How Long Is The Recovery Time of IPL Skin Treatment

IPL can have little to no down time depending on the intensity of the laser. Face treatments up to two weeks of the treated area turning darker at first then slowly flaking off. The downtime and recovery time depend on how aggressive the treatment was and the area of the body. the more aggressive the treatment, the more damage done to the top layers of skin, the more down time. 

In most cases the recovery time of intense pulsed light hair removal is anywhere from a week and up to 3 weeks depending on the patient and what area of the body was treated. The face usually takes 8-14 days to completely recover and the arms, chest or legs take closer to 3 weeks. When you are finished with the treatment you will feel like you have a sunburn. That lasts a short period of time. You may have swelling based on how aggressive the settings were during your treatment. You can usually return to work following the procedure. The spots will darken and flake off as time passes. It is a wonderful way to clean up the skins complexion if you suffer from sun damage or reddness.

laser ipl treats brown spots and discoloration-- the more brown you have the longer the recovery time. Initially after treatment the area is itchy, red and swollen for a couple of days. Then the brown pigment will rise to the surface of the skin, and feel dry and crusty, and then peel off. I liken the recovery to a burn. The area may also be very itchy but it is very important to not rub, scratch, or peel the skin. 

The recovery time after treating Rosacea or Melasma is minimal: a few to 24 hours, unless the Rosacea is severe, in which case it may take up to 2 days or longer, folllowing agressive treatment. The recovery time after treatment of freckles (lentigos) takes several days, up to 10 days, including peeling , dark dots and redness. The recovery from an IPL treatment depends on the patient and on the aggressiveness of the treatment.

Some patients react to almost any stimulus with a blush or red response. These people can expect to be red - either mottled or diffused like a sunburn - for a few hours after a treatment. The red response goes away quickly and can be covered with makeup until it resolves.

Some patients have a lot of brown discoloration - like freckles - near the surface of the skin. It is very easy for the ipl laser treatment to turn these surface brown spots dark like coffee grounds for a few days to a few weeks. They float to the surface and flake off. Gone. This is more likely to happen on the hands, arms and chest than on the face. All of this can be covered over with makeup until the recovery is over.

The recovery period or downtime is also dependent on the technique used. An aggressive treatment, one that delivers a lot of energy to the skin, may prolong the downtime but yield a faster good result. A more gentle approach can still get a good result, but it may take a longer time and more treatments.

Temporary discoloration will occur for 3-4 days after the procedure and will flake off slowly. Short term side effects are reddening of the skin, temporary bruising and edema. Rare reactions such as scabbing and blistering are possible but not very common. Protecting the skin by applying sunscreen daily is very important after the IPL and will prevent from future sun damage.

It is important to avoid even minimal tanning for a week prior to an IPL treatment, and allways notify the operator if you have had a recent tan. After receiving an ipl equipment treatment and depending on the sun damage, it generally takes 1-2 weeks. After the treatment and depending on the energy used, you will feel like you have a mild sunburn. This passes in a few short hours. If dark spots were treated, recovery can take up to a few weeks. The spots will darken and look like coffee grounds. They will then slowly flake away naturally. 

In most cases, patients can return immediately to work or school after an IPL treatment. Redness and mild swelling may exist after treatment depending on how aggressive the treatment settings are and which skin type you are. IPL with its very low downtime is a great way to make your skin look a lot better by reducing/removing dark and red spots that detract from the appearance of your face.