IPL in Dallas, TX

An intense pulsed light treatment (IPL), also known as fotofacial, uses advanced technology to target various skin imperfections, such as sun damage (brown spots and broken capillaries) and the erythema or redness associated with rosacea. 

If you struggle with how your facial skin looks because of dark spots, sun damage, or broken capillaries, seasoned dermatologist Dr. Adean Kingston can offer you a skin analysis at Adean Kingston, M.D., PLLC in Dallas, Texas to see if you qualify for intense pulsed light therapy (IPL). An IPL fotofacial is a skin rejuvenation treatment for adult men and women with hyperpigmentation and/or redness on their face, neck, chest, back, arms and legs. IPL is not an invasive procedure, but it can be very effective and produce great results with minimal downtime. After a series of treatments, you should see healthier skin with a more even tone, less dark spots, and reduced redness.

IPL photofacials are famous at Adean Kingston, M.D. for their transforming qualities. Some of the benefits that our Dallas, TX patients enjoy from their IPL facials are:

• Restored skin tone and feel
• Balancing of hyperpigmentation and dark spots
• Refreshed, rejuvenated skin aesthetic
• Relaxing, spa-like treatment that contributes to your total skin health

IPL works by targeting melanin (brown spots) and hemoglobin (redness and broken capillaries) with little or no downtime. Candidates for IPL at Adean Kingston, M.D., PLLC may have a combination of concerns with their skin, including sun damage, rosacea, hyperpigmentation (brown spots), flushing, freckles, melasma, age, and sun spots, or broken capillaries. Dr. Kingston will assess your skin to see if you are a candidate for IPL at your private consultation.

IPL is performed inside our Dallas, Texas office in about 30-60 minutes in our minor procedures room after possibly numbing the treatment area with topical lidocaine to improve ones comfort during the procedure. To start the fotofacial, we will clean and dry the skin to be treated before covering your eyes with special laser shields. The IPL is administered using a handheld device that passes over the skin while emitting pulses of light energy. While most patients will feel some discomfort during the IPL, it is generally tolerable for the short treatment time.

There is no downtime associated with a fotofacial treatment, but you will leave your appointment with your skin a little inflamed and red. This will decrease on its own as the day continues, but it can be concealed with makeup. Dr. Kingston advises patients to keep physical sunblock and specific moisturizers on the skin's surface to decrease irritation and speed healing. It also helps to take anti-inflammatory medication to ease swelling, if needed. The dark spots will initially become darker, but over the course of several days, they will begin to flake off. It's critical to keep your skin protected from the sun at all times after a fotofacial treatment and to not pick at your skin. While you should see some visible results after the first session, your skin will attain the best results after several IPL sessions. We recommend approximately 3 – 6 treatments performed around one to two months apart at Adean Kingston, M.D., PLLC for the best results.

How much does IPL cost?
Every patient case is unique, which means the cost of IPL will be dependent on your unique condition. Adean Kingston, M.D., PLLC offers monthly specials and accepts many forms of payment. During your initial visit, we can help estimate your cost and determine the number of treatments needed for optimal results.

How quick are the results from IPL?
Improvements can be seen after each treatment, but the best results can be seen a month after a full series of treatments is completed. It’s common for patients to respond differently to each treatment session. Patients will see a gradual improvement of redness, broken capillaries, and sun spots over time.

What are the possible side effects of IPL?
Most patients may experience mild temporary side effects, like swelling, redness, crusting, bruising, or darkening of their brown spots. These subside within a few days after the procedure. Patients will not be sun sensitive, but they should keep in mind that excessive sun exposure will affect the results of the procedure. Patients should always wear physical sunblock to protect their skin and decrease the appearance of redness, brown spots, wrinkles, and skin cancer.

Do I need to prep for IPL?
Patients about to undergo an IPL treatment are usually asked to avoid self-tanners and excessive sun for 2 – 4 weeks prior to the procedure. You should discontinue the use of any photosensitizing medications such as minocycline, tetracycline, doxycycline or Retin-A several days before each treatment. You should also protect the treated areas with sunblock between sessions.

Why so many sessions?
A full series of IPL photo rejuvenation sessions are required in order to provide gradual, natural-looking improvement with little to no risk of the patient’s safety. Multiple sessions also allow for longer-lasting results.

You probably didn't worry too much about your skin when you were a child, but now that environmental damage, like sun spots, wrinkles, and other problems are appearing, you now may be interested in how to improve your complexion. We invite you to learn more about IPL treatments by calling our Dallas, Texas office and scheduling a skin consultation with Dr. Kingston. With IPL treatments at Adean Kingston, M.D., PLLC, we can help bring back a bright glow, healthier appearing skin and a clear complexion using one of our two IPL devices, Max G on Palomar and/or Lumecca on Inmode.