What Is a Photo Facial?
A photo facial is not simply a cosmetic procedure. It is a safe, non-invasive service that can drastically improve the look and feel of your aging skin by stimulating new collagen and virtually rolling back the years. It is also an amazing skin treatment that greatly improves many troublesome skin conditions like acne and rosacea. Photo facials can not only repair your skin, but they can also provide you with results are long-lasting or even permanent, depending on the issue you are targeting. Before you run off to schedule an appointment, it’s important to learn a bit more about them and how they help you achieve younger-looking, more radiant skin.
What Is a Photo Facial?
A photo facial is a procedure that is designed to improve your skin’s texture and tone, and is performed by a dermatologist or other highly-trained staff member. During the service, pulses of non-laser light of varying wavelengths are applied to your skin. This is called Intense Pulse Light, or IPL, technology. During the treatment, you wear protective goggles and a cooling gel is applied on your skin on the treatment areas. The pulses of light do not hurt, but they may create a feeling of warmth on your skin along with a gentle pinching sensation. Depending on the area involved in your treatment, the appointment will last somewhere between just a few minutes to an hour.
What Are the Benefits of Photo Facials?
Photo facials are used to treat a surprisingly wide variety of issues. The most common kinds of skin conditions that they’re used to treat include unwanted pigmentations such as age spots and freckles. These spots, along with birthmarks and minor scars, result from an excess of melanin in the skin. The IPL emitted through the laser creates a gentle heat that eliminates the excess melanin, leaving your skin smooth with little or no visible mark remaining from the prior discoloration.
This treatment is a great way to reduce other signs of aging as well, improving the appearance of wrinkles or fine lines. It also stimulates your skin’s formation of collagen, giving your skin a radiant, firmer appearance that lasts long after your treatment sessions have ended.
They are also known to be an effective treatment for pervasive acne or rosacea, so if you’ve tried everything else to get rid of either of these, speak to your dermatologist to see if a photo facial is a potential solution for you.
How Should I Care for My Skin after My Photo Facial?
After your photo facial treatment, your skin might be red or a bit swollen for the next few hours. It will also be highly sensitive to sunlight – so sensitive that sun exposure can negate all of the benefits of your treatment and possibly even cause damage to your skin. It is very important to keep away from sunlight as much as possible for one full month after your treatment. When you will be in the sun, even if it is only for a few minutes, make sure you completely cover all the exposed areas of your skin or wear a minimum of SPF 30 sunscreen that protects from both UVA and UVB rays.
Photo facials are a safe, effective treatment for a variety of skin problems. They are used to effectively reduce or remove minor or moderate problem areas and leave you with the healthy glow of nurtured skin. They have few, if any, side effects compared to traditional cosmetic surgery, and are also usually not as expensive. If you are looking for a safe treatment with reliable results, book a consultation to see if a photo facial is right for you.