Frequently Asked Questions about IPL

IPL stands for Intense Pulse Light. This light is used to target specific cells in your body, to either denature them or stimulate them depending on the desired outcome from the IPL treatment.

If performed correctly IPL should be a fairly painless experience. Here at Laser HRH our state of the art machines utilise “ICE” pads on the handles to cool the skin before each shot, increasing patient comfort.

At Laser HRH we have both technologies available, so you can rest assured the treatment that you receive at Laser HRH will be the one that best suits you & is tailored specific to your goals & desires.

In short, your skin absorbs different colours/wavelengths of light at different depths. For example, violet (400nm-420nm), barely penetrates the skin and is absorbed at 0.1 of a mm. On the other hand, the colour red (620nm-730nm), doesn’t get absorbed until somewhere between 3mm-5mm. Lasers are one specific colour of light, which limits each laser’s capability for what they can be used for, because they can only penetrate to one specific depth. This is great for surgeries on cancers, or other specific procedures requiring a single exact depth. But for hair removal & other cosmetic procedures involving the skin, where the depths of the target cells can vary between 0.6mm & 5mm lasers are not all the well-equipped.

IPL on the other hand, or white light, can be filtered to give you a range of light from 400nm-1200nm, with any combination of colours/wavelengths within this range. This makes it a more versatile technology that is easily adapted to treat pigmentation, acne, photo skin rejuvenations, hair removal, even varicose veins, & sun spots.

Both Laser & IPL work using the same mechanism of action, where light is converted into heat to achieve the desired result on the target cells, whether that be to stimulate (In the case of a Skin Rejuvenation treatment), or to denature the cells (Hair removal). Studies show that there is negligible difference in long term results between the 2 technologies, but that IPL has less risk of complications during the treatment process.

Please see the following links to see for yourself.

This first link is the most current list of approved treatments by the FDA, that IPL can be used for:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3390232/

The following link is for the most complete comparison study undertaken to date, between the effectiveness of Laser v’s IPL on hair removal:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1468-3083.2005.01327.x

The wiki link below, gives you the background of Laser & IPL hair removal:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_hair_removal

Several factors will have an impact on how many treatment sessions you may need, including diet, lifestyle, medications, hormones, tolerance to light, & even treatment consistency. Somewhere between 6-12 is a good guide to work to.

The treatments should be spaced from 4 weeks between your first few appointments, gradually increasing to 8 weeks apart. Yearly to bi-yearly top up treatments are recommended.