What Is a Nordlys IPL Photofacial?

The Nordlys IPL Photofacial is a medical-grade light treatment by Candela designed to improve visible sun damage, uneven pigmentation, facial redness, and small blood vessels. Rather than resurfacing the entire skin surface, Nordlys uses carefully selected pulses of light to target the unwanted reds and browns contributing to an uneven complexion.

A Nordlys IPL Photofacial is a noninvasive treatment that uses Candela’s Selective Waveband Technology, or SWT®, to improve visible discoloration caused by excess pigment and superficial blood vessels. The light targets two primary sources of discoloration:

• Melanin: Which contributes to brown spots and sun-related pigmentation.
• Hemoglobin: Which contributes to facial redness, flushing, and visible vessels.

The body gradually clears the treated pigment and vessels, leaving the complexion looking more even, clear, and refreshed.

What Can Nordlys IPL Improve?

Nordlys IPL may be used to improve the appearance of:

• Sun damage
• Brown spots
• Freckles
• Solar lentigines, commonly called age spots
• Uneven pigmentation
• Diffuse facial redness
• Rosacea-related redness
• Visible facial vessels
• Telangiectasias
• Redness across the cheeks, nose, chin, or chest
• Poikiloderma of Civatte
• An uneven or blotchy complexion

Candela identifies SWT IPL as an appropriate treatment for diffuse redness, irregular pigmentation, and sun-damaged skin.

Note: Nordlys IPL is intended for benign pigmentation. Any spot that appears suspicious, has changed, or has not been medically evaluated may need to be assessed by a dermatology provider before treatment. Additionally, we do not use IPL to treat melasma; other technologies, including Pico laser treatments, may be considered when appropriate following an individual skin evaluation.

How Is Nordlys Different From Traditional IPL?

Traditional IPL devices often release a broad range of light wavelengths, including wavelengths that do not contribute to the intended treatment.

Nordlys uses narrowband, dual-filter Selective Waveband Technology to remove unnecessary wavelengths before the light reaches the skin. This allows the device to more precisely target the pigment or blood vessel being treated while reducing unnecessary heat delivered to the surrounding skin. Because SWT filters out those extra wavelengths, less energy is needed to treat the same target, and the treatment is designed to feel more comfortable than traditional broadband IPL.

Areas We Treat

Nordlys IPL treatments at Camel City Injector can be safely and effectively applied to several key areas showing signs of sun damage, aging, or vascular concerns:

• Face: The most common treatment area for addressing freckles, sunspots, diffuse facial redness, broken capillaries, and rosacea-related flushing.
• Neck: Ideal for correcting sun damage and uneven pigmentation that frequently accumulates over time.
• Chest (Décolletage): Highly effective for treating mottled pigmentation, sun spots, and vascular discoloration often caused by cumulative UV exposure.
• Hands: Helps clear stubborn age spots and sun-induced pigmentation on the back of the hands.
• Other Areas: Additional regions exhibiting sun damage or visible discoloration can also be evaluated on an individual basis.

Your Nordlys IPL Treatment Journey at Camel City Injector

Commitment to patient education, transparency, and comfort ensures a seamless treatment journey from start to finish.

Step 1: The Comprehensive Skin Assessment

Before treatment, your provider will evaluate:

• Your Fitzpatrick skin type
• Recent sun exposure or tanning
• The color and depth of the pigment or vessels
• Medications and skincare products
• Your treatment goals
• Whether the spots being treated appear benign

These factors help determine whether IPL is appropriate and which Nordlys applicator and settings should be used.

Step 2: Customized Light Selection

Nordlys offers several specialized IPL applicators rather than relying on one handpiece for every concern. Your provider selects the applicator based on your skin type and whether your treatment is primarily focused on redness, pigment, or a combination of both.

Step 3: Targeted IPL Pulses

A thin layer of gel is placed over the treatment area. The applicator is positioned against the skin and delivers controlled pulses of light. Patients commonly describe each pulse as a quick snap, warmth, or tingling sensation. Topical numbing is typically not used for a standard IPL Photofacial because your provider watches how your skin responds during treatment to guide the settings, and numbing cream can interfere with that response.

Step 4: Gradual Clearing

• Brown Spots: Years of sun exposure can create a scattered mask of freckles, age spots, and uneven brown pigmentation across the face, neck, chest, and hands. Nordlys IPL targets melanin within superficial, benign pigmented lesions. After treatment, brown spots commonly darken into a micro-crust (often resembling tiny coffee grounds) before gradually fading or flaking away over approximately one to two weeks. SWT IPL provides consistent results for epidermal pigment but does not reach deeply enough to reliably treat dermal pigmentation.
• Facial Redness: Diffuse redness is often caused by many small superficial vessels that create an overall pink, red, or flushed appearance. The vessel absorbs the light energy, allowing the body to safely collapse and absorb it back into the body. While Nordlys may significantly reduce visible rosacea-related redness, it does not cure rosacea, and future maintenance treatments may be needed as new vessels return over time.

Preparing for Your Nordlys IPL Treatment

For the safest and most predictable treatment, avoid tanning and significant sun exposure before your appointment.

• One Month Before Treatment: Avoid tanning beds, intentional sunbathing, and self-tanning products. Use broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30 and keep the skin adequately moisturized.
• Before Your Appointment: Tell your provider about recent sun exposure, changes in medications, photosensitizing medications or supplements, prescription skincare, recent chemical peels or resurfacing, a history of cold sores, and any new or changing pigmented lesions. You may be instructed to pause retinoids, glycolic acid, or other potentially irritating products before treatment. Do not stop prescription medications without guidance from the prescribing provider.
• Smoking Warning: If you are being treated for redness or visible vessels, avoid smoking for at least four to eight hours before your appointment, as nicotine constricts blood vessels and may make vascular targets more difficult to treat.

After Your Nordlys IPL Treatment & Downtime

Nordlys IPL usually involves minimal downtime, but the visible response depends on what is being treated. Common temporary responses may include redness, mild swelling (especially around the eyes or upper cheeks), warmth, itching, dryness, temporary peeling, darkening of treated brown spots, and temporary darkening or increased visibility of vessels.

Post-Care Guidelines:

• Apply broad-spectrum mineral sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher every morning without exception.
• Avoid direct sun exposure and prolonged UV exposure.
• Avoid saunas, strenuous exercise, hot showers, and excessive heat for 24 to 48 hours post-treatment.
• Keep the skin adequately moisturized using bland, hydrating cleansers.
• Hands-Off Healing: Never scratch, scrub, pick, or mechanically exfoliate treated pigmented areas while they flake off over 3 to 7 days.
• Avoid aggressive cleansers, active corrective serums, chemical peels, exfoliants, and waxing over the treated area until cleared.
• Use makeup only when the skin feels comfortable, preferably after the first 24 hours.

How Many Treatments Will I Need?

Most patients benefit from a series rather than a single treatment. While some individual brown spots or vessels may respond after one session, most patients benefit from a series of approximately three treatments spaced roughly four weeks apart. More persistent redness, rosacea-related vessels, or extensive sun damage may require additional sessions. Maintenance treatments may also be recommended as new pigmentation or vessels appear over time.

IPL vs. Frax: Which Treatment Do I Need?

• Nordlys IPL is primarily used to address color, including brown spots, sun damage, redness, visible vessels, and uneven tone.
• Frax Fractional Laser is primarily used to address texture, including fine lines, enlarged-looking pores, rough texture, acne scarring, and deeper skin resurfacing and collagen remodeling.

Patients concerned with both tone and texture may benefit from the signature Nordlys Light & Bright combination treatment.