Erasing South Florida's Sun Spots

by Julie Lorenzo, MSN, ARNP, FNP-BC

Living in South Florida, one of the most common complaints that I hear from my patients is pigmentation or “sun spots” resulting from years of sun exposure. There are many options to treat hyperpigmentation which is why a thorough consultation with an experienced professional is crucial to ensuring the best treatment for your skin.

What can we do about it?
Starting with the basics, there are many medical grade topical treatments, often prescription based, including hydroquinone and tretinoin. These treatments can be used at home under the direction of your medical provider. The next treatment options include chemical peels which often require multiple treatments and a few short days of down-time. Lastly, a very popular treatment to treat hyperpigmentation is IPL, also known as Intense Pulsed Light.

What is IPL?
The term “IPL” stands for Intense Pulsed Light. It is a medical light treatment, not a “laser” although people will often describe it as such. IPL can treat pigmentation, redness and even vascular lesions along with improving overall skin tone.

Vascular Lesions/Red Vessels
IPL can be used to treat vascular lesions, you may notice those pesky red vessels creeping up around the nose or other areas of the face. The IPL device delivers energy to the vessel causing it to “dry up”. When the resulting flow of blood to the vascular lesion is cut off, the capillary collapses. Results of vascular lesions are often immediate. There may be some residual flaking or drying of the skin for a few days following treatment but most patients report minimal downtime.

Hyperpigmentation/Sun Spots
When treating pigmentation, the light energy from the IPL device penetrates beneath the skin’s surface where the darker melanin (the unwanted pigment) resides and breaks up the pigment which can either rise to the surface as a small “crusty” area or it will naturally be carried away by your immune system.

The IPL Experience
The actual treatment feels like a warm rubber band snap on the skin combined with a flash of bright light. Our IPL device does not require any topical anesthesia, as there is an insulated tip that allows the skin to remain cool during treatment. The patient’s eyes are always covered with proper protection during the session. Pre/post care requires that the patient stay out of the sun for a minimum of two weeks prior to and after treatment along with discontinuing any aggressive topical treatments (like retinol). Multiple treatments (an average of 3) are required but with minimal downtime this is not typically a hindrance for most patients. It is critical to maintain results with proper skin care including daily sun protection in order to ensure that prior heavily pigmented areas will recur slower or not at all.

The Ageless Experience
I have been performing IPL treatments at Ageless Medical for over 2 years. I customize every treatment towards each of my patients’ unique goals, concerns and skin type. Our superior technology has allowed me to deliver incredible outcomes in diminishing red vascular lesions and hyperpigmentation all while improving skin tone. Schedule your complimentary consultation today to evaluate if you are a candidate for IPL treatment so that our team at Ageless Medical can help you look as long as you feel.