What Really Works Best? : Laser Hair Removal vs. Intense Pulsed Light
Have you ever wondered, what is the best way to get rid of unwanted hair?
In this article, we will describe the pros and cons of the latest two methods to achieve permanent hair reduction without tweezing, shaving, electrolysis, or waxing.
You want the easiest, fastest and most effective way to remove your hair without breaking the bank.
Let’s take a closer look to help you achieve this goal.
What is Intense Pulsed Light Anyway?
The abbreviation for intense pulsed light is IPL.
First, a little physics. Don’t let your eyes glaze over. We will make it easy for you to understand.
Intense pulsed light uses a machine, which is the light source. Light beams produced are in the range of 515 to 1200 nm.
IPL is not a laser.
With a laser, laser light is focused so it does not spread out as it travels. IPL spreads out just like the sun’s light or light from a bulb.
With IPL, cutoff filters can filter out some frequencies and narrow the spectrum to target your hair.
Intense pulsed light was first used for hair removal and reported in the literature in 1997.
A study done in 2006 in the journal, “Lasers and Medical Science” found the following results.
Hair reduction after 6 months was 68.75% for alexandrite lasers, 71.71% for diode lasers, and 66.96% for IPL.
Diode lasers had the highest rate of complications in this report. Side effects were 9.5% for alexandrite lasers, 28.9% for diode lasers, and 15.3% for IPL.
What is Laser?
Laser light does not spread out. The letters in the word, laser, stand for Light Amplification of Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
The light stays narrowed over long distances over long distances and focused. With a strong enough laser source, you could shine a laser beam and hit the moon!
Lasers have different wavelengths. Some wavelengths target hair better than others do.
The Alexandrite lasers that Happel Laser Spa uses have proven to be the most effective for hair removal. They are very fast.
Laser vs. Intense Pulsed Light Hair Removal / Pros and Cons
- Laser is faster
- Laser hurts less than IPL
- Larger areas of the body can be treated in less time with laser
- IPL is not used much for hair removal in the U.S.
- IPL has a steeper learning curve and is harder to master early on
- Laser results are better in studies
- Laser has less complications
- Laser can cause more eye damage if not used properly
Sometimes it’s confusing.
Make sure the laser center that you choose does not rent their lasers instead of purchase them. That is a sign of inexperience. These places can’t fill their schedules and only bring a laser in for a day per month or whenever. They have to scrounge together enough patients to make it worth their while.
To obtain your goal of optimum results at a fair and reasonable cost, choose a Laser Hair Removal Center in Pittsburgh with decades of experience.
Call us at 724-969-0600 or click here to learn more about how we can help you to achieve your goal of being hair free!
