IPL Hair Reduction

IPL Hair Reduction: What Should You Expect?

IPL, or Intense Pulsed Light, is a treatment used by dermatologists and estheticians to remove excess hair from the body. IPL hair reduction is usually done under the guidance of a physician. Since IPL hair reduction is less expensive and time consuming than laser hair removal, it has become a popular treatment. When done correctly, most patients report satisfactory IPL hair reduction results. Sometimes IPL hair reduction requires more than one treatment, but this depends on each individual case. If you are considering IPL hair reduction, you should make a consultation appointment with a licensed practitioner.

At the consultation, you will be asked a number of questions about your personal health and family medical history in order to determined whether or not you would be a successful candidate for IPL hair reduction. If you are dark-skinned, proned to keloids, darkly tanned, or are sensitive to burns, then you are not a good candidate for IPL hair reduction. Also people with insulin-controlled diabetes are not good candidates, since the skin would heal slowly and pose a risk of infection. If your practitioner deems you a good candidate for IPL hair reduction, he will then perform a patch test on a section of your skin. After a few days he will check the patch to make sure that you have had no adverse reactions to the treatment.

During the actual treatment, a cold gel will be applied to your skin and a pair of dark goggles will be given to you to wear. The practitioner then focuses an intense beam of light on the areas to be treated. The treatment typically lasts from 10 minutes for a small area to 40 minutes to treat the entire face. After the treatment, you may have some redness and irritation, but this typically goes away within 3 to 4 days. The result is smooth, hair-free skin!