IPL manufacturers are not allowed by law to claim that hair removal is permanent. Studies have shown that areas of the skin targeted by the IPL procedure experience temporary removal of hair but not total or permanent elimination. IPL only acts on active hair while it is in the Anagen phase of growth.

Hair could be in the shredding or resting phase. Consequently, it is not affected by the IPL treatment. Unlike with stronger laser machines, permanent hair removal cannot be possible with IPL because all the hairs in the targeted area will not be affected by the intense pulsed light beam. Furthermore, white or very blond hair would be difficult if not impossible to be treated as they contain little or no melanin.

The continuous rounds of treatment can only ensure permanent reduction. It means that after a certain period of time, you hair is likely to grow back and you will need to repeat the same process over and over again. However, the frequency with which you undertake the procedures is determined by the type of skin and hair you have. It can also be hormone related thus varying from one individual to the other. This in itself helps you understand that there is no permanent hair removal using IPL because there are a series of treatments that have to be done periodically.

One or two hair follicles may grow back. In rare cases, all your hair may grow back. It all comes down to the nature of your hair and its resilience when it is exposed to IPL. Moreover, IPL is not a solution to removing all the hair on you skin. In addition, hair growth may exhibit a stubby appearance.

Any hair that grows back is normally finer and lighter. The most you can get with IPL hair removal is an eighty to ninety percent removal rate but it is not possible to remove all your hair permanently. The advantage of this is that on your next visit to the beauty salon, you can ask for a discount as most of the work is done and there is not much hair left to remove.

IPL is still the most efficient and affordable method of hair removal because it covers a wider area of hair and is thus completed in a relatively short period of time. Treatment is also simple and straightforward and can be undertaken in between a hectic schedule during the course of the day.

Anybody interested in IPL treatments should be prepared to undergo a relatively large number of treatments. If one assumes that only 40% of the hair in the area to be treated is in the Anagen state then you only lose 40% of them in the first treatment. In the second treatment from the 60% remaining hair another 40%, which is 24% of the initial hair will be removed. This gives a total of 64% by the end of the second session. In the third session from the remaining 36% another 40%, meaning 14% will be removed. Hence, the total amount of hair removed by the end of the third session is 78%. This is why you need at least six treatments to remove approximately 95% hair in that area. Mind you that the efficacy of the treatment may not be 100%, as there are other parameters affecting the treatment. The interval between IPL treatments should be long enough to allow for the growth of new Anagan hair, usually six weeks, but it depends on the area.

For a more permanent solution a laser hair removal machine is best, British Lasers’ offer the Nu TriLaze Plus laser machine, which features SuperCool™ technology that quickly cools the tip of the handpiece for maximum comfort. It is great for long-term use as it is very safe, as well as tried and tested by the UK’s leading experts.