The Photofacial procedure - a fast anti-aging skin care modality
Sponsored Articles
Home > Others Procedures > Photo Facial Therapy Procedure

The Photo-facial/Flash Lamp Therapy Procedure

Also known as flash-lamp therapy, photo-facial treatment involves treatment which is totally non-invasive and non-ablative.

The procedure involves the use of high intensity pulses of visible light to improve the appearance of vascular lesions, spider veins, port wine stains, broken facial veins, rosy cheeks, thread veins of the legs, freckles and age marks, surface lines, wrinkles and mild acne spots.

The treatment has been very popular for the removal of unwanted hair and works especially for the removal of deeply pigmented hair.

But recently it has been used as the procedure for rejuvenating aged skin. For skin rejuvenation, the procedure consists of a series of IPL treatments that cumulatively produce superior results.

The photo-facial procedure

IPL systems work on the same principles as lasers in that light energy is absorbed into particular target cells with color (chromophores) in the skin. The light energy is converted to heat energy, which causes damage to the specific target area.

IPL photo-facial procedure differs from the lasers in utilizing many wavelengths (or colors) in each pulse of light instead of just one wavelength. With the use of filters most IPL systems are able to provide the exact amount of energy output that is required for specific treatment of the affected area. This helps to enhance penetration and avoids the use of excessive energy reaching to the target tissue preventing any damage.

Photo-facial treatment is considered a non-ablative resurfacing technique in a way that it targets the lower layers of skin (dermis) without affecting the top layers of skin (epidermis). The results are not as dramatic as ablative resurfacing where both the dermis and epidermis are injured to produce a much more noticeable overall outcome.

The advantage of IPL photofacial therapy lies in having a minimal downtime, and availability of different machines for specific treatments as described below.

Vascular lesions For the treatment of spider and thread veins, and some vascular birthmarks.
Pigment Involved: The light pulses are targeted at the red-pigment (haemoglobin) in the blood which heats up and destroys the blood vessels without affecting the skin or other tissues.
Pigmented lesions For the treatment of age spots, freckles, flat pigmented birthmarks and other skin discoloration problems
Pigment Involved: Light pulses targeted at the melanin in the skin's surface which heats and destroys melanin to remove the pigmented lesions.
Hair removal For the treatment of unwanted hair.
Target: The target here is the hair follicle causing the hair to fall out and prevent further growth. Since the chromophores are involved in the treatment it is generally ineffective for light colored hair.


IPL photo facial treatments are normally straightforward. Make sure the technician has been properly trained and is experienced in IPL therapy. These treatments are relatively painless compared to other techniques such as chemical deep peels.

The sensation that is observed is likened to a light pinch or the snap of a rubber band, but some people find it distressing.

As already discussed, avoiding sun exposure in the days and weeks before and after treatment is the essential prerequisite.

Brief outline of the photo facial procedure:

Cold gel is applied to the area being treated. IPL devices often have integrated cooling systems.

A topical anesthetic may be applied to the area in case the patient is not able to withstand the pain.

The smooth, glass surface of the IPL treatment head is applied to the skin, delivering precise pulses of light to the area being treated. Treatment sessions usually last about 20 minutes.

Most patients can return to work immediately after treatment. A course of 4-6 sessions every 3-6 weeks may be needed to achieve desired results.

Precautions

It is advisable for the patient to wear protective eye-wear throughout the treatment session. Both the patient and the technician must wear protective eye-wear.

Side effects are minor and include:

  • Pinking and a little soreness in the skin immediately after the procedure.

  • Sensation of a mild sunburn (redness, peeling, swelling) that may last a few days after treatment.

  • Blistering though rare can occur if the skin pigment absorbs too much light energy.

  • Sometimes the pigment cells (melanocytes) can be damaged leaving darker or paler patches of skin.

  • Bruising, that can affect up to 10% of patients

  • Hair loss
All those side effects discussed above can rarely occur, otherwise the procedure is very safe and the patient is able to resume work immediacy after the procedure.

Most cosmetic surgeons are also using photo-facials with intense pulse light therapy as a part of holistic skin care and skin rejuvenation program to remove blotchy hyper-pigmented macules and dilated blood vessels. The procedure greatly helps the skin to prepare it for the more aggressive procedures as the deep phenol peels.

Another advantage of this light pulse therapy is that it is well tolerated and effective on the chest, neck, and arms where deeper resurfacing is not well tolerated.

Be informed to make use of the best procedure available to your skin type and help yourself to rejuvenate your looks.

Reference

James E. Fulton, "Chemical Peels- Their Place Within the Range of Resurfacing Techniques", Am J Clin Dermatol, 2004; 5 (3): 179-187


  Copyright © microdermabrasionadvice