done as I'm sick of feeling like I have to always wear foundation! Good luck if you decide to go for it! x
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this as I've been recently considering this. But the darkening of the pigmentation scares me a little. I'm South asian so the last thing I want is darker scars? Can you apply make up after the procedures or is it a strict no?
ReplyDelete@Designwali ; No, you can actually apply makeup within a couple of hours, depending on how your skin feels, She told me to wait until the heat had escaped fully from my skin. Basically until it had cooled down. My friend who got it done before is Japanese and from L.A so she is medium/dark to begin with and had great results! I would advise going to a clinic and getting a consultation with a licensed specialist! x
ReplyDeleteAwesome post thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks @Sweet Adeline xx
ReplyDeleteOooh, I'd love to do something like this! You can't do enough to prepare for the future, IMO. I am too much of a chicken to think about face lifts and injections, so I'm always looking for something non-invasive (for when I win the lottery, ha). Siobhán, I think you'd be a perfect candidate for Retin A--have you tried it? I love it so much, I've used it since 1997. I also do mini-peels with it and my soon-to-be-40 year old skin is almost line less, even though I sleep in my pillow. Retin A will work sun damage to the surface and slough it off. It also increases collagen production. Your skin is so pretty in your tutorials, I couldn't tell you'd ever been tanned.
ReplyDeleteHi @Mrs. Schmidlapp , I have tried Retin A briefly in the recent past but not really for long enough to see proper results, though I did like how my skin was looking during. Do you do the peels at home?? x
DeleteI sure do! The way I peel is by applying the cream a couple times a day for a few days/or a week, until my skin starts to feel sunburned and I have to stop. Then the skin will peel off, and what is underneath is like baby's skin. I Googled Retin A at home peels and discovered another way--you apply it like a mask and leave it on for awhile (IIRC, for several hours), but I haven't tried that. The only bad thing is being covered in peeling skin, which is hard to hide...
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing detailed information among the users about Laser Treatment. As far as my experience with this treatment, This treatment is safe and useful to remove the unwanted hair permanently.
ReplyDeleteIt breaks up the pigment and/or blood lesions, such as vessels and capillaries, as well as stimulating the fibroblasts cells that produce collagen. Ultimately, the skin is left feeling smoother, skin texture and tone is improved and leaves the skin looking much more youthful and vibrant.
ReplyDelete