What Is an IPL Photo or Laser Facial?

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A photo or laser facial, is a procedure in which intense pulses of laser light are used to penetrate deep into the skin. IPL photorejuvenation then causes collagen and blood vessels below the epidermis to constrict, reducing redness and age lines. The procedure involves only minimal discomfort, while the redness and swelling that sometimes occur after treatment disappear shortly. Most benefits of a photofacial occur gradually in the weeks following treatment. When performed on the right person, it effectively improves skin texture, eliminating discolorations, reducing pore size, and minimizing wrinkles and fine lines. If you have rosacea, a condition that causes blotchy redness in the face, you may also benefit from an IPL photofacial.

At PRISM we carefully chose the revolutionary Venus Versa™ IPL for Photofacials.

Fight Sun Damage with the Power of Light with Venus Versa™ IPL Treatments

As Californian’s, it’s so easy to be accustomed to spending small blocks of time in the sun that it is all-too-easy to forget the damage that those warm rays are doing deep within the tissues of the skin. Unfortunately, many of the changes that we notice on our face are actually caused by sun damage triggered by either natural ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun or artificial UV rays from tanning beds/booths, also known as “photoaging”. Sun damage comes in many forms, including:

• Irregular pigmentation problems on the hands, arms, face, chest, and shoulders

• Sun spots, liver spots, age spots, and brown spots

• Melasma (patches of darkened skin)

• Rough, uneven skin tone and texture

• Spider veins, broken or dilated capillaries, and/or rosacea

• Fine lines and wrinkles

• Enlarged pores

 

All of these elements are treatable with the Venus Versa™ IPL Facials, which can be used on the Face, Decollate, Arms, Hands, and other body parts.

 

Venus Versa™ IPL Photofacial Expert

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When we decided to bring the Venus Versa™ IPL PhotoFacial machine into our array of tools, we conducted a lot of research on the machines available. After carefully considering who our customers are and what their unique needs were we knew this was the perfect machine to add to our collection.
We each trained with the leaders of Venus Versa™ on how to get the best results out of the machines.

 

Benefits of IPL Treatment with Venus Versa™

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Venus Versa™ is a powerful, highly effective Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) skin treatment that harnesses the power of light to reverse these effects of sun damage, as well as the natural aging process. While it may seem counter-intuitive (won’t adding more light to your skin increase the damage instead of fix it?), IPL treatments utilize safe infrared light (as opposed to UV light) to improve and enhance the color, tone, texture, and condition of your skin by stimulating the production of collagen and elastin deep within the tissues of the skin. Other benefits of IPL with Venus Versa™ include:

• Non-invasive and non-ablative

• One treatment can be completed in less than 20 minutes

• No downtime or recovery time: return to your normal activities immediately

• Built-in cooling system to ensure your comfort during treatment

• Powerfully reduces minor pigmentation problems like brown spots with just 1 or 2 treatments

• Safe and effective

• Works for all skin types
   

Can Tanned or Ethnic Skin Be Treated with a Venus Versa™ IPL Treatment?

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An active tan from the sun or tanning beds is not appropriate for treating with IPL. Tanned skin has a lot of pigment or melanin, which may also absorb the IPL light energy. It is recommended that a person not have sun exposure or have used a tanning bed in the area to be treated for a period of 3-4 weeks prior to treatment with IPL. Self-tanners must be faded from the skin for at least 14 days prior to treatment. Discuss with your clinician the possibility of tanning during your series so that a safe regimen can be created. Ethnic skin of Skin Type V is NOT a candidate for Photofacial treatments or other IPL therapies generally speaking. Be wary of any place that will perform IPL on dark ethnic skin, because you are always at risk for permanent scarring and increased hyperpigmentation, even if you have had successful treatments in the past. It’s not worth the risk when there are safe and effective ways to lighten and rejuvenate ethnic skin.

 

How Many IPL Facial Treatments Will I Need?

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The number of treatments needed varies from patient to patient, somewhere between 3-10 treatments is required depending on if your goals are cosmetic, therapeutic or both. Your clinician will personalize a treatment plan based on your skin defects and the level of improvement you desire. Your clinician may also combine your treatment with other popular aesthetic procedures to further enhance the outcome. While you will see some improvements in pigmentation from one treatment generally more are required to get an even smooth look especially on the body areas. Touch ups to remove any residual striping that may occur can be performed at the 30-day mark.

 

How IPL Photorejuvenation Works

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During an IPL photorejuvenation treatment, high energy light waves are used to reduce or eliminate many common effects of aging, including facial wrinkles and skin discolorations. IPL light also encourages the production of collagen, a natural protein that fills in wrinkles, making the skin smooth and supple. With each treatment, the results of IPL photo rejuvenation become more pronounced. Five full-face IPL photo facial sessions spaced three weeks apart are normally required for optimal results.

 

How Venus Versa™ Works

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The state-of-the-art Intense Pulsed Light treatment delivered by Venus Versa™ is designed to deliver strong and precise infrared light throughout the sensitive tissues of the skin. Each treatment is custom-tailored to deliver the light at various depths in order to treat your specific concerns at their source. The light restores and rejuvenates dead and damaged skin cells at the molecular level, stimulating the production of new collagen and elastin, reducing wrinkles and pigmentation projects, and improving your skin’s overall tone and texture. Venus Versa™’s revolutionary, the built-in cooling system ensures that it delivers safe, comfortable, highly effective rejuvenation over larger areas of the skin while avoiding unnecessary damage to the surface of the skin.

A typical IPL session with Venus Versa™ usually takes about 15-20 minutes, and because the treatment is non-invasive and non-ablative, you can return to your normal activities immediately with no downtime! Some patients will experience temporary facial redness which may last up to an hour after the treatment. You will see some reduction in pigmentation problems immediately after your first treatment, and for individuals with brown spots and other minor pigmentation problems, two or three treatments may be all that is required. Most patients, however, require a series of 3-6 treatments, spaced about four weeks apart, for optimal results.