Last friday night on channel nine, A Current Affair aired a short piece onIPL Rejuvenationgone wrong.
Having always missed the previous stories on this topic I was so happy to find myself at home and tuned in on time.
The story focused on lack of training and regulation in the industry and how ANYBODY ( even you) could go out, buy an IPL machine and begin charging people without any knowledge or prior background in skin therapy.
The same goes for IPL hair removal as both treatments can usually be performed using the same machine.
The following is a short part of the story they aired which i took from the acurrent affairwebsite:
“WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE GETTING IPL TREATMENT:”
– Currently in New South Wales or Victoria anyone can perform this treatment, but Queensland and Western Australia have regulated it.
– A poorly done laser treatment can lead to burns, hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation, ocular injury, scars and a simple lack of results.
– The treatment should cause only slight darkening of the pigmentation, not in the general surface area of the skin, and no burns or scabs.
– If you decide to go to a discount laser center because you are looking for a low cost, you are taking a gamble.
IF YOU HAVE BEEN BURNED:
Most complications are manageable, and can often be completely resolved. Treatment protocol will depend on severity of burn. In some cases the “burns” are not as severe as they look. If it is just superficial redness with speckles of dark, you may even get some good results over time.
Unfortunately, some burns may need medical attention and can lead to scarring. If you have been burned, return to the laser clinic immediately for follow up care.
Proper treatment of the skin post treatment can make all the difference”
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The girls at Depilation and Skin Care and I discussed this story during the week and we all agree that the industry needs to be regulated Australia wide.
It is important when you go in for a treatment of this nature that you realise, you wont be walking away with NO visible reaction on your skin at all. I am in no way saying that the cases on A Current Affair were reasonable, because obviously they are quite extreme. But, that said, IPL Pigmentation Rejuvenation is a treatment that works by the light picking up on the pigment masses in the skin and for a short amount of time you are expected to have obvious darkening of the pigmentation, some surrounding redness and a residual darkened, scabby appearance of the lesions treated. The complete turn around time from day of treatment to looking “normal” again will depend on your skin and the condition that we are treating. If the treatment is for Rejuvenation of the skin, or for capillaries, then you will only get slight swelling thats only noticable to you!
Our technique at Depilation and Skin Care avoids getting unnecessary reactions. During our detailed consultation we perform test patches on all of our clients before commencing treatment. We also ask our clients to fill out an extensive consult form that includes medical history, sun exposure history and fitzpatrick skin type (this helps us to determine which range of settings are suitable for your skin colour and background).
This should be the criteria you should look for before deciding whether to start a course of treatments.
Our girls all have accredited training from the Fleming Institute, one of the only establishments operating in Australia that offers detailed training specialising in Laser and Intense Pulsed Light education. Because they are specialists witha relatively narrow focus, they offer an incrediblelevel of quality.
An accreditation of this type is also an excellent indication of experience and knowledge.
Do you have an IPL experience you would like to share? Please write in and let us know.
