What Is IPL Hair Removal

IPL hair removal is widely used by cosmetic surgeons and beauticians as the increasingly preferred form of hair removal for their clients. In recent years, it has escalated in popularity at a phenomenal rate, due to the results it can achieve, including in many cases, permanent unwanted hair removal.  IPL is short for “intense pulsed light”, which is basically a beam of light that has been set at a specific wavelength pulsating to effectively destroy the follicle and remove the hair.

It is not the standard old fashioned laser treatment that has been on the market for a few year, IPL hair removal is a new way of removing hair that very cleverly uses the pulses of light directed onto the hair follicle that used repeatedly over time will reduce and destroy unwanted hair growth on any part of the body. The hair follicle, once destroyed will not produce new hair and therefore it is permanently removed.

There are a range of machines and devices from various manufacturers that can be used to undertake IPL hair removal, and the actual light wave is directed to the body and skin by an attached “pen” or “wand” or sometimes in medical or special cases, a flexible arm that can be manipulated into different positions and angles.

IPL hair removal is easily available from beauty salons across the country as well as cosmetic surgeons, who although may use different brands and sizes of machines, they all ultimately do the same job.

Hair removal has been an essential part of beauty regimes for many thousands of years.  Hair growth in certain places on the body particularly facial hair can cause embarrassment in social situations resulting in a lack of confidence and there is therefore great demand for a way of removing hair in a way that is safe and has a long lasting effect.  IPL hair removal is becoming very popular because unlike some hair removal systems such as creams and epilators and shaving, IPL treatment can remove hair for much longer lengths of time by weakening and eventually destroying the hair follicle through the heat source of the intense pulsed light.  It is therefore fast becoming the hair removal method of choice for more and more of the population, both male and female.

It is important to note that IPL hair removal is not a laser based hair removal system.  The system uses light in a different way to laser treatment.  The most effective way to use IPL for hair removal is a series of treatments four to six weeks apart that gently weaken the hair until it stops growing back.  There have been many studies on the effectiveness of IPL and all these studies show a long term reduction in hair growth, the time this takes can vary based on the variation of time between treatments.

IPL can work for anyone, dark or light haired and skin on any area of the body, however sensitive.  There are of course some exceptions to using IPL and, as for many products and treatments, it is not advised if you are either diabetic or pregnant.