IPL, or Intense Pulse Light, hair removal is a popular method of removing unwanted hair from the body, particularly from the face and eyebrows. IPL therapy works by focusing a high frequency ray of light directly onto the hair shaft. The light depletes the hair follicle of moisture, causing it to burn up and die. Because IPL hair removal therapy eliminates the unwanted hair from the hair root to the tip, IPL has proven to be a very effective long-term hair removal technique.

IPL hair removal therapy is one of the more expensive hair removal methods available. Therefore, it is important that you educate yourself about the facts before making the financial and time investment into IPL therapy. Read on for some important information.

For those individuals looking for a more permanent solution for hair reduction, IPL hair removal just might be the answer. IPL hair removal eliminates the hair all the way to the root by dissolving or burning the hair follicle. When the light reaches the root, it not only eliminates the hair, but it also sends a shock to the base in which the root grows. When the light comes into contact with the skin in the base, it welds it together, stopping the flow of blood. As the flow of blood to the area ceases, the hair root can no longer get the nutrients it needs to grow into a full length of hair. Thus, the hair is permanently removed.

Often, it takes more than one treatment to fully remove the unwanted hair using IPL therapy. When the light welds the skin, it usually does not weld the full area in the base. Blood can still flow to the hair shaft and follicle. Yet because the area will be partially welded, the hair will grow back lighter and less thick. This process will lead to a dramatic reduction in the amount and coarseness of hair, ultimately leading to its permanent removal.

Because IPL therapy works with lasers, or high intensity light, the hair follicle needs to have some color that the light can, essentially, cling to. Therefore, IPL hair removal therapy will not work with blond or light brown hairs as well as with darker hairs. However, IPL hair removal therapy can help to reduce the coarseness of all hair, including blond and light brown follicles.

There is some debate as to whether IPL therapy can lead to scarring. Those nurse practitioners in favor of electrolysis will tell you that IPL therapy is unsafe because the laser is pointed directly at the skin and can burn it. Those in favor of IPL therapy protest that electrolysis tends to be the more dangerous hair removal process.

The best thing for you to do to ensure your own safety is to test the method you’d prefer on a small patch of skin elsewhere on your body. Wait several days to observe the results of the therapy before making your decision. Remember: especially with the face, scarring is permanent. Though there are methods available to correct scarring, it will never fully go away.

If you are looking for a permanent or semi-permanent long-term hair removal method, IPL hair removal therapy could be right for you. Consult a local esthetician for more information and pricing.