I’ve had two weeks (at least) in the Mediterranean sun since i was four years old. i may be a factor 30 girl now, but this is a relatively recent thing, even well into my 20’s i was aiming for maximum tan and now, at (hmmm – let’s just say 40-something!) i’ve the less than attractive freckles, sun spots and blemishes to prove it

Every year I pull my arms from their winter layers and finch at the sight. They’re reasonably toned, no wrinkles or wobbles –   but the sun damages ages me as frmly as wrinkles would, which does not make me happy. So, when Helen at Loved in Bramhall waved her blemish free limbs at me, clear of freckles despite her   love of Barbados, I was determined to fnd out how.

Aware of the increasing awareness of and demand for IPL semi-permanent hair removal Helen investigated the many options available to her before investing in Ellipse Pulse Light equipment.

As well as hair removal, the Ellipse system also offers Thread Vein Removal, Acne Clearance and Skin Rejuvenation. It is this latter facility that Helen has used to remove freckles and sun spots from her own arms and for many happy clients – and not only from their arms, but from hands, back, legs and décolletage too.

Ellipse treatment works by directing well-controlled pulses of light into the upper skin layer. The light is absorbed by two of the body’s own natural chemicals – melanin in the pigmented areas and haemoglobin in the red blood.

Both these pigments convert the light energy into heat. This heat is used to destroy the parts of the cells in which the melanin is stored, and to damage the walls of the vessels supplying blood to the areas where vascular damage is seen. This technique has the name “Selective Photothermolysis”.

The visible light produced by the Ellipse Light systems are carefully controlled to produce the correct pulse length and right amount of energy to destroy the targets without damaging surrounding tissues.

In effect, what the intense burst of light does is explode the pigment cells, releasing the pigment within so that it can rise to the surface and fake away. Our skin rejuvenates itself all the time, we shed tons of skin cells every year – but the process slows as we age, and the new cells generated aren’t the lovely plump, round ones we have in our youth.

The rupture of the pigment cells, and the overheating of surrounding cells, has the effect of intensifying the usual skin repair process, so not only do you watch your freckles disappear, but your skin regains a little of the smoothness and elasticity it has lost through ageing.

So – that’s all the science, how does it work, and feel, in reality. Well, I’ve got my frst appointment booked and I’m ready and waiting for Helen to strip away the years – one fash of IPL at a time!