A spot or a vessel that the light has cleared seldom comes back: in the long vessel study, 4 of 508 treated sites did. What comes back is the cause: sun makes new spots, and rosacea makes new vessels, at the pace your skin and your summers set. The Lumecca rosacea study measured its result at three months and found it held, and the long vessel study above followed its 508 sites for an average of 51.6 months. Some people choose a single top-up session once a year or after a summer. At Lumecca Clinic, 130 Harley Street, the plan is in writing at a free consultation.
What the follow-ups show
- Rosacea, 20 patients, 2026: three Lumecca sessions; the redness score fell by about 60% and the improvement "persisted for at least three months", the end of the study.
- Vessels, 508 sites, 2005: IPL cleared 77.8% of treated vessels on average, and over a follow-up averaging 51.6 months only four sites recurred, all within about three years.
- Rosacea, 2020, another IPL device: everyone first had anti-mite treatment; at two years rosacea had recurred in 8.4% of those then given three IPL sessions, against 48.3% of those given no further treatment.
No Lumecca study follows patients beyond three months, which is why we plan a top-up when it is needed rather than promise a number of years.
Pigment and vessels behave differently
- Sun spots and freckles: the treated spot flakes away. New ones form where the sun reaches, so a face kept in sunscreen stays clearer for longer than one that is not, and in our experience the chest and the hands, which get more sun, need a top-up sooner.
- Rosacea and thread veins: the vessels treated close; rosacea keeps making new ones, so the result is managed rather than cured, with a top-up when the redness returns. The rosacea page explains.
- Melasma (patchy brown pigmentation): the exception, because it can return or darken after light; the doctor assesses it first and treats it conservatively if at all.
Keeping the result
Daily sunscreen, a hat in strong sun, and a top-up when you see the first new spots rather than a full course later. The sessions page sets out the course.
Book a free consultation
Call Lumecca Clinic on 0207 043 8149 or use the form below. The clinician photographs the area with your consent before the course and compares at your three-month review.
