IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) is a non-invasive cosmetic treatment used to permanently reduce unwanted hair growth. Available both at salons and spas as well as as home handheld device.
Melanin-rich melanin in your hair and skin cells absorbs light energy that damages specific zones and cells, thus inhibiting hair growth by disrupting cell cycles.
It targets hair follicles
IPL hair removal uses pulses of light energy directed at specific zones or cells in your skin that contain dark pigment or are part of your hair follicles, heating the melanin that inhibits its growth, eventually dissolving and eliminating your follicle, leaving behind smooth skin without hair growth.
Light energy penetrates deep into your skin without harming its surface, and without causing pain. IPL treatments offer far less discomfort than waxing and are suitable for most areas of the body. Experienced operators using professional IPL equipment ensure fast and seamless results.
You will require multiple IPL treatments in order to achieve permanent hair loss, the number of sessions depending on the natural colour, coarseness and growth cycle of your hair. Most people require four to six sessions in order to see results.
One key difference between IPL and laser hair removal is their respective approaches to light therapy: IPL uses an array of light wavelengths and is therefore less precise, while lasers focus on using only one specific wavelength or color of light to target melanin-rich cells in your hair follicles more directly.
Successful laser or IPL hair removal treatment must target melanin-rich cells in your follicles when they’re in their Anagen stage of development, when your follicles are actively producing hair shafts with plenty of melanin-rich cells and when dermal papilla connects with them – making these the ideal targets for IPL or laser therapy.
Before commencing an IPL treatment, it’s crucial that any plucking, waxing or threading be avoided in the area as this will compromise its efficacy and limit its ability to treat hair follicles effectively. In order for light energy to reach hair follicles effectively.
Sunbathing prior to IPL treatments is important. UV rays from the sun can increase melanin in your hair, which can prevent light therapy from working effectively and result in unwanted side effects that hinder its effectiveness.
It reduces hair growth
IPL laser hair removal can be an effective way to reduce unwanted body hair. It works by targeting zones and cells with dark pigment. Once these are targeted, follicles become damaged and hair growth stops; making this treatment suitable for people looking for non-invasive ways of getting rid of their pesky follicles without surgery or painful removal processes. Although not permanent in nature, maintenance treatments will likely be needed due to factors like hair colour, thickness, growth rate of your skin as well as taking anti-inflammatory drugs or herbal supplements prior to an IPL treatment session as these may increase risk and cause bleeding during procedures.
IPL uses multiple wavelengths to penetrate hair follicles and target pigment, which is essential for hair growth. Unfortunately, however, it cannot be used on white, grey, light blonde or red hair since these don’t absorb enough light for IPL to be effective.
An IPL treatment requires the application of an IPL device by a trained medical professional to your skin, with most machines featuring an adjustable cooling system to minimise discomfort. The cooling mechanism blows cool air onto the area where light processing occurs, significantly decreasing pain levels during treatment. Many individuals report no discomfort at all during an IPL procedure; if your pain threshold is low however, consider having your clinician use numbing cream on your skin before proceeding with your session.
After an IPL treatment, the treated area will appear red or pink for 4-8 hours afterward – similar to having experienced mild sunburn. Moisturizer should be applied frequently after IPL to minimize this sensation and any subsequent stinging sensation caused by IPL; some individuals may also experience temporary swelling that should subside quickly. It typically takes 6-8 treatments spaced every 4-6 weeks in order to achieve desired results; though some hair will remain post-IPL treatment it will grow back thinner and slower-growing than before the treatments were administered.
It reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
IPL laser treatments are among the most effective means of diminishing fine lines and wrinkles on your forehead and cheeks, particularly around your eyes. It works by emitting multiple waves of bright light that penetrate deeply into the second layer of skin where pigment called melanin absorbs it and transforms it to heat, thus dissolving hair follicles permanently and stopping their regrowth, leaving smooth skin free from hair growth follicles – plus IPL helps decrease redness caused by sun damage!
Before an IPL treatment session, it’s important to remove all makeup and sunscreen from the treatment area. Next, a medical professional will put on dark goggles to protect your eyes, rub a cool gel onto it, then deliver series of pulses that feel similar to rubber band snapping against skin; some people find this uncomfortable; but the pain typically subsides quickly – many opt for cooling gel or an ice pack to minimize discomfort during this process.
IPL treatments can be painful, yet more effective than shaving or waxing. An IPL laser targets melanin in your hair which absorbs pulses of light to convert to heat – killing hair follicles and stopping future growth. But multiple sessions may be required before seeing results.
Before getting IPL treatment, it’s essential to establish whether you are suitable. IPL treatments may benefit those of most skin colors; however, black or darkly-hued individuals are typically not good candidates as the IPL machine relies on contrast between your skin tone and hair color for effective operation. Furthermore, very light blonde or white hair might not absorb enough melanin to be properly treated by IPL machines.
After receiving an IPL treatment, your skin may appear red or pink for 4 to 6 hours post-procedure and you may also experience a stinging sensation which may be alleviated with cold compress or lotion. Harsh soaps or exfoliants should also be avoided since they can aggravate lasered areas; direct sunlight exposure should also be limited while using sunscreen when outdoors.
It improves skin tone
IPL laser treatments improve skin tone by stimulating natural collagen production in your body. This can help diminish fine lines and wrinkles as well as fade age-related discolorations such as sun spots. Furthermore, it helps to decrease pore size while controlling acne breakouts – though they may be costly as they’re not covered by insurance plans; so ask your dermatology clinic if payment plans are available before investing.
Before beginning, your healthcare professional will apply a gel to your skin before attaching an IPL device with quick pulses of light into it. While you may feel some stinging during treatment, this should not be painful and for added comfort you can ask them for a numbing cream to apply directly over that area.
At an IPL treatment, light pulses are absorbed by melanin pigments in your hair follicle and shaft, and then converted into heat energy to permanently damage and prevent future hair growth. Furthermore, IPL laser targets and destroys your bulb of hair for permanent hair removal. However, this treatment works best on people with lighter skin tones since darker pigments absorb light energy more readily causing tissue damage than lighter tones can absorb it.
While IPL can successfully remove unwanted hair, it cannot completely eradicate all hair in one treatment area at once due to hair’s various growth cycle stages including resting phase and shedding phase. Therefore, repeated IPL treatments must be repeated at regular intervals in order to ensure permanent hair removal.
An IPL hair removal clinic should offer multiple treatment options, including both IPL and laser treatments. Laser has a narrow beam which makes it easier to target individual follicles; thus making it more precise than IPL, which uses an open beam of light. As a result, less of each individual hair follicle is destroyed during each session, and multiple sessions may be needed before desired results are reached; but regardless of this fact IPL remains safe and effective at getting rid of unwanted hair.
