What causes acne?
This can be a number of things. Genetics, hormones, environmental issues, stress, diet, bacteria. Obviously IPL treatment is not going to solve all these underlying issues and so it is helpful for you to gain an understanding of what causes your client’s acne before recommending a course of treatment. This will ensure that clients get the best results possible. For example, a client whose acne is triggered by stress may very well see excellent results in the short term however if they don’t work at removing the underlying stress from their lives then the acne may very well come back as the trigger still remains.
Light therapy to treat acne
So how exactly does IPL work to treat acne? The acne filter used during an IPL treatment allows through a broad spectrum of light which includes; red, green and yellow wavelengths of light. The bacterium within an acne lesion contains a photosensitive compound called Porphyrin. When porphyrin is illuminated with certain wavelengths of light, a photochemical reaction is initiated that kills the bacteria leading to suppression of the acne.
The red light emitted during IPL treatment has an anti-inflammatory effect targeting the overactive sebaceous glands that block pores and cause outbreaks of pustules achieving a long term suppression of acne. Red light also stimulates a wound healing response from the body which encourages collagen production in that area, flooding the skin with new collagen that improves both the texture and condition of the skin which is particularly effective to treat scarring and pitting caused by acne in the area.
Getting the best results
We would always recommend that for your client to achieve the best results they need to look at not only treating the symptoms of their skin complaints but look to make changes that eliminate the cause too. IPL treatment for acne treats spots deep within the skin, it can’t take away some of the triggers of acne but it will help to rebalance the skin so that changes made by the client to their lifestyle can ensure the benefits and results
