Questions about IPL: scars, burns, moles and more | Philips (2024)

FAQs

Does IPL burn moles? ›

As we've seen, the energy of the light in IPL is absorbed by melanin, so IPL would also heat the mole or birthmark itself. It could cause discomfort, burns or long-term changes. So, before you undertake IPL hair removal, moles and birthmarks need to be identified, to help you avoid them.

Topical Serums that contain Vitamin C, and products with growth factors, can aid in collagen production. This may improve skin healing and reduce inflammation. If the burn marks are old you may need a clinical treatment such as a medium depth chemical peel to treat the scars.

Although side effects of IPL are typically rare and minimal in severity, the most common adverse events include pain and erythema.

IPL causes early decrease of scar vascularity and flattening of scar (reduction of height); it also increases pliability of immature burn scar and thus prevents development of hypertrophic scar.

With the treatment you mention, intense-pulsed light or IPL, melasma often reappears quickly. Intense-pulsed light also carries a risk of heating the surrounding skin, which is thought to worsen melasma.

Blistering and Scarring

These effects are more likely to occur when higher-intensity settings are used. To minimize the risk, it's advisable for those with sensitive skin to start with lower settings and gradually increase as tolerated.

A burn after laser hair removal may be red, blistering, swollen, and in the shape of the tip of the laser applicator device. “Symptoms are often worse during the first few hours or days after the burn,” adds cosmetic dermatologist Dr.

In most cases, the burn will heal within 1-2 weeks. However, more severe burns can take longer to heal and may require specific aftercare, like post laser balm or medical barrier cream. It's important to monitor the burn closely and report to your practitioner if it doesn't show signs of improvement within a week.

You'll know the treatment is working when your hair grows out slower and finer. This usually happens after the fourth session. Others have also noticed hair shedding more easily and falling out more frequently than before after IPL treatment and shaving becomes easier.

The main downsides of IPL treatment are the cost and number of sessions needed to get results. Mild pain and redness also may occur during or after treatments.

Who should avoid IPL? ›

IPL is safe for most people but is not suitable for everyone. Pregnant women and people who are on blood thinners, for example, should avoid IPL. Other factors that make people unsuitable for IPL treatment include: currently or recently taking the acne drug Accutane.

Who Is Not a Candidate? People with tanned or naturally dark skin are not necessarily good candidates for IPL because there's a risk that the skin pigment could change after treatment. Anyone taking Accutane should not consider an IPL treatment until at least six months after they stop using the drug.

IPL can remove some flat pigmented moles (mainly lentigines - also known as freckles or age spots). It's not usually recommended for actual moles because it might not penetrate deeply enough to remove the entire mole and there is a risk of the mole returning.

You could experience discomfort or even a burn if you treat a freckle or mole directly. Permanent makeup or tattoos: If you have permanent makeup then you should avoid using IPL. Face tattoos also need to be avoided. This is because it can result in a burn and a change in skin colour.

As a general rule, the smaller the capillaries, the quicker they are to clear up. Typically, you won't start seeing results until two to four weeks after the first treatment, as it can take the body's lymphatic system that long to remove the dead material.

When you laser over the skin, the laser is absorbed by the pigment. Naturally if you would laser directly over the mole, the pigment would absorb the laser, which would then disrupt the cluster of pigment and may even cause it to lift off.

Specialised lasers can be useful for removing moles for cosmetic reasons, leaving no or almost no scarring. The laser used in hair removal is not likely to completely remove moles. It may change the appearance for some time, but generally moles will grow back after "removal" during laser hair removal treatment.

Never use IPL to remove hair from moles. Avoid waxing, tweezing, epilating, or threading to remove hair in between the IPL treatments. But you can shave to keep the growth in control. Prepare your skin well before the IPL treatment by shaving the area of treatment and then patting it dry.

Laser removal of moles can be a good option if moles are in hard to reach locations, like the ears, or on sensitive or highly visible areas of the skin, such as the face. Lasers can also be good for removing more than one mole at the same time.