IPL Photofacial in NYC. For Sun Damage, Redness and Uneven Tone.
From $45030 minDowntime 5 to 7 days of darkened spots
An IPL photofacial uses intense pulsed light, filtered to target the brown of sun spots and the red of broken capillaries, so those absorb the energy and the surrounding skin does not. Spots darken and flake off over a week; redness fades across a course of three. At Club 116 on Central Park South in Manhattan it is $450 a session and takes 30 minutes.
Medically reviewed · September 2026
IPL Photofacial Before and After. What It Can Look Like.
One case, labeled the way the work is priced: the treatment, the count or the sessions, and how long after. This one is judged at three months, photographed in the same light and at the same distance, with no retouching.
A placeholder for layout, made to show how consented client photographs will appear. It shows no patient and no result. Real cases replace it as clients consent, photographed in the same light and at the same distance, with no retouching. Individual results vary.
Every caseHow IPL Lifts Pigment and Red, and Who It Is Not Safe For.
An IPL photofacial is a treatment with intense pulsed light, a broad spectrum of light filtered so it is absorbed by melanin (the brown pigment in sun spots) and hemoglobin (the red in visible vessels). It is used for sun damage, freckling, redness, rosacea and broken capillaries. At Club 116 in Manhattan it costs from $450 a session, in a course of three.
IPL is not a laser, though people search for it as one. A laser is a single wavelength; IPL is a flash of many wavelengths with filters that let through the ones pigment and blood absorb. When a sun spot absorbs the flash it heats, darkens, and is shed by the skin over about a week, like a coffee ground lifting off. When a small vessel absorbs it, the vessel closes and fades over the course. Because IPL targets pigment, it cannot tell the difference between a sun spot and the natural pigment of deeper skin tones, which is why it is not safe for everyone. We assess skin type first and say plainly when it is not the right treatment. Laser Genesis or a peel is offered instead.
Who it is for
Sun spots, freckling, blotchy tone, diffuse redness, rosacea and broken capillaries on the face, chest and hands, in lighter to medium skin tones. The person who spent their twenties in the sun and can now see it. It is also used on the chest and the backs of the hands, where sun damage shows and few other treatments reach.
Why do it here
Skin type is assessed before any light is used, and a test patch comes first where indicated. Settings are chosen for your skin rather than the highest the device allows. Downtime is quoted honestly before you book. A doctor signs off on the plan, and nobody works on commission, so if IPL is not safe for your skin tone you are told and offered the alternative, not a lower setting that does nothing.
Before, During and After.
Skin type, sun history and medicines are checked, because light devices are calibrated to all three and some medicines make skin photosensitive. You need to have been out of the sun and off self tanner for a month. The clinician photographs you as a baseline. Numbing is usually not needed; a cooling gel goes on instead.
You wear protective goggles. The handpiece is pressed to the skin and delivers a flash to each spot in turn, moving across the face, chest or hands in passes. Each flash feels like a hot snap from a rubber band, and the whole face takes about fifteen to twenty minutes. The settings are chosen for your skin, not the highest the device allows.
Redness and warmth for a day or two, then sun spots turn darker and slightly raised, like coffee grounds on the skin, for five to seven days before they flake off. Makeup covers them after the first day. Do not pick them.
Spots flake within a week and the skin underneath is clearer. Redness and tone even out across a course of three, a month apart. After that, one session a year holds the result, provided you wear sunscreen.
Read This Before You Book.
Downtime and aftercare
Redness for one to three days and darkened spots for five to seven days that must be left to flake off on their own. Sunscreen every day for a month and no direct sun, before and after, because IPL on tanned skin causes marks. No retinoids or acids for a week, nothing hot on the skin for two days, and no scrubbing. Makeup is fine after the first day.
Not for you if
You have a tan or recent sun exposure, a deeper skin tone for which IPL is unsafe, you are pregnant, you take a photosensitizing medication (some antibiotics, some acne medicines), you have used isotretinoin in the last six months, or you have an active infection or a cold sore in the area. Melasma needs a different approach, because IPL can make it worse. The clinician checks skin type before any energy is used.
Members
Members pay $360, 20% off list, and the first signature facial is included when you join.
Individual results vary
Nothing on this page is a guarantee of an outcome or a substitute for the consultation. Suitability is confirmed by a clinician before anything is booked, and consent is taken in writing.
IPL Photofacial in NYC: Questions People Ask First.
How much does an IPL photofacial cost in NYC?
At Club 116 on Central Park South, an IPL photofacial is $450 a session and members pay $360. Chest and hands are priced by area. The price is published, and the exact figure for your case is put in writing at the consultation before anything starts.
How many IPL sessions do I need and how long do results last?
Three sessions, a month apart, is the course. The spots that are treated are gone; new ones form only if you go back in the sun without protection. Most people maintain with one session a year. Redness and rosacea tend to need the yearly visit more than spots do.
Does IPL work for sun damage?
Yes, for the brown spots and freckling that sun leaves on the face, chest and hands, in lighter to medium skin tones. The spot absorbs the light, darkens, and flakes off within a week. It does not treat deep pigment such as melasma, and it can make melasma worse, which is why the consult comes first.
What is the downtime after a photofacial?
A day or two of redness, then five to seven days of darkened spots that look like coffee grounds before they flake off. You can go to work the next day with makeup. Do not plan a photofacial the week before an event.
Does an IPL photofacial hurt?
Each flash feels like a hot snap from a rubber band, and a cooling gel takes the edge off. Most people find it uncomfortable rather than painful and the face is done in about twenty minutes. No numbing is usually needed.
Is IPL safe for dark skin?
Often not. IPL targets pigment and cannot tell a sun spot from the natural melanin in deeper skin tones, so it can cause burns or dark marks. We assess skin type first and, where IPL is not safe, offer Laser Genesis or a peel instead. We would rather say no than take the booking.
Often Booked Alongside.
IPL Photofacial in Manhattan, from $450
A course of three, a month apart, for sun spots and redness. Skin type is checked before any light is used, and the exact figure is in writing before anything starts.
No consultation fee·No deposit to book·Exact price in writing before anything starts