What is Home IPL Hair Removal Device

Woman using hair removal equipment at home

At this point, anyone who feels the need to try hair removal can choose from a range of options. From depilatory creams to sugar to old-fashioned razors, there are more ways to remove hair than hands.

IPL hair removal is a common option that provides longer-lasting results than shaving or even waxing. (In fact, it is one of the five most popular minimally invasive procedures in 2020, according to the latest plastic surgery statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons [ASPS].) While you might associate this treatment with a medical spa Taken together, a number of home IPL devices are already on the market, offering an alternative for those who would rather do it themselves. If you're wondering if the ability to use technology at home is too good to be true, here's the full scoop.

What is a home IPL device?

IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light, the form of scattered light these hand tools emit. "These devices emit a wide range of light to treat the skin," said Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. The technology is similar but different from laser hair removal. Technically, IPL devices are not lasers, because lasers emit only a single wavelength of light, whereas IPLs emit multiple wavelengths.

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IPL can be used to treat brown spots or broken capillaries and redness, in addition to reducing hair growth. Different filters are used to limit the light emitted by the device to provide a customized treatment to meet your specific needs.

[IPL] uses a large [dose] of light to capture certain targets in the skin, in terms of hair removal, the target is melanin. (Reminder: Melanin is a natural pigment in skin and hair.) When the goal is hair removal, the IPL device is filtered to emit light in wavelengths of 600 to 1200 nanometers, which selectively heat and destroy melanin without heating it surrounding skin, she explained. When light heats the melanin in the hair follicle, it causes the hair to fall out and kills the follicle, reducing regeneration.

Home IPL equipment - uses the same technology with lower energy consumption than equipment used by professionals. Of course, this comes at a price. IPL devices in the office will obviously be more powerful and intended to be used by trained professionals, while IPL devices at home will be much weaker in the amount of energy they can provide so the results will not be as good. That said, a small study of at-home IPL devices, published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, reported a 78% reduction in hair volume after one month and a 72% reduction after three months, with participants Receive treatment every two weeks using household equipment for six weeks.

What are the benefits of using home IPL equipment?
According to Dr. Shirazi, you can use a home IPL device on any part of your body where you find hair, whether it's treating your facial hair or giving yourself a full body. Investing in home IPL equipment can also save you money compared to in-office therapy. According to the ASPS report, home IPL equipment typically costs between $150 and a few hundred dollars, while the average cost of a professional IPL session in 2020 is about $412. According to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, most people need between six and 12 IPL treatments to achieve full results.

Then there's the convenience factor. If you usually shave, switching to using IPL at home can save you time. To give you an idea, Lescolton recommends using the IPL hair removal device once a week for 4 to 12 weeks, followed by maintenance every 1 to 2 months. Taking things into your own hands also removes any embarrassment you may feel when trying to make small talk with strangers treating your bikini area.