Lumecca IPL At Dr Dray Clinic

 Just before lockdown hit Dr Dray Clinic very kindly invited me to try their Lumecca IPL treatment, an intense laser for the face and body that can drastically improve your skin's appearance and texture. It's ideal for a number of things from pigmentation correction and red vein removal to softening wrinkles and diminishing acne scars, and in my case I wanted to zap a small but annoying spot on my cheek that refused to go. I was warmly welcomed by the lovely Dr Amy Bibby who went through the procedure in one of the treatment rooms at Dr Dray's beautiful South Kensington clinic. IPL (intense pulse light) therapy is a popular choice for long-lasting results, and Lumecca is breakthrough technology that delivers up to three times more intensity of regular IPL lasers. Faster results means less treatments, Dr Amy recommends three sessions, whilst the same issue would take 4-6 treatments with normal IPL.She explains how powerful the laser is and how imperative it is I keep my eyes closes and shielded behind the special glasses I'm given. Yikes, are you going to be okay, I ask Dr Amy. She assures me yes, and we get down to it. I wondered if it would be more painful than regular IPL, which feels a bit hot, sometimes a bit stingy, but is not painful as such. Lumecca is exactly the same, and I'm left red-faced for a couple of hours, but it did not hurt. My never-ending spot turned out to be a tiny cluster of burst capillaries (blood vessels), no wonder it wouldn't shift, and I feel a mixture of foolishness and concern for all the squeezing and spot treatments I foisted upon this poor little bump. What's amazing is that by the end of the session it's completely vanished, and my face as a whole looks visibly clearer and brighter. This is all the more noticeable in the days following the treatment when my full pale whiteness that shows up every mark is restored. I look fresh faced and rested, making this the ideal treatment for a special occasion if you do it a couple of days in advance.The plan had been for me to go back for a follow up session in a fortnight, which is something Dr Amy recommends for all clients, especially if they were having veins or capillaries removed - she said sometimes they can be deeper beneath the skin and not be fully removed in one session. But then the pandemic hit and Dr Dray clinic's closed for a few months (it's now reopened with special Covid safety measures in place). I haven't had a second session but my capillary spot has not returned, and my skin has been dramatically softer and smoother. It's been good for me to have this time to see how well Lumecca IPL can work and how long-lasting the results are. I would definitely go back and see Dr Amy if another cluster appeared, though the dream would be having this treatment regularly, it's the clear-skin saviour of everyone's dreams, like taking an eraser to our faces and getting to start over. This treatment costs £300 per session, Dr Dray Clinic kindly gifted me this.