Hair Removal Disaster Stories and how to avoid them

Using IPL hair removal treatments can ensure that the risk of damage to the skin or hair is minimised.  There are many horror stories about hair removal going wrong resulting in trauma and discomfort for the client and in extreme cases can cause scarring.

Think of creams that remove hair. These can burn very easily on sensitive skin and can cause severe pain if accidently applied to an area where the skin is broken or where there is a skin condition such as eczema. Razors can cause the skin to feel raw and sore and much of the time needs aftercare on the skin to cool the feeling of burning.  Some more traditional laser removal methods can cause burning, blistering and discolouration of the skin.  This is caused by incorrect settings being used on the machine in most of these cases.

IPL hair removal treatment is much safer and the pulse light it omits does not cause the blistering and discolouration that traditional laser treatments can cause.

For all treatments like IPL and laser hair removal it is recommended that you don’t sunbathe for a couple of weeks before the treatment and actively try and limit your exposure to the sun as this can affect the way the hair follicle behaves when the light pulse hits it.

Always use a trained technician to complete your treatment. They are responsible for ensuring the IPL machine is on the right settings and generally they will undertake a small skin test first before starting to ensure that your skin does not react.

A professional IPL trained technician will also offer you eye protection whilst the treatment is underway and may wear eye protection themselves to avoid any damage to the eyes that can cause blindness. An experienced and qualified technician will also check whether you have been sunbathing before starting the treatment. Sunbathing and the exposure to the sun effects the melanin levels of the hair follicle and occasionally when the treatment starts and the IPL administered it can cause the melanin to act differently and erratically possibly causing skin discolouration.

Most of the horror stories you hear about treatments going wrong are usually when the technician is not trained, sometimes even beauticians who use them are not fully trained – it is worth checking this before you book and hand over your hard earned money.

There isn’t as much protection as you may think regarding treatments going wrong and the Department of Health advise that all treatments are at the clients own risk, so ensure your technician is trained and experienced in IPL and you can be sure they will complete a fantastic job for you.

Using IPL hair removal treatment can minimise risk, most clients having used it think it is the best purchase they ever made and are more than happy with the results and thankfully the disaster stories for IPL are few and far between.

So learn from other peoples mistakes and follow the official guidelines:

• Don’t sunbathe before your treatment
• Use a trained technician
• Do a skin test patch before full treatment

Follow these guidelines and you are sure to get the best results from your IPL treatment.