Skin Types
The effectiveness of Intense Pulsed Light treatments depends on the colour of your hair and the pigmentation of your skin, as well as some other factors. Find out about skin types and identify your own.
There is a standardised system for the classification of skin types (also known as phototypes). You should be able to recognise your own phototype on the scale below. Our staff will be able to confirm what skin type you have and this is part of the process we go through when evaluating the suitability of treatment for each new customer.
- SPT I - Always burns, never tans
- SPT II - Burns easily, tans minimally
- SPT III - Burns moderately, tans gradually to light brown
- SPT IV - Burns minimally, always tans well to moderately brown
- SPT V - Rarely burns, tans profusely to dark
- SPT VI - Never burns, deeply pigmented - cannot be treated with IPL
In general, Intense Pulsed Light treatment can be effective on all skin types with the exception of the darkest skin pigmentations (SPT VI). Also, temporary changes in skin pigmentation may happen with darker skin colours (SPT IV & SPT V).
Before every new treatment we conduct a free test on a small area of skin to check for sensivity to it (click here for more information about potential temporary side-effects). In general, Intense Pulsed Light treatment provides quicker results the lighter the skin and the darker the hair.
Complete a skin type test
By answering some quick questions you can find out whether Intense Pulsed Light treatment is right for you.