Before and after
Candela SWT IPL, 1 session, 4 weeks
Device & Laser
Candela SWT IPLin Charlottesville, VA
Evens tone by targeting sun damage, redness and broken capillaries. Treat a few spots or the whole face or chest.
- Price
- $250 spot, $450 full face or chest
- Downtime
- Minimal
- Sessions
- Single visit
- Follow-up
- Complimentary
Broadband light targets what has color in it: sun spots, freckling, redness and broken capillaries. It passes over everything else, which is why tone evens out without the skin being resurfaced.
You can treat a handful of specific spots or the whole face or chest. The chest is worth mentioning, because it shows sun damage earlier than the face and is the area people forget until they see a photograph.
What it helps with
- Sun spots and age spots
- Freckling from cumulative sun exposure
- Persistent redness and rosacea
- Broken capillaries
- Uneven tone across the face, neck or chest
Who it's for
- Anyone whose complaint is color rather than texture
- Patients who want visible change with little downtime
- Anyone treating the chest, where sun damage shows first
IPL works on pigment and vessels. It does not resurface, so lines, scarring and texture need a laser instead. Recent sun exposure or a tan makes it unsafe, and Jyl will reschedule rather than treat.
Options
| Option | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Spot treatment | $250 | A few specific spots rather than the whole area. |
| Full face or chest | $450 | Even tone across the whole area in one session. |
What to expect
Consultation
Jyl confirms that the concern is pigment or redness rather than texture, and checks for recent sun exposure.
The week before
Preparation instructions by email. No sun, no self-tanner, no exceptions.
The session
Cooling gel, then pulses across the area. Most people describe it as a brief snap.
The following week
Spots darken before they lift, usually flaking away over about a week. That darkening is the treatment working.
Before your visit
One week before
- Avoid sun exposure, tanning beds and self-tanner.
- Stop retinol and retinoids, exfoliating acids and chemical peels.
- Wear SPF daily.
- Arrive with clean skin, free of makeup or lotions.
The day before
- Your appointment is tomorrow.
- Come with clean skin, free of makeup, moisturizer and sunscreen.
- No sun, no self-tanner.
- If you have had any sun exposure since we spoke, or if anything has changed with your skin, call us today rather than tomorrow so we can decide together whether to go ahead.
After your treatment
Today
- Keep the treated area cool and leave it alone for the rest of today.
- No makeup, no actives, nothing beyond a gentle cleanser and the moisturizer you were given.
- Skip exercise, saunas, hot showers and anything that raises your heart rate or your body temperature until tomorrow.
- Stay out of the sun completely and wear SPF every day from tomorrow onward, including when you are indoors near windows.
- Redness and warmth like a sunburn are normal today.
- Call the practice if you have blistering, severe pain, or any area that looks infected.
In three days
- Redness should be settling and your skin may feel rough or look slightly darker in treated spots.
- If we treated pigment, those spots will darken, then flake away over the next several days.
- That is the treatment working and it is the stage people worry about unnecessarily.
- Do not pick, scrub or exfoliate anything that has not released on its own.
- Keep wearing SPF daily.
- Call the practice if you have blistering, increasing pain, or an area that is hot and spreading.
Results
How Jyl approaches this
Jyl will turn away a tan, including a self-tanner, because treating pigmented skin with light is how burns happen. If you have been in the sun she will move the appointment rather than adjust the settings and hope.
More about JylQuestions
Why do my spots look darker afterwards?
Because that is how it works. The pigment comes to the surface, darkens, and flakes away over about a week. It looks worse before it looks better.
How many sessions will I need?
NEEDS APPROVAL: confirm Jyl's usual recommendation for a full face and for spot treatment.
Can I have this with a tan?
No, and that includes self-tanner. Light targets pigment, and tanned skin is pigmented everywhere. Jyl will reschedule.
What is the difference between spot and full face?
Area, not technique. Spot treatment addresses a few specific marks. Full face or chest evens the tone across the whole area.
