Tag Archives: unwanted hair

A Laser Hair Removal Machine : No More Hair Removal Woes?

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You may have seen a few ads in magazines or on TV for the ultimate solution to end hair removal woes – a laser machine you can use at home. You have to admit such a product sounds like a dream come true: a machine you can own and use yourself which kills hair follicles and the hair never grows back! You know these machines are not cheap, of course, but they are nowhere near as expensive as a course of professional laser treatment which will set you back thousands of dollars. And you can order one today and at a special price!

So why wouldn’t you order one?

The main reason not to rush in is that the laser hair removal machines advertised in this way do not always do what they say. Advertisers (at least where they are legitimate companies) are careful not to actually lie so that they avoid trouble with the advertising regulators and the machines do kill hairs but it may be that they kill them one at a time after several attempts (when you have a whole legful to treat) or they work on some people with hair which is easily killed but not on the majority.

There will often be a money back guarantee, so you feel safe in buying. But there will also be small print, which you will probably not read, if you are like most of us, until the machine fails to work. A lot of companies rely on that. They also rely on you not being bothered to go through the whole rigmarole required to get your money back.

The sad thing is that there are hair removal machines out there which do work but you are better to do your own research online and find the opinions of real buyers so you can do a proper comparison of available laser machines rather than just buying something on the spur of the moment.

IPL Hair Removal: How Does It Work?

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Intense pulsed light is a relatively new and successful treatment to remove unwanted hair.

When properly applied, this treatment allows a reduction of 80% of excess hair.

The light energy, attracted by melanin, reaches the hair bulb and destroys it if it’s in the growing phase (the anagen phase). To avoid burning problems, the IPL machine has a special selective phototermolysis function that allows to differentiate the temperature of skin and bulb: the first will keep inside the security level while the bulb temperature will reach a level high enough to destroy it.

The IPL hair removal treatment works better if:

  • The skin is not dark or tanned
  • The hair is not blond, nor white (the larger the contrast between light skin and dark hair, the better the results)
  • There are no freckles or other skin spots (if there’s a single mole, it will be covered)
  • The hormonal structure is stable (so to avoid, in the future, the growth of new, unwanted hair)
  • The hair is 2-3 mm long
  • The IPL hair removal is performed by an expert and trained operator, that can properly set the machine according to the skin and hair characteristics.

How an IPL hair removal session works:

Before flashing intense pulsed light on the skin, a special gel is applied, that works as energy conductor and as skin protector at the same time. Light is then flashed with the help of a handheld at regular intervals. In a few minutes it’s possible to treat vast areas (like the legs or the the back) but also small ones like the upper lip or the chin area. After the session, the gel and the hair are removed with a spatula, while the remaining hair will fall  in one or two days. After one month, the hair that were not in the active growth phase will grow, and will be ready for another session of IPL hair removal.