After-Care · Intense pulsed light
IPL Post-Care Instructions
Keep care gentle after intense pulsed light treatment. Follow your provider’s instructions while redness and sensitivity settle.
First 24–48 hours
- Avoid makeup, strenuous exercise, sweating, hot showers, saunas, and excessive heat for 24–48 hours. Keep skin clean.
- Use a cloth-wrapped cold pack for 10–15 minutes each hour as needed. Never apply ice directly or leave a cold pack on continuously.
Allow natural healing
- A sunburn-like feeling may last up to 3 days; redness and swelling commonly settle over 2–3 days. Symptoms should improve rather than become more painful.
- Pigmented spots may darken within 24–48 hours. Do not pick, scrub, or exfoliate them. Let spots heal naturally.
- Avoid retinol, alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) for at least 1 week and until fully healed. Use gentle products meanwhile.
Protect your skin
- Avoid direct sun and tanning beds for 4 weeks. Use broad-spectrum SPF 30+, reapply every 2 hours outdoors, and add shade or protective clothing.
- Ask your provider before restarting irritating skincare or scheduling another treatment over the area.
When to get help
- Call Beauty Lab + Laser for blisters, increasing pain or swelling, spreading redness, drainage, or fever. Seek urgent care for severe symptoms or if the clinic is unavailable.
- Call 911 for trouble breathing, throat or tongue swelling, or collapse.