IPL vs. Laser Hair Removal

• Many Salons and Clinics claim to provide lasers, when in fact they only use IPL, and an IPL is mistakenly referred to as a Laser. We want to clear up any misconceptions.
• IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light and is not a Laser. Laser has 3 unique properties.
• Monochromatic: produces pure colour of light. The light emitted from a laser is of one wavelength (colour). White light is a mixture of colours.
• Coherent: Moves in a coherent manner and not a random motion like an IPL.
• Collimated: the parallel nature of the laser beam. The light beam of a Laser is focused tightly over long distances.Page 20 laser handbook pic.

IPLs are:

• Less effective technology for removing hair.
• A lot cheaper to buy than Lasers
• Considered to be “jack of all trades masters of none”
• IPLs cannot safely be used on dark skin types
• Normally uses gel as cooling method which is messy
• IPLs are more uncomfortable – more intense flash of light.
• IPLs are slow – long pulse delivery.

Lasers are:

• More effective & more selective
• Vapourises the hair – immediate satisfaction to client in comparison to IPL.
• More published clinical evidence for laser hair removal compared to IPL
• Penetrates deeper into the skin, more effective for darker thicker hairs – IPLs only penetrate 2mm.
• Better cooling devices, such as cold air, cryogen spray
• Lasers are more expensive to buy than IPLs.

So to summarise:

• Treatment performed using an IPL is not as effective for hair removal. Laser uses just one wavelength to target hair follicles. Therefore Laser energy is far more focused than a IPL energy. The treatment settings with our Laser machines are more accurate and precise so we can individualise treatments for each client.
• When IPL is used for hair removal there is also a greater risk of causing damage to the skin, such as changes to skin pigmentation or burning.