How Does IPL Work
IPL technology and treatment have continued to develop for hair removal and for skin treatments. When used for hair removal, the latest IPL machines use a very precise light beam to target the pigment in hair follicles. Within the follicle there is the “hair bulb” where the melanin that denotes the colour of your hair is stored, there is also water that we store in the skin and the haemoglobin in our skin which absorb energy when light is beamed at them at certain wavelengths. When the light beam hits the follicle the light is converted to energy and heat which causes damage to the follicle and with repeated use destroys the hair follicle completely. The difference between laser treatment and IPL is that lasers use a specific infrared wavelength, whilst IPL wavelengths have a range. IPL can also slow down new hair growth in cells and eventually stop hair growth all together. Through repeated treatments, IPL is the nearest any type of treatment has ever reached to totally permanent hair removal. The technical term for the intense light pulses is non-coherent light which is made up of two light beams that come together at the same wavelength which prevents interference thus giving a strong, clear intense pulsed light – that is as technical as it gets!
IPL is non-ablative, which basically means that the light beams are targeted at the dermis which is the lower layer of skin, rather than the epidermis. IPL is usually targeted using filters as well, to ensure not too much light and therefore energy is used and the skin doesn’t get damaged. This allows you to have IPL hair removal in a few minutes and feel well enough to carry on with your day very quickly. Once you have booked your IPL hair removal treatment, your therapist or technician will request that you avoid too much sun bathing in the days leading up to treatment and for a few days afterwards. Before treatment starts, depending on the hair removal required, you can be offered local anaesthetics creams, but usually all that is involved is adding cold gel to the area to be treated if the IPL machine being used doesn’t have an integrated cooling system in the applicator. The IPL machine then delivers the light pulses to the area being treated. It is advisable to wear protective eyewear during treatment just as an added safety measure. An average session is around 15 to 20 minutes and it does usually need a few treatments to get the results you require, although each session will substantially weaken the hair follicle.
Feedback from patients who have had treatment about whether the treatment is painful or not varies with some patients describing a weak stinging sensation and many other not noticing any pain at all either during or after treatment. However, even if there is a small amount of discomfort just remind yourself about the last time you tried waxing! IPL hair removal is definitely worth a try and really is the most effective form of hair removal available.