When Freckles Are Not Cute: Photo-aging and the Elos IPL laser

“Did you always have freckles? I don’t remember you having them, but they are cute.” This is the question that you frequently get asked when your sun damage goes from the 85th percentile to the 31st percentile, and at 34 yrs old you have evidence of serious photo-aging. It seems like a sweet question, particularly when the freckles are defined as “cute,” but freckles are cute on kids not grownups. I don’t consider myself particularly focused on a youthful appearance, but when these spots cropped up it was a constant reminder that I wasn’t taking care of myself. It was the same way I would feel if I had taken a break from brushing my teeth and brown spots popped up on my teeth. For me, it was more of a reminder that I had been lazy in the self-care department and less of a beauty concern.
Either way, I had decided that if I could step up my daily regimen, and use an SPF for 2 months consistently, then I would look into trying the IPL laser to remove some of the photo-aging on my face. The process of the IPL was quick and not terribly painful. In my experience, I would consider the downtime to be non-existent.
Step 1:
Apply ultrasound gel.

Step 2: Hailee, our Physician Assistant, did a one spot to test my pain tolerance level. Apparently, even after two natural childbirths, I consider the lowest level on the IPL to be a 6. However, I told her next time I want to step it up a notch because it is hard to tell what is actually “tolerable” versus what feels like it hurts. I think I could have tolerated a much higher setting for the 20 min it took to cover my face, particularly since there is no lingering pain.

Step 3: Grab sunscreen and a hat. Hailee suggested at least an SPF of 50 and a hat for 3 weeks after the procedure.

She also told me to look out for what they call “coffee-grounding” after the procedure. Coffee-grounding is very much what it sounds like, in the days following IPL it feels, and looks, as if coffee grounds are rubbing on your face. These grounds flake off and should not be picked off. Considering the post-procedural swelling and discomfort of Fraxel (which is my favorite laser and totally worth the post-procedural effects) this “coffee-grounding” barely qualifies as an event in my book.

Two weeks after the procedure, there was visible improvement on the right side of my face. The Visia results indicate that there was a 21% improvement in UV spots. Which is pretty awesome! I am hoping that with two or three more treatments, possibly at a higher setting, I can get my UV spots back up to where they were before my 10-year sunscreen hiatus! ☺