Sam Klement, Author at Miss Budget Beauty

What is IPL?

IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light, and it’s a type of light therapy that can be used on your skin to treat the following conditions:

Hair reduction

Hyper pigmentation

Thread veins

Acne scars

Sun damage

The intense light energy in the treatment is used to reduce the appearance of scars, spots and excess hair. Featuring multiple wavelengths it’s able to target problem areas so is very effective. This light energy is then converted to heat which damaged the unwanted pigments or follicles. Your body then heals itself and repairs the damaged skin over time.

There are many trained therapists out there who use IPL techniques to safely remove and reduce areas of concern on the skin. Most people tend to have a course of three IPL treatments (after an initial patch test), after which time you will see revitalised and rejuvenated skin.

Using IPL to reduce Scars, Spots and Veins

Nothing is going to waste your money faster than buying the many creams available on the market that promise to eradicate the problems caused by scars, spots and veins on the skin. IPL is an effective treatment for all of these that targets your skin’s problem areas on a cellular level. IPL attacks the structures and pigments of things such as redness, sun damage, thread veins, acne scars and surgery scars, which is a much depeer level f attack than simply applying a barrier cream on top.

Difference between IPL and Laser Treatment

Laser treatment has been used for some years to target allof the problems that IPL is used for. However, the main difference between IPL and laser treatment is the fact that IPL is less focused and more scattered than traditional laser treatment. IPL is able to penetrate deeper to the second layer of your skin (known as the dermis), without harming the epidermis, which is the top layer. This causes less damage to your body. A variety of light waves are used in IPL with much lower intensity than laser treatment is used. The results from laser treatments are therefore more permanent.

How to Prepare yourself for IPL Treatment

Before your first IPL treatment session you will have to have a skin consultation where a patch test will be completed. This will enable you to see how your skin reacts to the IPL treatment.

It is recommended that you avoid any hair removal methods for approximately two weeks prior to IPl treatment. This is because waxing and tweezing hair will cause it to break which will mean that the IPL treatment is less effective.

Avoid sun exposure before treatment. This includes sun bathing, sun beds and fake tanning. This is because it can reduce the effectiveness of the IPL treatments or enhance any side affects.

Prior to starting the treatment you’ll be asked to remove any makeup, sunscreen or moisturisers. It’s important that the area being treated is completely clean skin.

If warmer mornings and budding blossoms have got you feeling all inspired, then take advantage of the spring in your step by switching up your skincare routine. We’ve got the winter to spring transition covered with the following tips, whether it’s binning your old products or choosing a lighter moisturiser. Enjoy.

Give your skincare shelf a spring clean

We all have a skincare shelf, and we all have those products that sit at the back of it, doing nothing but collecting dust! We’re often so busy in the mornings and evenings, which is the usual time for taking care of our skin, that we forget to do the most basic of housekeeping. You might be surprised about what’s lurking at the back of your shelf – often the products that have just been part of shelf-life are in fact well beyond their best before dates. This is no good, as such products can cause skin irritation if we use them when they are out of date. Spring is as good a time as any to renew the trusted trio – your cleanser, toner and moisturiser. To make spring cleaning your shelf that little but more effective, consider this statement. “If you haven’t touched it since last year, bin it”.

Lighten up with the make up

Spring in general usually means lighter makeup. The burgundy lipstick was great for the festive season, but it’s the peaches and pinks that are in fashion for the spring. While you’re there, switch to a lighter cleanser (as you’re renewing the trusted trio anyway). Something like the Kind to Skin Micellar Cleansiing Water by Simple is perfect as it will lightly pull away old makeup as well as hydrate your skin for spring. While at the same time not clogging up your pores or leaving a sticky residue. This the exact recipe for unwanted breakouts – to which we say no thanks on the way towards summer.

Buff away the winter skin

The legs and arms may not be fully out just yet, but during the warmer days of spring they will no doubt make the odd appearance. Show them some love now so that they are more than merely presentable when the time comes to unleash them. Get rid of all that dry, flaky winter skin by making use of that exfoliating mitt that you got in your stocking for Christmas. Make sure you do this in the shower, and follow up with a moisturiser (again think trusted trio). Pro tip: ensure your skin is still damp when you apply your moisturiser for an extra hydration boost. A similar regime can be done for the face. An exfoliating face scrub to buff away the dead skin cells will prevent the spring skin from looking a little bit dull – all while getting the full effects of a facial. A tip from our resident professional makeup artist Maureen Lester is to use small circular motions whenever using a facial exfoliator. Go easy on your skin and only exfoliate once or twice a week to prevent your skin from looking red and shiny.

Moisturise more

You may not think much about it, but over the last 6 months or so your skin has effectively been hiding. Your neck and ears have been snuggled under scarves and hats throughout the festive season. Now is the time that they are being unleashed, and up until now they are often forgotten. This can cause them to become dry, dehydrated and irritated – more so from the friction from the woollens that you wore over the winter. If your neck has finally managed to break free from that polo neck at last, then it’s well worth moisturising one more time with a rich cream after exfoliating your skin. After that, switch the rich cream for a lighter non-comedogenic lotion for the spring. This is because as the temperature rises, so does our skin’s rate of oil production. We also tend to sweat more during the warmer months. A lighter lotion will help to keep pores clear in order to avoid overloading your spring skin with excess oil as the weather warms up.

Up your SPF

The sun is finally here (hooray!), which means it’s time to increase the SPF. It might seem early as the sun is only just starting to rear his head lately, but UVA and UVB filters can also affect your skin through the glass and clouds too.

Try something different

So, with the springtime skincare basics well and truly nailed, it’s time to have some fun. So what better time than now than to try out a new skincare treat? A Kind to Skin Rich Moisture Sheet Mask by Simple will help to alleviate the signs of dry skin as it contains a great blend of vitamins that are known to be kind to skin. Simple put the mask on for 15 minutes and that’s all that it takes to get glowing. Can’t find the time? Then make the most of it by using the 15 minutes to catch up on your Whatsapp chats, listen to a podcast or just dance around. Go on treat yourself – it’s spring after all!