Health & Wellness

Item Description

We are thrilled to have the Starlux IPL system here at Presidio Dermatology. IPL stands for Intense Pulse Light. The light source focuses visible light to make it very powerful. Treatment of Brown Spots: The IPL is really good at treating flat, small to medium sized brown sun damage spots on the face, chest, and hands. The IPL is most effective when the spots are dark and the surrounding skin is light. Winter is the best time to have this done and you cannot be tan when we do IPL for brown spots. Each spot absorbs the light and will start peeling soon after treatment. If you have a lot of brown spots you may have crusting for a few days, so plan accordingly. There is some discomfort, but IPL is very well tolerated. The charge varies from $200 to $500 depending on the size of the area being treated. Two to three treatments spaced a month apart give the best results. And, make sure to ALWAYS use sunscreen on freshly treated areas (and, of course, all the time anyway). Treatment of Red Blood Vessels and Flushing: For large visible vessels around the nose and on the cheeks (sometimes called broken capillaries) we recommend two to three treatments, spaced one month apart. After each treatment the area treated will be redder and a little swollen. It is usually easy to cover this up with make up. It improves in about 24 hours. The vessels will start to fade after one treatment. The cost of each treatment ranges from $150 to $400, depending on the area treated. Touch-ups once or twice a year are often necessary to maintain a good result. We can also improve general redness and blushing of the face. This requires three to five treatments about one month apart. Most patients will see significant improvement after the third session. After treatment you can expect some swelling, especially under the eyes. This can take several days to go away. It is helpful to sleep at an incline the first few nights. Many patients find that once they have completed their first series of treatments that it is helpful to come back about once a year for a touch-ups. Treatment of Sun Damage: We can combine both of the above modalities to treat generalized sun damage of the face. This is called a photo facial. It is best to do these in the fall, winter or early spring. We cannot treat if you have a tan. In this procedure we use multiple settings to treat both brown and red marks. We will go over your whole face. You may be swollen and peeling or a few days. Photofacial works the best when you have a fair amount of sun damage (age spots, broken vessels). We often pre-treat with hydroquinone or kojic acid for a few weeks. The cost of a photofacial is $500. Often two to four sessions are necessary to look great!