Many people are most concerned with the lines, wrinkles, and age spots that spread across their faces or the gray hairs on their heads as they age. They tend to those signs of aging with hair dye, Botox®, and laser treatments.
These treatments may make your face look younger, but are you neglecting to treat your hands? You shouldn’t, because your hands can reflect your age as much as your face.
Look around at people's hands next time you're out. Notice how older people's hands have thin skin, age spots, wrinkles, and visible veins. Younger hands are fuller, smoother, and less crepey. One study found that people were able to accurately tell someone's age just by looking at their hands.
The good news is that you can rejuvenate your hands with IPL to make them look younger just as you can for the skin on your face. Here’s what we at Los Gatos Dermatology think you should know about IPL.
A non-invasive laser treatment, IPL stands for “intense pulsed light” and is sometimes referred to as photorejuvenation. IPL treats a variety of skin issues, including dark spots, fine lines, wrinkles, discolored skin, scars, and spider veins.
IPL uses light energy that penetrates the second layer of your skin to target pigmentation, leaving the top layer damage-free. The light energy breaks up pigmentation, allowing your body to remove these discolorations. Commonly used to treat dark spots on the face, it is also an excellent treatment for your hands and décolleté.
An IPL treatment enhances the appearance of your hands by improving their tone and texture. The bottom line is your hand will look years younger. The procedure is quick with minimal side effects and no downtime.
Some people experience redness after the treatment, but it's safe to return to work or other daily activities. The number of treatments you need will depend on your hands and your beauty goals. Most people benefit from multiple treatments spaced three to four weeks apart.
Lighter skin tones absorb light waves best, so men and women with paler skin may see better results than those with darker skin. But people with dark skin tones will also see an improvement.
Before your IPL treatment, avoid chemical peels, tanning, waxing, and products containing Retin-A. Our team at Los Gatos Dermatology, led by board-certified dermatologist Bruce Saal, MD, go over all pre- and post-treatment instructions. You can expect to see results within a day or two after the initial treatment, with the full results showing at two to four weeks.
If you're ready to make your hands look as young as your face or as young as you feel, call us at Los Gatos Dermatology today to make an appointment and learn more about IPL.
