My First IPL and SkinSpirit Palo Alto

About three weeks ago I got to do something exciting for myself, that I've never done before, I got IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) treatment for my brown spots and rosacea. It all began when I was invited to have a consultation at a lovely skincare clinic and spa called SkinSpirit in Palo Alto.
Skin Spirit is a skincare clinic and spa founded and supervised by Stanford-trained, board certified plastic surgeon Dr. M. Dean Vistnes and his handpicked team of skincare professionals. Dr. Vistnes has a local private practice as well, but wanted to create a space that offers all the latest skin care technologies in a spa like environment.

I didn't know much about medical spas or SkinSpirit, but was intrigued. They invited me to come in for a visit and a personal consultation. I really enjoyed my chat with Cara Fonteyne, an R.N. and also a director there.
To be honest, I am a complete newbie to all non-surgical cosmetic procedures. The closest I have gotten to anti-aging is my use of retin-A and sunscreen. I told Cara one thing I was considering was IPL, which I know is very effective on rosacea, my big issue, and also dark spots from sun exposure. She agreed that it was a good choice for someone just beginning to think about doing more for my skin in the way of aging. What I liked about my consult, was she explained in detail how it works.
The IPL is done with a light generator, not a laser. It minimizes skin discolorations from sun damage and age spots on the face and chest. It also works on vascular problems like my rosacea, by reducing redness and blotchiness, all without harming the skin surface. Cara also told me what results to expect. I never felt persuaded or pressured to do more than that which was so nice.

I made an appointment with Cara to do my 45 minute IPL treatment about 2 weeks later. I had recently had some sun on my face from kayaking the previous weekend, so just to be safe we postponed doing the procedure that day. She wanted to make sure I got the optimum result, and no recent burns or tans should be on the skin.


Read more »