Glow Flow
Light Facial in Dubai

Dye-VL: small vessels and surface pigment

Dye-VL is a narrow-band pulsed-light handpiece (Alma quotes a 500–600 nm band) using Alma's AFT filtering. Its light is absorbed by oxyhaemoglobin in fine facial vessels and by melanin in sun spots, and reflected by lighter, healthy tissue. The absorbed energy heats the target for milliseconds: small vessels close and shrink, and pigment breaks into fragments that rise to the surface and flake off over days. This is the same handpiece we use alone in our rosacea and redness treatment.

Dye-SR: pigment on more skin types

Dye-SR uses a slightly longer narrow band (550–650 nm). Alma describes it as suited to darker skin types because less energy is taken up by background melanin, which lowers the risk of unwanted dark or pale patches. In Glow Flow it follows Dye-VL and completes the pigment step across the whole face.

NIR: warming the dermis

NIR is a near-infrared light source absorbed by water rather than colour. Instead of single flashes, the doctor keeps the handpiece moving until the dermis reaches a set temperature and holds it there for a few minutes. Heat makes existing collagen contract slightly and triggers new collagen formation over the following weeks. Published work on broadband infrared light shows a modest, measurable improvement in laxity after one to three treatments; it is a firmer-looking finish, not a lift.

Why the sequence matters

Each handpiece targets a different chromophore: haemoglobin, then melanin, then water. Treating vessels before pigment and finishing with infrared lets the doctor use lower energy at each step than a single broad-spectrum IPL pass would need. Pigment and vessel changes are visible within one to two weeks; the collagen response develops over six to twelve weeks, which is why the result keeps improving after the last session.

What the evidence supports

In a blinded split-face trial of pulsed light, telangiectasia and irregular pigmentation improved for up to nine months after three sessions, while wrinkles did not. That matches what we tell patients: expect a clearer, more even complexion and a subtle firming; do not expect wrinkle removal or a facelift effect.

Glow Flow or IPL pigmentation treatment

If your concern is a few defined sun spots or freckling on the cheeks rather than overall dullness, a single-purpose session on our IPL pigmentation page may be the better fit. White Gloss is the Alma protocol for pigment combined with rejuvenation. Melasma is different: it is hormonally driven and can darken after light treatment, so we assess it separately. Our guide melasma vs hyperpigmentation explains the difference.

Glow Flow or the redness protocol

Glow Flow includes one Dye-VL pass for mild diffuse redness. Persistent flushing, visible vessels around the nose or diagnosed rosacea need the dedicated rosacea and redness treatment, where the whole session is planned around vessels.

Glow Flow, No Filters or ClearLift

No Filters is Glow Flow plus a ClearLift Q-switched laser pass, which adds a photoacoustic effect under the skin surface for texture and fine lines. ClearLift alone suits people whose main concern is texture and early lines without pigment or redness. For loose skin only, the NIR infrared tightening session uses the infrared step on its own.

Combining with facials and LED

A HydraFacial or deep cleansing facial removes surface build-up so light reaches the skin evenly; we schedule it several days before or after a Glow Flow session, not on the same day, because both steps stress the skin barrier. LED therapy can follow a session to calm redness. We plan these combinations at your consultation rather than adding them on the day.

Neck and décolleté

The protocol can be extended to the neck and décolleté, where sun damage often shows as mottled pigment and redness. Skin there is thinner and heals more slowly, so we use lower settings and assess these areas separately from the face.

Before your appointment

Bring your skincare product list so we can confirm what to pause and when to restart. Do not stop prescribed treatment without your prescriber’s advice.

• Avoid sunbathing, sunbeds and self-tanner for at least two weeks. A tan raises the melanin in the skin and increases the risk of burns and pigment change.
• Stop exfoliating acids, benzoyl peroxide and hydroquinone a few days before. Ceramide, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide products are fine to continue.
• Tell us about all medicines and supplements. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics, thiazide diuretics, some anti-inflammatories, amiodarone and St John's wort can make skin light-sensitive.
• Tell us about cold sores, pregnancy or breastfeeding, epilepsy, keloid scars and any skin cancer history.
• Arrive without make-up. Men should shave the treated area the evening before.

After treatment

• Expect pinkness and warmth for a few hours. A cool compress helps; do not apply ice directly.
• Use a broad-spectrum SPF 50 every morning and reapply outdoors. Dubai sun can turn a treated spot into a darker patch, so this is the most important instruction.
• Avoid saunas, steam rooms, hot baths and hard exercise for 24 hours, and exfoliants or acids for three to five days.
• Treated sun spots may darken and flake over about a week. Let them fall off on their own.
• Make-up can be worn the next day if the skin feels comfortable.

Review and repeat treatment

We photograph your skin before every session and compare progress with you. A typical plan is four to six sessions two to three weeks apart; we shorten or extend it according to how pigment and vessels respond. Alma's protocol suggests repeating a short course about twice a year, but we decide that at review, after a season of sun, not in advance. New sun spots and vessels form with sun exposure, so daily sunscreen protects your result longer than any extra session.

Our device and clinical process

Evolution Aesthetics Clinic holds DHA Polyclinic License 6000514. Our Alma Harmony XL Pro is an original device bought through the official UAE distributor, and every energy-based treatment is performed by our specialist dermatologists, not delegated to technicians. We explain the handpieces, expected result, risks, alternatives and total price before you consent, and we are happy to show the device paperwork.

Common and less common effects

Redness, warmth and mild swelling for a few hours to two days are common. Treated pigment darkens before it flakes away. Bruising can occur in a minority of patients, and a mild sunburn-like feeling may last a few days. Less common effects are blistering, crusting, and darker or paler patches that can take months to fade; these are more likely on tanned or darker skin. Scarring is rare. Light can damage the eyes, so you wear protective eyewear throughout and we do not treat inside the orbital rim.

When to contact us

Message us the same day if you develop blisters, crusts, severe pain, spreading redness, a cold-sore outbreak or signs of infection. Do not treat these yourself with acids or another clinic's session; an early reaction needs assessment first.

When treatment may be unsuitable

We postpone Glow Flow during pregnancy and breastfeeding, over active skin infections, open wounds or inflamed acne, and on recently sunburnt, tanned or self-tanned skin. A history of skin cancer or a suspicious lesion in the area needs medical clearance first. Photosensitising medicines require a review of timing. Light-triggered epilepsy, a tendency to keloid or hypertrophic scars, uncontrolled diabetes or an autoimmune flare, and recent peels, lasers or filler in the same area without a proper interval also need review. Licensing and an original device are firm standards; they do not remove these risks.