Understanding the difference between laser and IPL hair removal technologies. What is worth knowing about laser hair removal versus IPL.
There is often a good deal of confusion when it comes to understanding the difference between permanent laser hair removal and IPL hair removal.
Both treatments produce energy in order to interrupt the growth cycle of the hair follicle and stop it growing without harming the surrounding tissue. The similarity between the two kinds of equipment ends there.
The great difference between them lies in the technology used to produce the light.
The laser emits a single wavelength that targets the pigmented bulb of the hair specifically, while IPL emits across a spectrum of wavelengths that is not specific to melanin, which is why the risk of burning or of hyperpigmenting the skin is
higher. That spectrum of wavelengths disperses in the skin, and only a few of them reach the hair bulb, in an unpredictable way. Although the IPL technique is cheaper per session, more sessions will be needed to destroy all the hair. The light penetrates the skin less deeply than the laser does, which is why larger bulbs sitting deeper in the skin cannot be treated effectively. IPL is not recommended for dark skin: it is not effective and it carries a high risk of burning the skin.
Laser technology is therefore more effective, and 90% of patients lose their hair after 5 or 6 sessions, because the laser beam targets the hair bulb specifically without harming the skin. Since it uses specific, targeted wavelengths, and the energy and the emission time can be adjusted very finely, it can be used on dark skin without risk.
A laser treatment costs more than an IPL treatment for the same area, because a laser machine costs 5 to 20 times as much as an IPL machine, but there are several factors behind the price of the treatment: the difference in how well they work (far better for the laser), the need for a doctor with specialist training to establish the settings, the smaller number of sessions compared with IPL, the ability to treat every skin phototype, and the use of equipment approved by the international bodies.
So if a friend tells you about an exceptional offer on permanent hair removal that sounds too good to be true, ask which technology is being used.
The answer will help you make an informed decision about having the treatment.
We hope this has been useful, but if you would like to know more, call 004 0733 297 207 or visit our website: www.dermestetica.ro