How IPL Hair Removal Works
Unwanted hair is a common problem for both men and women, and regular hair removal methods don’t always do the job, or are time consuming. The most common hair removal methods are shaving and waxing, both those can be both painful or costly, or sometimes both. Tweezing is a less common method, but can leave skin irritated and sometimes infected. For the extreme measures, electrolysis and laser hair removal are alternatives, but are expensive and require multiple sessions.
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Intense Pulsed Light, or IPL, is the newest advance in hair removal technology, and is quite quick and relatively painless. The area with hair on it is trimmed to remove excess body hair above the skin, then a practioner might spread a gel across the area with unwanted hair - the gel is similar to the kind used in ultrasounds, and is thick and clear, keeping the skin cool while the light is on it. The practioner, or dermatologist, then uses a small hand-held “wand-like” device and moves it over the area where hair is to be removed. The wand emits a broad-spectrum light that is converted into heat energy, so when the light touches the root of the hair the follicle is destroyed, or at least damaged. The process is non-invasive and can be used on all types of skin.
Skin disorders like rosacea, pigmented birth marks and sun damage can be helped with IPL therapy. Most people experience redness and swelling around the base of the follicles where the hair was removed; this indicates that the treatment was successful, and should disappear within a few hours. Within a few weeks, or sometimes a couple of months - or whenever hair starts to regrow - IPL can be done again, as some follicles aren’t completely destroyed the first time around. Treatment sessions usually last around fifteen minutes on average, which means patients are able to have the procedure done without disrupting their daily activity.
Tags: IPL, Laser Hair Removal