When researching which type of hair removal is best for you it is very important to understand the difference between laser and IPL or Intense Pulsed Light.
Both treatments have around since the 90’s. They involve producing light energy which is absorbed into the dark pigment of the hair to ultimately cause damage to the hair follicle. Hair growth is then reduced, without damaging the surrounding tissue.
The main advantages of using laser hair removal over IPL are:
- Laser technology is much more effective – achieving substantially better results than IPL
- IPL is a cheaper, but less effective
- Laser is more precise and can selectively target dark, coarse hair while leaving the surrounding skin undamaged.
- Laser settings can be adjusted to suit specific skin tones and hair colour.
- Lasers are safe for all skin colours, whereas IPL can cause burns on darker skin colours.
IPL is NOT a laser! IPL is intense pulsed light. IPL devices produce a broad spectrum of wavelengths (like a light bulb) and cannot be focused to a concentrated beam. Because a range of different wavelengths are dispersed at a variety of depths only SOME of these will be effective for hair reduction.
A more shallow penetration in comparison to laser means that deeper, thicker hairs are not treated effectively. Some of the light can be absorbed into the surrounding tissue, leading to the heating of the pigment in the skin and as a result an increase risk for burns in darker skin tones.
At Self Aesthetics we have the Gold Standard in LASER hair removal, the GentleMax Pro! It can give you better results in fewer treatments. In as little as 3 treatments, you will see 80% permanent hair reduction! With an IPL device you could need up t0 10 treatments! The GentleMax Pro also has a dynamic cooling device that gently cools the skin before the laser hits. This makes laser hair removal more comfortable. With IPL you still need the cooling gel.
Call now to book your laser hair removal treatment! For better results in fewer treatments!
Tanya