Dermatology London

Some types of pigmentation such as sun spots or freckles

Some vascular conditions such as rosacea or facial blood vessels and thread veins

Some Campbell De Morgan spots

Acne treatment

Rejuvenation by stimulating increased facial skin collagen production

Hair removal

Pregnancy

PCOS/hormonal imbalance in some situations

Being suntanned / using sunbeds / fake tan or tanning creams tablets or injections

Some thyroid conditions

Some skin pigmentation disorders (e.g. melasma, vitiligo)

Psoriasis/eczema

Some diabetes

Some epilepsy

Active Herpes (shingles/cold sores)

Lymphatic/immune system disorders

History of keloid formation/scarring

Photosensitive conditions

Lupus

Some communicable diseases (hepatitis/HIV)

Certain medications including Amiodarone, St Johns Wort, Minocycline, Anticoagulants, Gold Medications, Oral or Topical Retinoids (e.g Roaccutane or Retin A), Oral or Topical Steroids

Avoid sun exposure and only attend the appointment if all existing suntan has faded.

Remove all skin products and makeup from the area to be treated.

Do not pluck, wax or otherwise remove hair apart from by shaving prior to IPL hair removal. Hair roots need to be intact for the procedure to be effective.

At your first appointment you will have a detailed medical assessment of the skin issues requiring treatment, other medical conditions and a full list of medication and allergies will be reviewed.

You will be asked to read and sign a consent form. Any questions that you have at this point will be addressed.

The objectives and possible range of outcomes will be clarified.

A photograph will be taken prior to treating the test area.

You will wear protective eyewear and will be asked to also keep your eyes closed throughout the treatment.

You may be asked to wear a cap over your hair.

White pencil marks may be used on your skin prior to treatment to identify treatment areas and will be removed afterwards.

The skin in the area will be cleaned. Some areas may need to be shaved.

An ultrasound gel will be applied to the area.

The door of the treatment room will be locked prior to application of IPL for safety purposes.

An initial small test area of the IPL will be carried out using appropriate device settings based on the clinical assessment (the test area is approx 1cm x1cm) . You will be asked to report how this feels. The area will be examined for clinical endpoints. The settings used will be recorded. Cooling may be applied in the form of cold compresses. A second IPL test area may also be undertaken at this appointment.

A photograph post treatment may be taken.

The area will be moisturised and SPF factor 50 sunblock applied.

Over the next week monitor effectiveness and report any skin changes back to the team. Please send a photo at 1 week for the doctor to assess how the area has progressed. The initial test area is used to a) assess the effectiveness of treatment b) assess for any reactions that may occur (which can take a few days). This will help determine safe treatment settings going forwards.

On your next appointment the same settings that were found to be effective and safe from the test area will be selected and then treatment of more of the involved area, can be undertaken. This will need to be repeated a number of times with the frequency of treatments depending on the skin condition being treated. If the condition later recurs, further treatments can usually be given.

The sensation is of an instantaneous ‘flicking’ like discomfort. This should be no more than a discomfort score of 7/10. There can be some feeling of heat immediately afterwards.

Use cold compresses if the area feels hot or painful.

Avoid hot baths/showers/steam rooms and saunas.

Avoid sun exposure completely for 4 weeks.

Use SPF50 UVA sun block for 4 weeks.

Monitor the area for any issues.

You may notice swelling or a bruise or blistering after some treatments. This normally resolves itself.

Some pigment may rise to the surface and crust off. This is normal.

Many areas may temporarily look darker or more noticeable in the initial week after treatment.

Please contact the team if you have any concerns

IPL causes local heating to the targetted tissue and surrounding area.

This can cause discomfort during the procedure. There can be redness and soreness for a period after the treatment but this normally settles quickly in the first 24-48hours.

Rarely a burn can occur and this should be treated in the normal way that you would treat a mild burn. It is important that you get in touch with a member of the team if this happens.

Rarely there can be increased or decreased pigmenation in the area.

In the rare case of a burn or significant inflammation, there is a small risk of scar formation. Those who have a tendency to keloid scarring could also develop a keloid scar. This sort of side effect is exceedingly rare, but a possibility.

In some patients IPL treatment does not work despite the intial assessment suggesting it will. This is unusal but it something that all patients must be aware of.

Undisclosed medications, recent tanning/tanning products or failure to follow the after care advice all make the above side effects much more likely.

The frequency and number of treatments varies according the condition being treated, as well as the individual patient response. If there are large areas to be treated, this may need to be completed in ‘chunks’. This will be discussed with you in your appointment.

For example

-a pigmented lesion may need 1-3 treatments with monthly intervals

-rosacea may need 3-6 sessions with monthly interval and may need ‘top up’ in the future.

The IPL treatment is undertaken at The Riverside Clinic in Brentford. There is ample on site parking.

The charge for each vist, incuding the inital assessment and patch testing visit, is £350