Facts About IPL & Other Laser Treatments: What You Need to Know

IPL vs. Laser Treatments

You want to permanently remove your body hair, but you can’t decide between IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) and other laser treatments for hair removal. Both processes offer permanent hair removal for unwanted hair and use light or rays to do this. For either treatment, dark-haired and fair-skinned people are the best candidates—if you’re suntanned with fair hair (blonde, white or grey) and/or you’re dark complected, neither process will work well for you.

But what are the differences? There are two big differences between other laser treatments and Intense Pulsed Light Systems. The first difference is in the area that can be treated in one go and the treatment speed. Generally IPL treatment heads are up to eight times larger than the small spot produced by lasers. Therefore IPL treatments are much quicker, because they can cover more territory. The second difference is in the wavelength of light each laser or wand produces. Other lasers use one specific wavelength, but an IPL laser uses a whole waveband. The effect is like using a group of lasers in a single treatment. Additionally, your dermatologist can customize your treatment to produce better and safer results for you. Based on both these facts the IPL treatment is the way to go, but only if you meet the physical criteria for skin and hair color. Some people still choose other laser hair removal processes, since it’s been around longer and don’t mind to pay more and make more trips to the dermatologist’s office.

And with IPL being much quicker and effective, you will save money because you’ll be visiting the dermatologist less times to accomplish the same outcome. Plus, you can do the procedure in 30 minutes or less—so you could go on your lunch hour and return to work with no downtime and glowing skin. With either process you choose, you will need to avoid the sun and wear at least a 30 SPF sunscreen.

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Related articles:

• Can I Sunbathe Before or After Laser Hair Removal?
• Is Laser Hair Removal Right For Me?
• Pubic Hair Removal