One of the best ways to find out if a cosmetic treatment is effective or not, is to look into consumer reviews about it. There are many that you can find from various sources, but one thing to watch out for is to make sure the reviews are unbiased and honest. Often you will find reviews in providers’ websites, and while these may be authentic, there is always the possibility that the more negative reviews have been filtered out. More neutral sources such as forums open to anyone would be more reliable. And a good review is one that you realize comes from actual experience and that the reviewer is someone who has first hand knowledge of what really goes on during the procedure. If it comes from someone you personally know then the review becomes all that more reliable and informative.
Reviews for IPL photofacials have been generally good with about a 78% satisfaction rating among reviewers. Most of those who had undergone the procedure had skin discoloration problems before going to the treatment. These included rosacea, reddish capillaries, freckles and dark spots. Also many of the reviewers have white skin which is more prone to skin discolorations especially when exposed to too much sunlight. These reviewers are mostly satisfied with the outcome of the procedure, saying their problems on skin discolorations have improved tremendously. There are even those who said that they noticed improvement on their skin after just the first of several treatments.
On the other hand, there are a few negative IPL photofacial reviews as well. One of the most common is that the procedure was not as painless as they were led to believe, and that the swelling and redness which happened right after the treatment was worse than they expected. There are those who say that their skin showed no improvements after several treatments and they were disappointed with the outcome. On the more severely critical reviews, patients have said that their hyperpigmentation problems worsened after the procedure, but in some of these, the reviewers acknowledged that this was most likely due to sun exposure after the treatment.
In fact, many of the criticisms against an IPL photofacial were due to what patients perceived as lack of information on the part of their providers. Some had said they were not given enough warnings to stay away from the sun or take other precautions to ensure their procedure was a success. Also they were not prepared to see their skin condition worsen right after the procedure, which caused them a lot of anxiety, although many also acknowledged that the condition improved after some time.
These kinds of IPL photofacial reviews should serve as a reminder to those who are thinking of getting the procedure to research on it before consulting with a provider. This way you could ask as many questions as possible before getting a photofacial. Also, it is important to go to a practitioner with whom you feel most comfortable with, not only with his or her experience but in the way he/she relates to you and how reliable and truthful you feel he/she is.