There are many ways to improve the tone and texture of your skin, some involving chemicals, others involving surgery or creating controlled injuries on the skin. While these treatments are effective, you may be interested in procedures that don’t involve chemicals and long recovery periods. 

Fortunately, there is a way to restore and rejuvenate your skin using light energy. Read on to find out about intense pulsed light therapy and laser resurfacing at Knott Street Dermatology. 

What is Intense Pulsed Light Therapy?

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy can treat many skin conditions in just a short amount of time. That’s because the IPL device delivers intense pulses of light energy in multiple wavelengths to target a broader area of the skin. 

The procedure improves skin tone and texture by stimulating the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Our skin can restore and rejuvenate itself by discarding old cells and replacing them with new ones. But as we age, this process tends to take longer, if not at all. The skin, therefore, needs help in kick-starting cell turnover.

This is where IPL helps. The IPL device gently heats the skin, creating small injuries and stimulating the healing process. The lymphatic system eliminates the dead skin cells, while collagen and elastin production starts anew.

Get IPL to improve overall skin health and texture.

Use IPL if your goal is overall skin rejuvenation. The procedure will help reduce skin redness, reduce the size of pores and improve the appearance of scars. The light is attracted to the melanin in your skin, which is why IPL is ideal for treating sun damage, age spots, and other areas of hyperpigmentation.

It’s important to avoid direct sun exposure after the IPL treatment. You can expect to see some redness and swelling, but this is normal and will typically disappear in a day or two. You may see some dark spots or bruising, but this is also temporary and will resolve itself in a week or so.

Visit our clinic to experience Sciton® BBL™.

Knott Street Dermatology offers IPL using a revolutionary device called Sciton BBL. BBL or Broadband Light therapy is the gold standard device for in intense light pulse treatment. It is FDA-cleared and backed by years of clinical research.

The Sciton BBL treatment is usually done in a series of three to five sessions. The number of sessions will depend on your skin concerns and goals. Each session lasts about 30 minutes.

What is Laser Resurfacing?

Laser resurfacing is best for treating conditions that require deep-layer healing in the dermis. The device used in this procedure is more precise, delivering a single, targeted beam of light in areas that need treatment.

Laser resurfacing can be done with either an ablative or non-ablative laser. Ablative laser resurfacing is the more aggressive of the two. The ablative laser removes the top layer of skin, called the epidermis. This exposes the dermis, where new collagen and elastin production can begin.

Non-ablative laser resurfacing does not remove the top layer of skin. Instead, it works by heating the dermis without damaging the epidermis. This stimulates collagen and elastin production without the recovery time associated with ablative laser resurfacing.

Get laser resurfacing for below-the-surface skin concerns.

Laser resurfacing can be used to treat a variety of concerns, including wrinkles, fine lines, scarring, and dark spots. It is a more aggressive treatment than IPL and sometimes causes more discomfort.

Aside from treating wrinkles and fine lines, rosacea and melasma, laser resurfacing can be used to remove tattoos. The high-intensity light beam penetrates deep into the dermis to break up the color pigments. Because of this deep penetration, it also takes longer to recover from laser resurfacing compared to IPL treatment.

Knott Street Dermatology offers Sciton® Halo™.

Knott Street Dermatology offers laser skin resurfacing treatment using Sciton ® Halo™, a one-of-a-kind device that has both an ablative and non-ablative laser.  The ablative laser works best for treating deep wrinkles and scars, while the non-ablative laser is more effective for treating fine lines and pigmentation concerns.

Book your consultation today.

At Knott Street Dermatology, we offer a variety of dermatologic services, including IPL, laser resurfacing, and more.  We will assess your skin concerns and goals to develop a treatment plan that is tailored to you. 

Learn more about what we offer, or schedule a consultation by calling (503) 386 97 95.