DepiCool UK – Blog

Hair removal and permanent hair reduction with Lasers has been around since the early 1960´s when the first cosmetic laser technology was born.  But it wasn’t until 1995 that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved the first lasers for hair removal; this was the Nd:YAG laser.

Laser technology, despite common belief, offers exactly the same results as Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) just with a slightly different process, and IPL is said to be less painful technique and in fact can treat more skin types.

Another common misconception is that Laser Hair Removal is a permanent hair “removal” method for eliminating unwanted body hair. In actual fact the Nd:YAG product was inaccurately marketed as a permanent hair “removal” device.

The FDA has only approved one method of permanent hair “removal” which is Electrolysis.  Both Laser and IPL are methods of permanent hair reduction, offering a permanent reduction of between 80-90% of hair in the treated body zone.  The remaining hair that is left will be more brittle, thinner and prone to breaking away, but both methods are classed as permanent “reduction” methods.

Today there are more options other than laser hair removal and reduction available to the general consumer all of which have built and improved upon the initial development of the first laser technology.

Because lasers are one of the products that were invented for hair removal, most people have heard of this method over other methods, and the initial misconception of laser hair “removal” is another reason why the public have become confused at the difference and definition of the laser technique.

Simply because the laser method has been around though for a longer period of time, does not make laser hair reduction the most suitable, popular or indeed efficient method of treatment for you hair removal needs.

Since laser hair removal has been established there have been other numerous technologies evolve, all developing to offer a better result and widen the skin suitability and ultimately open the treatment to access for more clients.

IPL as we have previously discussed, not only can treat more skin types (1-5 of the 6 phototypes, compared to the four you can treat with laser), is more cost-effective compared to laser and electrolysis and is covers a larger surface area during treatment compared to lasers, so therefore taking a shorter time to perform the treatment, this is because generally IPL treatment “heads” are up to 8 times larger than the small spot produced by lasers.

IPL also uses a much broader spectrum of light than laser. Thus IPL is suitable for a wider range of hair colours and skin types than laser. The broad spectrum of IPL light also results in the light penetrating skin across a wider range of depths resulting in a greater number of hair follicles being treated: thus demonstrating the advance over the original laser method.

So despite “laser hair removal” being one of the more well known techniques, it is in fact a more antiquated method and there are options out there which may be more suitable for your individual hair removal needs.

In other words, the best way to ensure you come out looking your hair-free best: is to simply research your chosen hair removal method well in advance, and look into individual factors that could influence your results, such as skin tone.  As we have already explored, IPL treats more skin phototypes than lasers for example.

All qualified therapists and salons would be able to talk to you about your individual needs, and at DepiCool we offer all clients a FREE patch test prior to commencing treatment.  Demonstrating we are a provider committed to customer service and highly experienced to perform your treatment.  One way to differentiate these providers is to ensure that they are approved and registered by the correct governing body and use high specification technology, like ourselves.  Ensuring all of these things will mean that you have a successful and well defined outcome to your treatment!


Author: Lauren Taylor – DepiCool UK