Since I was a young adult, I have never felt comfortable going without makeup. My skin has always been red, splotchy and uneven, along with a few scars I’ve had since I was a child and dark spots that have come with aging. I thought this was just something I had to deal with for the rest of my life and didn’t know there was something I could do to help until I discussed my issues with a very talented esthetician in Little Rock. After going through a series of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments coupled with PhotoFractional ResurFX non-ablative fractional laser resurfacing, my skin is so dramatically different that I cannot get over my results. Keep reading to learn about how these non-invasive treatments can help with aging, fine lines, skin tone, discoloration, dark spots, texture, and pore size.
This post is sponsored by Kimberly Jenkins of Skin Solutions and Dr. Edward J. Love MD, however, all opinions are my own.
PHOTOFRACTIONAL AND INTENSE PULSED LIGHT BENEFITS
In case you are wondering what a PhotoFractional and Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment are, and how they can help, I want to share all the details with you. The PhotoFrational treatment combines two technologies that target both tone and textural irregularities, and by looking at my before photo below, I had a lot of those issues and I’m guessing we all do! To break it down, the IPL treatment helps with surface irregularities such as sun damage (brown or dark spots), scars, redness, and broken capillaries.
The second part of the PhotoFractional treatment is called ResurFX non-ablative fractional laser, and it “emits precise columns of heat energy into the skin” to help stimulate collagen growth and it helps retexture the skin. This technology has been used for decades to help trigger the body to repair the skin, which leads to collagen production, and it is the key to glowing, youthful looking skin. By combining the IPL and the ResurFX treatment, both textural irregularities and skin pigmentation can be treated simultaneously.
In review, this treatment helps with:
-Collagen production
-Improved skin tone
-Improved texture
-Reduction of dark spots
-Decrease in fine lines
-Reduction of scarring
-Reduction of redness
-Decrease in pore size
-Decrease in broken capillaries
PHOTOFRACTIONAL AND INTENSE PULSED LIGHT PROCESS
On the day of the treatment, I went into Kimberly Jenkins of Skin Solutions office 20 minutes early and they applied a topical numbing cream. This cream helps numb the skin so the treatment isn’t uncomfortable. During the treatment, Kimberly started with the IPL first. The IPL wasn’t painful to me at all, it omits a little prickling sensation as the laser is applied over the skin. Following the IPL, she did the ResurFX treatment, and like the IPL, it wasn’t painful but I did feel some discomfort around my lip and nose area. But the discomfort was not bad at all, and it’s a very quick process.
The entire treatment takes up to 30 minutes, depending on the number of problem areas. I did have a lot of redness, dark spots, and broken capillaries, so my treatment took the full 30 minutes. The most uncomfortable part for me was the 10 minutes after the treatment when my skin felt hot, but again it wasn’t overly painful, just uncomfortable and only lasted for a short period of time. After seeing my results, any discomfort, short or long, is 1000% worth it!
Following my treatment, my face was red and a little swollen, but I was able to resume activities as normal. Non-ablative means the skin isn’t broken so you won’t have any bleeding or infection, so there is minimal downtime or risk! Kimberly gave me a cream to use at night for a week, and the following day, she said I could wear makeup like normal and it was not obvious I had anything done at all. You may experience some dryness over that next week, but any dryness just shows you the treatment worked!
PHOTOFRACTIONAL AND INTENSE PULSED LIGHT RESULTS
You can expect to start seeing results after one week, and after six weeks you will really start seeing some differences. Since the benefits of the collagen production will continue to show after three months, you will see improvement in your skin over time! They recommended I do three treatments every four to six weeks, but some people might need more depending on the severity of your issues or concerns.
Ok, now that you know how this treatment works and how it could help you, here are my before and after results. I am only wearing eye makeup in these photos, and they have not been retouched. You can see that my redness is gone, fine lines are diminished, my brown spots are almost nonexistent, and it’s hard to see from the photo, but the small pits (scars) I had on my face are so much softer and my broken capillaries are completely gone. Also, when I look at the difference in these photos, I just can’t get over the overall texture change, and I really do see a glow and youthfulness that wasn’t there before. I’m absolutely thrilled with these results and highly recommend this treatment.
The last thing that I want to mention is that I typically get squeamish with any procedure or treatment, and Kimberly Jenkins of Skin Solutions was so calming. She walked me through every part of the treatment before, during and after, and she constantly asked how I was doing throughout. I also really appreciated that before each subsequent treatment she reviewed my skin to assess the areas that needed a little more attention, and to let me know the changes she could see over time. It was such a great experience that I would love to repeat throughout my years as I continue aging!
Kimberly Jenkins of Skin Solutions office is located in the Plastic Surgery Institute with Dr. Edward J. Love MD and she also offers Microderm Abrasions, Microneedling, Peels, Facials, and Laser Hair Removal. She has a full line of skincare products from Zo Skin Health and Skinceuticals that I’ve been using to further care for my skin. Her office is a one-stop shop for taking care of all your skincare needs.
The above photo is me, completely overjoyed that Kimberly was able to literally take years off my face! I hope this in-depth look at the PhotoFractional and Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment was helpful and provides you with all the information you need to make an informed decision for the betterment of your skin!
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