What do The Oak Ridge Boys, Harry Nilsson, and Herb Alpert have in common? They all have songs about freckles—and that’s just to name a few!
Freckles are those little dark spots that show up when you’re a kid. You might get more as you age. And sunlight makes them darker and more obvious.
If your freckles don’t make you want to write songs about them, MedSpa at ChristiMD can show you how to remove freckles with IPL treatments! It’s safe, it can be done wherever the freckles are, and it can make your skin tone more even and pleasing!
Contact us with any questions you may have, and continue reading as we sing the praises of IPL for freckles.
Two Types of Freckles
Freckles are patches of hyperpigmented cells under the skin.
They come in two classifications: solar lentigines (age spots) and ephelides. Though they’re basically made of the same stuff, the types do have some distinct differences:
Ephelides
- First appear in childhood (2 to 3 years old)
- Usually located on face, neck, chest, and arms
- May disappear with age
- Can fade during the winter
- Have irregular, ill-defined
Age spots
- Appear with maturity, more common in the 50+ crowd
- Located anywhere that gets sun
- Don’t disappear or fade
- Have distinct borders
What Causes Freckles to Form?
The reason behind the freckle depends on the type. Ephelides freckles can be blamed on genetics. It’s a DNA thing. As for age spot freckles, these are caused by long-term exposure to sunlight.
Neither type of freckle is life-threatening, though you may find them to be a nuisance.
How to Remove Freckles Safely: IPL
IPL stands for “intense pulsed light,” a gentle and very effective treatment for freckles of either type.
Using the Cutera® Limelight system, visible light in a spectrum of wavelengths gets distributed to your skin via flashes (pulses) . Depending on your specific hyperpigmentation issues and your skin condition, your MedSpa at ChristiMD provider will customize the device settings to create the correct treatment wavelength and penetration.
The discolored cells in your skin absorb the IPL energy without damaging the normal skin above them. After treatment your freckles will darken, then rise up and flake off. What’s left is refreshed skin with more even tone!
Treatment time depends on the area being treated, and the severity of the freckles. For example, an entire face usually takes around 30 minutes per treatment, while your neck and chest may need about 45 minutes.
IPL Does More for Your Skin
If you’re wondering how to remove freckles—IPL is one of the best answers you can get! Plus the treatment has other advantages:
- Non-invasive, non-surgical treatment
- Removes hyperpigmentation
- Reduces rosacea redness
- Removes spider veins
- Gentler than true laser treatments
- Promotes collagen production
- Smoother skin with fewer fine lines and wrinkles
- Little to no downtime
- Less than 1 hour per treatment
Feeling Fickle About Freckles? IPL Is Your Answer.
If you want to know how to remove freckles without acid-y creams, surgery, or lasers, IPL photofacial offers a cost-effective and results-producing treatment to get rid of them. Contact us and find out what Dr. Christi and her staff of caring providers can do for you today.
