Why everyone's obsessed with IPL [Mary Ann Faulhaber, Aesthetician, Portland]

Eva Sheie (00:00):
You're listening to Where Before Meets After. Thanks for listening. We're talking today to Mary Ann Faulhaber at MD Beauty Lab about the IPL. But for somebody who's never heard of IPL or not familiar with it, how do you explain it?

Mary Ann (00:16):
IPL, Intense Pulse Light is a treatment that is specifically targeting tone and pigment to the skin. So reds, browns, purples, even a little bit of blues can get super customizable to kind of give you more of an even complexion to the skin.

Eva Sheie (00:36):
Scientifically speaking, how does the technology target that? What is it actually doing?

Mary Ann (00:42):
So the wavelengths of the lasers have a chromophore. So the chromophore is like the target and it's attracted to pigment. So it's looking for those browns depending on your settings or reds. And so it's kind of traveling through the skin. It's not breaking the skin barrier or anything. And it's hitting that melanin layer and essentially shattering those cells. And then it kind of triggers our own cell turnover rate process to kind of come bring it up to the surface of the skin so that in a matter of days it kind of comes up and falls off.

Eva Sheie (01:18):
What does it feel like when you actually use that on somebody's skin?

Mary Ann (01:23):
IPL is quite similar sensation to laser hair reduction. I always like to compare the two because most people have had laser hair or maybe a little more familiar with it. So it does have that snappy sensation every time you pulse. But with it, it also has like a bright flashing of the light. It's intense pulse light for a reason, so it's a little bit brighter as well. But usually it's just kind of that little zap that happens and then it goes away pretty quickly.

Eva Sheie (01:52):
If you're the patient, are you wearing goggles during this treatment so the light doesn't actually get in your eyes?

Mary Ann (01:57):
Yeah. Yeah. So I always kind of put little cotton rounds and titanium shields on the eyes just to kind of like cushion the flash because it is so bright that you'll even see the flash kind of through that. But they're 100% protected with that. It's just that bright.

Eva Sheie (02:13):
What about your eyes? Do you wear goggles too?

Mary Ann (02:15):
Yes, absolutely.

Eva Sheie (02:16):
That you can see through?

Mary Ann (02:17):
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They have a really intense green kind of tint to it to kind of, of course, like block a certain type of wavelength. But yeah, I look really cool while I'm doing it. It's my cool goggles.

Eva Sheie (02:29):
Yeah, I bet you do. What about melasma? Can it do anything for melasma?

Mary Ann (02:35):
Melasma's a little tricky. You typically want to stay away from IPL or even like heat-based treatments you want to be a little cautious with just because it can kind of hold onto that heat from the laser and possibly cause it to get a little bit darker. But luckily melasma is pretty easy to kind of find and look out for. Usually kind of pops up in like more of symmetrical patches or after a big hormonal change. So just talking with your patient about when you noticed the pigment popping up.

Eva Sheie (03:09):
If you've been out in the sun recently, is it a good idea to go ahead and have an IPL treatment?

Mary Ann (03:15):
Definitely not. No. Yeah. IPL does in lasers in general can make you more photosensitive. So definitely no sun exposure for around two weeks before or after. Luckily we're in the Pacific Northwest, so nothing gets- Nothing to worry about. 's too sunny as long as you're wearing your SPF and not have any long river days or anything. But usually-

Eva Sheie (03:39):
What would happen if you had been in the sun and maybe weren't necessarily being truthful about being in the sun and went ahead and had a treatment?

Mary Ann (03:49):
Adverse reactions can happen if you do have that sun exposure, even intense heat exposure afterwards. Just because you have that energy, you have that heat built up into the skin. So if you expel it in any way, it could cause your hyperpigmentation to get worse, which is not the goal. And possibly risk above burner or blister, but luckily it's pretty easy to avoid as long as you're following protocol.

Eva Sheie (04:14):
Is a IPL treatment safe for every skin type and color?

Mary Ann (04:19):
Every skin type, definitely. Really dry, even sensitive. We can kind of treat it. Skin color, you want to be a little more cautious with and want to make sure that you really know your laser in your settings and going to a technician that knows their settings and knows their laser. So we don't typically treat anyone above a Fitzpatrick four, just because the laser, because it's chromophore is that melanin, it gets a little confused on what melanin to go after. And so we don't want to remove wanted pigment into the skin. And it can also hold onto that heat a little bit more, so there can be a little more of a risk. We have a extensive medical history that you have to fill out quite often. And I always kind of have a little mini consult before my actual treatments, whether you're numbing and we're just kind of chit-chatting.

(05:12):
I'm just kind of getting an update, see if there's anything that's changed since the last time I've seen you.

Eva Sheie (05:20):
You mentioned numbing. So in the moments before treatment, what are you doing to make it more comfortable?

Mary Ann (05:28):
Yeah. With IPL, we can get very customizable, so it doesn't always have to be a full face treatment, but when we do a full face treatment, it can be a little intense. And so sometimes we do have the option of applying a topical numbing cream. And so you just come, you let that sit for like 10, 15 minutes, and it only hits the first few layers of the skin, kind of numbs it. And sometimes with the laser, we're going past those first few layers of the skin, but it can kind of just mute it to make it a little more comfortable.

Eva Sheie (06:01):
How many treatments do most people need to see results from an IPL?

Mary Ann (06:07):
I love our laser. Our laser's amazing here. So I've seen great results within one. Maybe if your pigment or your reds, your broken capillaries is a little more stubborn at the most, maybe three. It's where I'm seeing the best results happening. And then you're just wanting to kind of do a maintenance every six months to a year just to kind of keep up on your results or make sure we're being preventative with some.

Eva Sheie (06:35):
If we would like to schedule a consultation for an IPL with you, what should we do?

Mary Ann (06:40):
Call MD Beauty Lab in Portland. We're on Northwest NATO Parkway. Talk to Tracy and schedule a fun consultation. We'll nerd out about lasers together.

Eva Sheie (06:53):
Thanks for listening. I'm your host, Eva Sheie. Follow the show and submit questions for our experts at wearbeforemeetsafter.com. Where Before Meets After is a production of The Axis.