Home Tag: "IPL" (Page 2)

Tag: IPL

hand rejuvenation
31Jan

Let’s give a show of hands! Remember, we tend to focus on facial rejuvenation and forget that our hands give away our true age.

First up you’ll notice that your right hand looks older than the left one. This is purely because of sun exposure when driving.

Ageing hands

Hands often start ageing between the ages of 30 and 40. Patches of hyperpigmentation (dark spots) appear. Plus, the skin becomes dehydrated and starts to wither.

Between the ages of 40 to 50, the dark marks grow and solar keratosis (rough sun spots) are visible. Sometimes hypopigmentation (white spots) will also appear.

But when you hit 50, ageing accelerates. You’ll start noticing signs of thinning in the epidermis, while veins become quite prominent. Some people develop rheumatic disorders and fragile capillaries easily cause bruising.

Repair your hands

Alas, we can’t stop the ageing process. But we can take steps to repair our damaged hands. Chemicals peels, IPL and microneedling are ideal for smoothing flat sun spots while boosting rough and dehydrated skin.

After completing a course of 3 to 4 treatments, you’ll notice that the skin quality is better, stronger and well hydrated. And if you’re diligent about applying topical active products and sunscreen, you’ll be on a winning streak.

To maintain your hands in top-notch condition, we advise a course of treatments annually.

Products

We recommend the following products to treat your hands: Skin Tech DHEA Cream, Atrofillin Cream, Zone Night Cream, Dermastine Emulsion with Vitamin A. Good sunscreens are those from Heliocare, Bioderma, Avene and Skin Tech.

Then, when your hands look as young as your face, you’ll be in a position to give a show of hands!

solar lentigos
26Nov

IPL is the go-to treatment for solar lentigos. These dark spots that often appear on areas of the skin that are exposed to UV may not be a cause for skin cancer concern. But, let’s face it, they look very unsightly.

Solar lentigos commonly appear on the face, neck, chest, arms and hands. They often are mistaken for freckles. However, they usually have a darker shade than other freckled spots on the face.

Who is prone to solar lentigos?

Men and women with both fair and dark skins can develop these spots. And usually these spots appear in greater sizes and numbers among older people. Yes, you’ve guessed it! The primary cause of sunspots or solar lentigos is not only excessive sun exposure, but also tanning beds.

How it happens

Let’s explain the process. Sunlight strikes your skin. Consequently, your skin responds by releasing melanin in an attempt to block off the harmful UV and protect your skin. Then the melanin produced by your skin ends up concentrated over one area. Spots that are tan, black, or brown appear, which can spread out or become darker over time.

Alas, age spots may also be genetic. Other causes include radiation exposure and certain forms of phototherapy.

Types of solar lentigo

While most solar lentigos are benign, do get those dark spots checked out by a dermatologist. Reason being, solar lentigos may be an early form of melanoma.

Solar lentigos usually appear on the epidermis – where malignant cells lie. These are often found on frequently damaged parts of the face, particularly the high points of the nose and cheeks.

Treatment

Generally, IPL is the go-to treatment for solar lentigos. This minimally invasive treatment allows for the specific targeting of damaged skin cells. It uses different wavelengths of light to deliberately damage and eliminate these spots.

But the best advice yet is: be sun smart.

24Oct

For those struggling with acne, don’t despair: IPL provides effective acne relief. This laser-based treatment targets the causes of acne under the skin while keeping the top layer of the skin intact.

Also known as intense pulsed light technology, IPL uses high-intensity pulses specifically for  visible changes. And with its broad-spectrum light source, it’s a good treatment for a variety of skin problems, including acne, sun spots, rosacea, acne scars, and more.

Recommended by dermatologists

Indeed, many dermatologists prefer IPL photofacials for patients with severe acne or acne scarring. Not only is it a safer alternative to oral antibiotics, but it also provides excellent results.

The technology uses three wavelengths: 420 nm/blue light which destroys certain acne bacteria, the 560 nm yellow light which addresses swollen acne lesions and the 590 nm red light which paralyses overactive oil glands.

But the treatment will depend on the severity of a patient’s acne condition. Usually, the typical treatment course is about 4 to 6 sessions, at 6-week intervals.

What to expect

To start with, we apply a protective cooling gel to the targeted area to keep the top layer of the skin safe from the heat. You’ll also receive protective goggles for your eyes. Thereafter, we press the IPL device to the treated area. This is when you can expect a bright flash of light. We then move from patch to patch. And if necessary, we’ll repeat this process with each filter.

Finally, we clean the skin and hand you a post-treatment product to help with the healing process.

Luckily, healing is very quick. You’ll feel like you’ve had sunburn and this may last anywhere from 4-6 hours. Side effects also may include slight bruising and reddening for a day after the treatment, and maybe some peeling after the first few weeks.

You’ll notice quite an improvement after the first session, but prepare for a transformation after completing the course. So, good to know that IPL provides effective acne relief.

Rejuvenation treatments
24Oct

Yes indeed: rejuvenation treatments rock! Who needs to make peace with ageing when there are so many options to revive, refresh and rejuvenate?

As your largest organ, your skin is essential to your general health. That means: take care of your skin and it’ll help take care of you. Not only is a wise skincare routine essential, but the boost you’ll receive from rejuvenation treatments will stand you in good stead for years to come.

Good reasons to rejuvenate

So, keep your skin in good shape with regular knock-out skin rejuvenation treatments. The reasons are many:

  • Soap and water are pretty much a daily given. However, professional skin rejuvenation treatments such as peels, IPL, microdermabrasion and fraxel lasers will detox your skin, remove excess oil from pores and slough dead skin cells.
  • Chemical peels, microneedling, IPL, fraxel laser and microdermabrasion also improve blood flow to your skin. Good blood flow improves cellular processes while boosting the skin’s elasticity. Oxygen and nutrients will feed your skin cells, thus helping them recover.

But there are other pluses to rejuvenation treatments. All above-mentioned treatments play a role in helping to minimise fine lines, sunspots, acne scarring, traumatic scarring and acne itself.

Trust the professionals

And another positive of professional skin rejuvenation treatments at Lasermed is that all our therapists are professionally trained. They would be able to advise you on the best treatment options for your skin. What’s more, they will offer evidence-based advice on the best products to use. Good skin care products can help enhance your skin’s appearance and texture at any age, whether battling acne or seeking a more youthful yet natural appearance. In addition, good-quality skincare products come in formulations tailored to specific skin types.

We’d all like to look like a million dollars. And the best way to get there, is starting your rejuvenation journey with confidence at a professional centre that you trust. After all, rejuvenation treatments rock!

1Sep

Thanks to technology, you too may soon have no more spider veins. The latter, known as telangiectasias, are dilated or broken blood vessels on the skin surface or mucous membranes. While they normally appear as fine pink or red lines, some people also have clusters of telangiectasias that form as a pink or red patch on the skin.

Who gets it?

Fair-skinned people are prone to developing these spider veins on areas with chronic sun damage. And pregnant women are also susceptible. As are people on chronic systemic or topical corticosteroids and those with rosacea and liver disease.

But, telangiectasias are also a classic feature of certain autoimmune diseases that affect the skin and other connective tissues. Examples are scleroderma, lupus and dermatomyositis. As such, we recommend that you visit a dermatologist for a diagnosis on the cause of your spider veins.

Prevention

Fortunately, you can take steps to prevent telangiectasias. These include avoiding the sun, cold, heat, strong wind, smoking, spicy foods, alcohol and hot drinks. Also, don’t ever use abrasive exfoliators on your skin.

Treatment

Fortunately, there’s good news. IPL can treat these pesky superficial spider veins effectively. A specific wavelength of light selectively heats haemoglobin, sealing dilated blood vessels. Unfortunately, it doesn’t prevent new telangiectasias from forming. So, you’ll need to schedule follow-up treatments to maintain the vein-free look.

After that, it’s a matter of being religious about applying sunscreen, wearing sunglasses and a hat, using mild cleansers and avoid using topical steroids.

Photo: from Nordlys IPL

Enlarged pores
4Jul

If you’ve experienced the horror of enlarged pores in the magnifying mirror, know this: you can shrink those pores with IPL. You can’t wish your enlarged pores away, but luckily you can gradually shrink and minimise them. Achieve this with a mixture of effective cleansing, exfoliating and the wonder of IPL.

Often enlarged pores are genetic. An oily skin doesn’t help either. Usually, overactive sebaceous glands which cause pores to expand are the culprits. Also, hormonal changes, poor skin hygiene, too much sun, extreme climates and the ageing process influence pore size.

Treatments

We all regard enlarged pores as cosmetically undesirable. Not only that, but they’ll be more prone to getting clogged with oil and dirt, increasing the chance of break-outs.

Steps to take include prudent use of skincare products adapted to your skin type. That certainly will help to reduce oil production and help control pore size. Do take note that by using cosmetics to camouflage large pores, the problem actually might eventually get worse.

The wonder of IPL

IPL is recognised as an effective treatment to stimulate cell renewal and collagen production in the skin. So, to shrink those pores with IPL, it works thus: without harming the skin’s surface layers, light pulses are focused on the skin cell layers responsible for cell renewal. These intense light pulses effectively have a rejuvenation effect by penetrating deep into the skin, killing bacteria and stimulating collagen production. The result is improved skin tone, reduced oil production and an eventual reduction in the pore size.

Typically, multiple treatments are necessary. But the good news is that you will notice results within a week or two after the first treatment.

In addition, IPL also corrects visible skin imperfections and improves skin tone. So, it’s a double-whammy.

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