IPL Photofacial in Highland Park

IPL is best for sun spots and brown spots, facial redness and visible blood vessels (including rosacea-related redness), and overall sun-damaged, uneven tone. For deep wrinkles or texture, fractional RF and microneedling work at that deeper level.

No. IPL uses broadband (many-wavelength) pulsed light, while a laser uses a single, focused wavelength. The medical-grade IPL handpiece we use has interchangeable filters, so the light can be matched to your skin tone and to the concern we're treating — surface pigment or facial redness. The broadband approach is what makes IPL great for photorejuvenation.

Most clients tolerate it very well. Each pulse feels like a quick, warm snap against the skin (often compared to a light rubber-band flick), followed by a mild, sunburn-like warmth for a short time afterward. We keep you comfortable throughout, and most people find it very manageable without numbing.

Minimal. For brown spots, expect them to darken and look like "coffee grounds," then flake off over several days. There may be mild redness or warmth for a few hours. Most people return to normal activities right away.

IPL may be suitable for lighter skin tones (Fitzpatrick I–III) after an individual assessment, and that's where it works best. On darker or recently tanned skin, the risk of burns or pigment changes is higher, so we'll assess your skin carefully and may recommend a different treatment.

Typically about 3–5 sessions spaced a few weeks apart, with maintenance as needed. Sun damage and redness usually improve gradually across the series.

It’s completely normal for sun spots and freckles to look darker — even like tiny coffee grounds — in the days right after IPL. That’s the treated pigment rising to the surface. Over the next week to ten days it flakes off on its own, revealing clearer skin underneath. Don’t pick or scrub; just cleanse gently and protect with daily SPF. Individual results vary.

We're cautious here. Melasma is a hormonally driven type of pigmentation, and dermatology guidance treats sun protection plus prescription topicals as the first-line approach — not IPL or laser. Light-based treatment is only ever an add-on for melasma, and the evidence is mixed: in some people it can actually trigger the pigment to rebound, darken or return within a few months. If melasma is your concern, we'll talk through safer first steps at your consultation.

IPL isn't right for everyone. We generally avoid it during pregnancy or breastfeeding and on recently tanned or sunburned skin, and we take extra care with a history of cold sores (which the light can flare) and with darker skin tones, where the risk of burns or pigment changes is higher. Some medications can also make skin more light-sensitive. Tell us your full health history and medication list — including anything like recent isotretinoin — and we'll confirm whether IPL is a safe fit, and the right timing, at your consultation.

An IPL photofacial is $500 per session at DK Aesthetics in Highland Park. Sun spots and redness clear in layers rather than all at once, so most plans run as a series of sessions spaced a few weeks apart — the number of sessions is what shapes the total, and we set it out at your consultation once we have looked at your skin. The price is the same whether the focus is overall tone, pigmentation or redness, and a package of three sessions is $1,350, $150 less than three single sessions. Individual results vary.