How to get your skin glowing

Maintaining youthful skin is every woman’s goal. But age and the environment conspire to wreak havoc on our skin. Fortunately, science and technology have progressed to the point where maintaining youthful skin is an easy matter.

Maintaining beautiful skin has progressed from using moisturizers and sunblock to organic treatments like vitamin C creams and eating fruit like watermelon. Maintaining a well-hydrated body not only helps maintain supple skin but helps flush toxins from your body.

Another treatment that has gained adherents these past decades is Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy. As its name implies, IPL uses modern technology to work its magic. Basically, a handheld device called a flashgun delivers an intense (and visible) beam of light to the skin. IPL technology is not the same as laser technology. Laser technology uses just a specific light wavelength to target a specific condition, whereas IPL devices are fitted with filters that can be adjusted to suit differing therapies. IPL technology  can be used for not just cosmetic but also therapeutic purposes. Both types of laser treatments in Vancouver use light and heat to work, yet are non-invasive.

Conditions that IPL therapy can alleviate include sun damage, veins on the face, facial lines, liver spots, freckles, wrinkles, and even birthmarks. You can also ask your dermatologist to use intense pulsed light therapy to remove hair from various parts of your body.

Prior to the series of IPL sessions (the number depends on the skin condition), your dermatologist may provide a cream to apply to your face. Then you will be advised to avoid direct sunlight, tanning beds, creams that contain Vitamin A, and medications that can increase risk of bleeding, such as aspirin and Ibuprofen.

During a session, the experience of having an IPL device used on your skin has been likened to rubber bands snapping on the surface. A bit discomforting, but not painful. Each session can last from 20-30 minutes. As we’ve said, the number of sessions will vary with the skin condition, but a general rule of thumb is from 3 to 6 sessions.

Concerns have been raised that IPL (and laser) therapies could be contributors to skin cancer. A study published by the National Institute of Health in 2017 concluded that the use of these technologies does not pose a credible cancer risk. Furthermore, the filters used in an IPL flashgun remove the risk of exposure to harmful ultraviolet radiation.

Contact Pure Light Laser Skin and Body Clinic for your Vancouver laser treatment needs.