Answering our most received questions about Park’s favourite treatment for treating and improving sun damage, age spots, and more.
Starting to notice the effects of sun damage on your skin as you age? This post about Lumecca IPL (often called the photofacial) is the post for you.
Lumecca is the most powerful Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) technology on the market used to treat and improve complexion by targeting sun damage, age spots, small veins, rosacea, and other skin irregularities. It uses a concentrated band of light than other devices, allowing for a higher peak power. Being able to deliver more power in the precise wavelengths that address the pigmentation we want to treat allows it to deliver stronger results faster. For you, this means fewer treatments with better results.
What does Lumecca IPL do?
Lumecca treats two things: brown pigment and red pigment. That means sun damage, age spots, broken capillaries, small veins, rosacea, and other skin irregularities. Since most skin damage is from the sun, your most impactful results will be seen on areas commonly exposed to the sun: your face, neck, hands, arms and décolletage (neckline).
Because of its exceptionally high peak power, most patients notice a significant improvement in complexion and clarity of skin after just 3 visits compared to the 4 to 6 treatments you may expect with other IPL devices. Saving you time and energy to get back to the things you want to be doing.
Before and after Lumecca treatment on rosacea
What should I expect with my Lumecca IPL and will it hurt?
Like all Park Medical Aesthetics treatments, IPL sessions will start with a conversation with your provider (a nurse or medical aesthetician) to understand where your skin is at, and how we can best use the treatment to support your goals.
During your treatment, which normally takes less than 20 minutes, your provider will put on a gel and then use the Lumecca machine on your desired areas. We’ll give you some goggles to protect your eyes during the treatment. There will be a bright flash of light from the handpiece while it’s touching your skin that some people say feels like a flick or a snapping sensation.
IPL protocols at Park are designed by Dr. Shoghi Nikoo, CCFP, and treatments are delivered by licensed nurses and registered medical aestheticians.
BTS of a Lumecca treatment
Is there any downtime following my Lumecca IPL treatment?
One of the best parts of Lumecca is that it shouldn’t stop you from living your life! There may be mild redness and puffiness in the hours following the treatment which usually resolves that same day. Rarely, people may have mild redness or puffiness that lasts an additional day or two, but for almost everybody there is no true downtime. Important: You’ll need to avoid direct unprotected sun exposure for 2-3 days after the treatment as your skin will be more susceptible to sunburn. A week of avoiding the sun is best, so consider this when you’re planning your treatments.
In the days following your appointment, you may notice some post-treatment flaking or darkened spots. No need to stress as it’s a sign the treatment has successfully hit its target in the skin! Dark specks will flake away and resolve within a week or two – leading to an evening out of your skin tone.
“Fun fact:
Most of what IPL clears, you never see leave. Dense surface spots darken first, sometimes into fine specks, then flake away within a week or two. Let them lift on their own.
Lighter, more scattered pigment gets broken down and carried off from underneath, fading without even surfacing.
Treated vessels collapse and are reabsorbed. Nothing to see at all, except maybe some bruising where the vessel was.
Which of these you notice depends on what we treated and where your pigment sits. What you see after treatment isn’t a measure of how well it worked!”
Sun damage on your head? Here’s an example of how Lumecca can help!
How long do Lumecca IPL results last?
Unfortunately, since our skin is constantly aging and being exposed to UV rays, the results won’t last forever. After your initial treatment period of 3 sessions, your maintenance sessions will likely be a single treatment once or twice a year to keep your skin even year-round.
The key to elongating your results? Be sure to be on your best sun behaviour by wearing SPF every day (even during winter and while inside) and limiting sun exposure. Having an antioxidant product, like a well-formulated vitamin C, will also protect your skin from ongoing UV exposure and other triggers of hyperpigmentation.
Is Lumecca IPL safe for my face?
Lumecca is a very safe and effective treatment for its desired outcomes when performed by a trained, certified and qualified practitioner. People with melasma or darker skin should consider microneedling with specialised serum infusion instead, as the heat generated from the IPL machine can worsen the pigmentation. We’ll always assess your skin to make sure Lumecca is the best fit for your skin and do our best to make sure you are comfortable through the entire process.
Lumecca can be used anywhere the light touches, even your hands!
Can anyone get Lumecca IPL treatments?
Lumecca cannot be used on tan or darkly pigmented skin. You’ll want to avoid excessive sun exposure for four weeks prior to treatment as IPL cannot be done on tanned skin. Because of this, we recommend you make it part of your winter, early spring or late fall treatment appointments to ensure your skin is in good shape for it. In Toronto, fall or winter is best.
IPL is also not designed for people with naturally dark brown or black skin, because when the bright light hits dark skin it can create excessive heat, potentially triggering a hyperpigmentation response or even burns.
It can also not be used on melasma as it can make it worse – however, there is potential that we could treat other areas of your skin to avoid melasma.
Why is Lumecca IPL done in a series rather than a single treatment?
Each session clears a portion of what’s there. Pigment sits at different depths and densities across the skin, and vessels vary in size, so no single pass of the device reaches all of it.
The four weeks between sessions gives us a clear read on how your skin responded to the previous session, so we can adjust the next if necessary to get you the best results.
Which parts of the body can I treat with Lumecca IPL?
Face. Where we usually notice sun damage first.
Neck and chest. High sun exposure, often overlooked.
Hands. Among the most exposed skin on the body.
Shoulders. Where sun spots collect over the years.
Almost anywhere else, just ask our team.
Park Medical Aesthetics
211 Ossington Avenue, Toronto, Ontario
