Is IPL hair removal device effective and safe? Find out the truth

Interest in photoepilation has grown exponentially since the first research on the dermatological use of pulsed light, conducted in 1993. The invention of a method that ensures the permanent and long-term elimination unwanted hair almost immediately caught the market’s attention, first for distribution to specialist beauty centers and later for direct sales.

RW Gansel highlighted how, since 1996, the scientific community has seen a real increase in interest in photoepilation, with an increasingly pressing demand and, therefore, the need to produce devices suitable for home use. . Therefore, the search for the items that will be put on the market has focused on three essential aspects: safety, convenience and effectiveness.

If the management of pulsed light was previously the prerogative of beauty professionals, the introduction of epilators for home use has completely reversed the perspective: ergonomics and simplicity have moved to the forefront of consumer needs, which n does not only require lasting results, but also the concrete possibility of obtaining them at home, in a short time and with minimal effort.

It is clear that the requirement to develop devices that do not require special skills has led to a number of changes compared to professional machines, which are undoubtedly more technologically efficient but significantly less affordable. As a result, the development of these devices has focused on low-radiation technology, which is more suitable for personal use than the high-radiation technology used in beauty salons.

The search for a good compromise between cost, safety and utility has finally given rise to a wide and diversified range of pulsed light epilators.

What is the mechanism of pulsed light?

The notion of selective photothermolysis is the basis of pulsed light and laser mechanisms. The variable absorption of a light beam at different wavelengths by a biological tissue – in our example the structure of the hair – and its ramifications are manifestations of this phenomenon.

In reality, the heat created by the light can cause various triggered events, including the deterioration of the hair and, therefore, a break in the life cycle of the hair.

Waxing and epilator technologies are based on a totally different process than this one. Discover the distinctions between these three hair removal treatments.

Hair removal devices, in particular, use band-pass filters to emit high-intensity pulses of polychromatic incoherent pulsed light. These pulses specifically target the hair follicle, which they identify by its melanin content. Exposed to heat, it reacts by deactivating.

The scientific literature, which has devoted various investigations and reflections to this impact, is well documented.

Safety and pulsed light Can we trust?

Pulsed light has acquired increasing legitimacy over time , as evidenced by several studies dedicated to photoepilation, due to the excellent results obtained by the general public and the high safety requirements that characterize it.

The fundamental objective of people working in this sector is to provide consumers with a reliable product that offers an optimal balance between efficiency and safety. Therefore, all epilators placed on the market must meet specific criteria aimed at safeguarding the health of the end user: depending on a product that complies with standards is always a guarantee of quality, and it is therefore the first element to consider when choosing the most appropriate model.

It is clear that the safety of this technology depends on its correct application: to obtain the best results while protecting the integrity of the skin, it is necessary to strictly follow the instructions and suggestions of professionals.

The European Society for Laser Dermatology has developed detailed recommendations for the correct use of pulsed light. First of all, the machine parameters must be configured according to personal characteristics.

The majority of current generation epilators are equipped with sensors that automatically detect this data and use it to calibrate the device. This guarantees even more safety by eliminating the risk of making mistakes due to distraction or inexperience.

From a practical point of view, pulsed light and, more broadly, photoepilation have proven to be safe and effective alternatives to more outdated approaches. The following two conditions are necessary for these benefits to occur.

According to studies on the clinical characteristics of laser and pulsed light hair removal, the latter has proven to be a reliable short- and long-term procedure. Skin erythema and changes in skin pigmentation are two of the most common side effects. However, these reactions are rare and short-lived.

The results of photoepilation are subject to purely personal factors, as with any medical or aesthetic therapy; each cycle of sessions must therefore be preceded by a test on a small part of the body, in order to ensure that the light beam does not cause difficulties for the epidermis. Although it is well tolerated by almost all of the people who use it, pulsed light can cause burns and injuries of all kinds in people who are incompatible with this form of treatment.

Photoepilation. When is it better to abstain?

To perform hair removal safely, you must first ensure that the area to be treated is perfectly healthy. Pulsed light can clearly be a danger factor in the presence of skin diseases, as it risks overheating already affected tissues. Although generally safe, if the skin is not completely intact and healthy, this procedure should be avoided.

When should you avoid undergoing a hair removal photo session?

When one of the following circumstances occurs:

• Eczema
• Allergies
• Lesions
• Burns
• Dermatitis

Pulsed light is strongly discouraged in any of these circumstances , at least until complete healing of the area to be treated. It will always be essential to contact a dermatology professional at this time to authorize the start of a treatment cycle.

The importance of eye and skin protection

Finally, it is commonly considered that the use of pulsed light in the presence of moles on the skin could be harmful. This is not entirely correct: selective photothermolysis is currently widely used in dermatology for the eradication of melanocytic moles and hyperpigmented lesions in general, such as freckles. 

Despite its well-documented effectiveness, the use of pulsed light for the treatment of moles is still reserved for professional medical and cosmetic clinics. In reality, determining whether a mole should be treated requires specialized methods and rigorous preliminary examinations.

It is also essential to avoid incorporating moles or other skin lesions in the treatment of devices intended for home use. If in doubt about the atypical or possibly dangerous nature of moles. It is strongly advised to hide them using patches or a white makeup pencil, in addition to consulting a dermatologist very quickly. They will thus be protected from the effects of light and will not experience any problems as a result.

The same goes for the eyes: although pulsed light can be used in the medical profession to treat conditions such as dry eyes. It is always better to cover the eyes with dark glasses that are properly covered during a treatment of hair removal. Indeed, although less intense than a laser, the light beam could inflict catastrophic damage to the retina. 

On the other hand, most epilators available on the market have mechanisms that prohibit the triggering of pulses if they are not in direct contact with the skin.

When is pulsed light ineffective?

The real major limitation of IPL technology is that it cannot be used properly on people with darker skin color. We have already seen how selective photothermolysis differentiates the follicle from the surrounding tissues by causing pigmentation. It goes without saying that a light phototype with dark hair and a high melanin content is the best subject to obtain the best results.

On the other hand, if the skin is darker, with a Fitzpatrick score of IV to VI, a significant amount of pigment interferes with the light beam, preventing it from choosing the hair. The effect of pulsed light is therefore cancelled, which makes it useless on colored complexions.

Thomas Fitzpatrick, a dermatologist at Harvard Medical School, developed the Fitzpatrick Scale in 1975. It is a system for classifying a person’s skin tone based on their tolerance to sunlight. It is now used in aesthetic medicine to assess an individual’s sensitivity to specific treatments, such as photoepilation. The phototypes are classified from I to VI, I being the lightest and VI the darkest.

Pulsed light is ineffective on skin types IV-VI, according to scientific evidence, and the use of the Nd:YAG laser is recommended for these phototypes. Among the different types of lasers, this is the only one capable of having a good effect on dark complexions.

Pulsed light, like lasers, can have no effect on light and white hairs, as we all know. The partial or total absence of melanin in the cortex of the hair explains this inefficiency: a material devoid of chromophores is invisible to the light beam and therefore excluded from its selective action.

The same goes for red hair, whose pigmentation is governed by pheomelanin, as mentioned earlier. Pulsed light is also ineffective in distinguishing hairs in this scenario, so there is no point in using it.

However, according to a study conducted in collaboration with the Iranian Medical Laser Association, pulsed light can operate successfully on previously colored white hairs in many situations. Treatment of patients with hirsutism with black eyeliner and hair color has shown excellent results, with the treatment proving to be helpful in almost all cases. Sixty-one of the 62 respondents, evenly split between eyeliner and hair color, had good effects.

Therefore, it seems that it is worth extending this possibility in order to achieve continuous development and to allow more people to benefit from pulsed light technology.

Conclusion

To overheat the hair follicle and disable its normal processes, pulsed light exploits the principle of selective photothermolysis. This process stops the life cycle of the hair, thus preventing it from growing permanently. This technology has piqued the curiosity of the market, leading to a surge in demand for pulsed light devices for home use.

So, if access to this type of therapy was once limited to medical and aesthetic research, today we have access to a wide range of items on the market. All the studies carried out suggest that these devices are a viable option for photoepilation at home.

Compared to conventional treatments, waxing and epilators are still commonly used in the aesthetic field, although they do not guarantee the same long-term benefits.