How should I prepare my skin for Intense Pulsed Light hair removal?
Ensure your skin is clean. Intense Pulsed Light hair removal is most effective on pale skin. Sunbathing, use of sun beds and fake tanning should NOT be undertaken for three weeks before treatment.
How should I prepare the hairs for Intense Pulsed Light hair removal?
Shave the area to be treated. Minimising the length of the hair enables the light energy to go directly to the hair root and avoids hair burning on the surface of the skin.
What areas can I treat?
Most body hair can be removed using Intense Pulsed Light Hair Remover - the most common areas are underarms, legs, chest, back and bikini line. Intense Pulsed Light treatment is not suitable for use on the face.
What does it feel like?
Most people experience a warming of the skin. Slight irritation similar to that of a minor sunburn may be felt if used on too high a power level, or if the area has not been shaved. Men undergoing the procedure experience greater discomfort as male body hair is generally thicker than women, however the sensation quickly disappears.
Can I use the Intense Pulsed Light Hair Remover on sensitive skin?
Yes, the Intense Pulsed Light Hair Remover reacts with the hair, so the surrounding skin should not be affected.
How will my skin appear after treatment?
Usually there will be no perceptible change. A slight redness after treatment may occur, but will normally fade over 24 hours. There may be some localised redness around the hair follicle - this is quite normal. However, if any redness or inflammation remains after 24 hours this would indicate you have selected too high a power level for your skin type.
After Intense Pulsed Light hair removal is there anything to avoid?
Sun exposure or deep tanning should be avoided for at least 48 hours. Ensure natural or fake tans have completely faded before further treatments. If the skin is exposed use a sunscreen. Also avoid using abrasive cleansers or skin peeling treatments. Avoid swimming in chlorinated water or using a hot tub for 48 hours. The chlorine in the water can result in itchiness.
How often should I repeat IPL hair removal treatment?
The timing for follow on treatments is not critical. We initially recommend treatments at 2 week intervals, although some people like to treat the area every week and others just once a month depending on personal preference and on where the treatment area is. As long as the hair follicle or surrounding skin is not red, sore or inflamed, treatment can be repeated after a minimum of 48 hours. Choose a time which is convenient for you. Avoid excessive treatment on the same region at one time. This may cause reddening and swelling. To maintain hair free skin and to ensure disabled hair follicles remain dormant, repeat the treatment every 4 to 6 weeks or as required.
Is there any aftercare routine I should follow?
If you wish, you can apply an unperfumed soothing lotion, an ice pack or wet towel to cool the treated areas, though we recommend not using soap on the treated areas for 24 hours. Take care to keep the treated area particularly clean for 3 days. When treating the underarms, avoid using antiperspirant deodorant for 2-3 days. Avoid unnecessary sun exposure for 48 hours.
How many treatments are required?
Everyones hair grows differently, depending on age, weight, metabolism, hormones, ethnicity, medications and other factors. However, all hair goes through three distinct growth phases: Active Growth phase (called the anagen phase), Degradation phase (catagen phase), during which the hair stops growing but is not yet shed, and the Resting phase (telogen phase),when a hair falls out and a new hair begins to form.
IPL treatment is effective when the hair is in the active growth phase. At any one time there is only a percentage of hairs in the Active Growth phase (the actual percentage varies from one body area to another). Some follicles are destroyed, others may be reduced to producing only vellus hairs (light fine hairs) and some are disabled helping prevent hair regrowth.
To catch all hairs in the Active growth phase several treatments are required over many months (a minimum of six over six months). Thereafter a quick treatment every 4 to 6 weeks is undertaken to ensure disabled hairs remain dormant and to maintain permanently hair free skin.
Can I use other hair removal methods between treatments?
Because Intense Pulsed Light treatment needs a hair to be present in the follicle, hair removal methods which pluck the hair, such as waxing, epilators and tweezing are NOT suitable for use between treatments. Bleaching hairs is also NOT suitable as it removes the pigment and renders Intense Pulsed Light treatment ineffective. Shaving, micro-dermabrasion discs and cream depilatories are ideal for use between treatments.
What is the difference between Intense Pulsed Light hair remover and a laser?
There are two big differences between Lasers and the Intense Pulsed Light Hair Remover. Generally Intense Pulsed Light Hair Remover covers a much larger area than the relatively small treatment spot with lasers and therefore treatments of larger areas are much quicker. The other difference is the wavelength of light produced. Lasers produce light with a specific wavelength whilst IPL uses a broad spectrum of wavelengths. This limits Intense Pulsed Light Hair Remover to specific skin types.
How big is the treatment area?
35mm x 14mm
Why is it important to shave?
It is important that any area being treated is shaved so all the light energy is directed straight to the hair root for maximum effect. This also prevents burning of the hair above the skin surface which can be uncomfortable.
What safety features does it have?
The main safety feature regulates the power level, so that it can only be increased by 1 step per treatment, starting from power level 1. This reduces the risk of using too high a power level. Power can be decreased in as many steps as required. Other safety features include:
- A keylock
- A security code to prevent misuse.
- Skin sensors on the wand to ensure Intense Pulsed Light Hair Remover treatment only occurs when good contact is made with the skin.
- A bright orange blink safety light which will cause a blink reaction if pointed directly at the eye.
- A UV filter in the IPL aperture to avoid the risk of damaging UV light.
- Over temperature detection.
Are there any side effects?
As with all hair removers which use light energy, there may be slight reddening of the skin after use or lightening of the skin in patches. They should both disappear within 24 hours.
Where can I buy a replacement bulb?
A Replacement treatment cartridge with high performance quartz bulb for up to 10,000 treatment flashes can be purchased via the our ebay shop.
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