I’m getting confused with the difference between IPL and laser hair removal methods. Is one better than the other? Is one more affective? I’m finding a lot of conflicting information. I had some laser sessions a few years ago and it did nothing for me. I’m a type 2 skin type with dark coarse dense hair. I’m going to try again and I’m finding that most places are using IPL now…any advice???
Thanks!
IPL is not as effective. Some clinics will even advertise an IPL as laser hair removal.
Laser hair removal is more effective. A laser is an actual laser, while IPL is like a high powered flash lamp. They are more common because they are cheaper than a true laser.
The information only seems conflicting when you’re talking to clinics who only have an IPL machine. Everyone’s going to tell you what THEY have is best. They’re in the business of making money. That’s why forums like this exist where people who get nothing from offering you advice dispell the myths.
For your skin type, an alexandrite laser like GentleLASE or Apogee is best. You can read our FAQs for detailed explanation. You can also read the “how to find a clinic near you” sticky posts with links on how to find clinics with these machines.
Reading the FAQs is important. Not all true lasers are great and not everyone who operates them knows what they’re doing. If you want to get results this time around, please make sure to read them and do enough research to figure out which clinic is actually knowledgeable. You can also run a search here for your city or state and see if there are recommendations mentioned in your area.
Btw, let us know what area you’re looking to treat and what laser and settings were used last time if you know them.
I’m looking to treat my chin. I’ve treated that area in the past as well as my legs and bikini line. It’s been about 5 years since my treatment and it just didn’t work. The area reddened, the hair fell out (well literally looked like it was being pushed out! lol) but it just came back within weeks. Not sure of the laser type or settings used though. Hormonal levels are all fine, ruled to be heredity. Looks like I just have sensitive hair follicles to hormonr fluctuations. I’m starting to take spironolactone again before I recieve treatments again to see if that may help.
Chin hair is common. You are going to need multiple treatments to destroy the existing hair. But the laser cannot stop new hairs from growing in the future.
Electrolysis may be better suited for your needs.
How so? What is the difference?
Is there a reason as to why you are not considering electrolysis? Laser and IPL is may be a good choice for some situations, but electrolysis can work for ALL hair structures and colors, on any color of skin with assured permanency. You’ve spent a lot of time and money going nowhere.
Mainly because I’m nervous to get electrolysis. I was under the impression that both laser and electrolysis had the same success rate but electrolysis seemed slower, more painful and more chance of scarring and infection. Correct me if I’m wrong, cause I’d love to do something that’ll actually be permenant. Is there such a thing?
Your impressions on electrolysis comes from two things that you can’t help as a consumer:
I defy anyone to show me a news article in OPRAH, Glamour,and other frilly magazines that don’t describe electrolysis as painful, tedious, infectiuos and scarring. This is always how electrolysis is described as oppossed to laser hair reduction or temporary methods. Laser manufacturers are guilty of this as well because they have product to sell and need to clobber electrolysis over the head because it is still the gold standard of hair removal.
The media is responsible, as ususal for spreading half-truths or no truth.
I can’t boast about and defend every electrologist that is presently working. Some are pretty awful and fufill those descriptions in magazines and by laser reps who always purport electrolysis as being painful, tedious, etc. We electrologists are not all on the same page as far as training, continuing education, office hygiene, skill and
the use of surgical magnification with the best computerized epilators available today. Some offices are backwards and stuck in the dark ages and they like it that way.
So with that information in mind, if you are serious about getting this hair removed permanently, the best thing you can do is to start calling around to get consults so you can check out the local talent.
ELECTROLYSIS IS PERMANENT HAIR REMOVAL. Yes, there is actually such a thing. You have to hire someone with much thought as to what a good electrolysis office set-up it like, get sample treatments, watch the healing reaction and be patient because you need to get through those hair cycles. Hair growth cycles can be very frustrating, so know that going in and adjust.
LASER IS PERMANENT HAIR REDUCTION. It does not and cannot meet the needs of every person wanting hair removal. Only electrolysis can offer you permanent hair removal for every color of hair, any structure of hair on any color of skin.
Where do you live? Maybe we can offer some places where you can start off your consultation process.
Dee
Thanks for all the info Dee, greatly appreciated. I’m located in Canada, do you deal with any Canadian clinics/offices?
Okay. We’re getting closer to solving your hair problem. Canada is a big, beautiful country. Can you narrow this down to a city that is close to you?
I have no dealings with Canadian or American clinics or offices. We rely on feedback from consumers on hairtell and we have some information here on hairtell that may be useful for you. You can do a search and see what pops up. Since I’m at my office now I don’t have any references to pass on, but will do that tonight
Dee
Laser only works on dark coarse dense hair and at right settings with a good laser. How many hairs would you say you have? What’s the structure of the hair? How many treatments did you have?
Bikini and underarms get some of the best results. If you had the 6-8 required treamtents, you should have gotten good results if the hair is coarse there. If you didn’t, something was wrong, i.e. wrong laser, inappropriate settings, etc. Without more information, it’s hard to pinpoint what it was in your particular situation
Electrolysis is great in good hands just like laser. Don’t let laser ads convince you otherwise. They have a product to sell. However, they’re not really substitutes. Laser only works on dark coarse dense hair. For everything else, electrolysis is needed in all cases regardless. If you have under 100-300 hairs on your chin, electrolysis is probably a better solution even if the hair is coarse because this area can experience induced growth if laser touches areas with no hair or fine hair around.
There are plenty of electrologists in Canada. We can’t provide recommendations without a specific location. You’ll find lots of Canadians on this forum though getting great results. Run a search.
For your bikini and legs, laser is probably still the best option because the hair is usually coarse and dense. However, you need to start by reading the FAQs at the link below to figure out how to find a clinic who knows what they’re doing. There are many clinics around who don’t. So you need to do your own research to get results and be able to judge what clinic is best for your needs.
After laser treatment and the hair begins shredding is the hair follicle the hair falls out of is that particular follicle PERMANENTLY dead ? I thought I knew the answer to this question but i’ve been getting contradictory answers.
thanks
It depends. Hair can only be killed in the anagen phase of growth, so if the settings are strong enough, hair in that phase will be killed. However, at any given point, you have hair in other phases that will also fall out AND they could be using settings that are high enough to cause shedding, but not high enough to actually kill the hair. Which is why we recommend using high settings from the start.
Sorry for the delay in my response Dee, I’m located in Halifax, NS.
Nova Scotia?? Hmmn. Can anyone help on this one?
If we can’t help here, then you will have to go on the hunt and visit every electrologist you can in your locale (hopefully there are some) and then decide who is best. I know this is hard to do and we’d rather have someone tell us whose the best to save time and effort. Let us know if you find someone you like. Okay?
Dee
Take a look ont he electrolyosis forum on this site. There is a sticky post on how to find an electrologist near you. Then call around and start sampling treatments.
lagirl, If an electrologist or laser practitioner is unwilling to give a free sample or even a free consultation should a customer automatically cross them off a list. I know the places around me charge $60-$100 for consultations and they’ve all said they never even heard of a free sample treatment.
After what I saw today, I will, from this day forward, strongly urge my clients to insist on a sample treatment before they plop down $3,200 for laser. Even though I am an electrologist that does not do laser, I do assist clients with their ambitions to have certain areas lased, like the underarms and bikini area. I have such a client that I see for facial hair, of mediteranean descent, and directed her to go to someone who has a GentleYag laser (Candela) as she desired to have her underarms and bikini area treated. She had her first treatment 2 weeks ago. She came to me today (for electrolysis on her face) with polka dots all over her arms, underarms and bikini areas. Something went wrong, obviously. She is very upset as she was going somewhere warm for Thanksgiving, but cannot wear a swimsuit now with all these dime-size circles on three areas. I’m hopeful she will work it out and get her money back as that was only her first session and she does not intend to continue.
If she had insisted on a smaller, non-conspicuous area being treated in the consultation, it would have been better for the place of business as they wouldn’t have an upset client and the client could have better coped with a smaller area of polka dots as oppossed to many areas of polka dots.
So, get a sample treatment. The laser experts would probably disagree, but this case makes me think, why not do this? This young lady was very upset and she did everthing she could do to ensure she was in the hands of experts with the best laser for her skin color.
Sixty to one hundred dollars for a consultation? We electrologists are just too kind (or stupid) - most of us charge nothing for an hour consultation complete with a sample treatment.
Coolness, are you saying that electrologists or laser practioners are charging this much for a consultation?? Are they both doing this? Are you located in the United States?
There are some places who charges for consultations. I can’t tell you what to do, but I crossed all of those off my list when I was looking. However, I did have plenty of options since I’m in a large metropolitan area. I should say that I never got a test spot done myself, but I’m a type II/III skin and pretty pale and never tanned, so it wasn’t really an issue for me to know whether I could handle the settings. This is more important for type IV and darker like Dee’s client mentioned above.
In my opinion, I think the clinic should be able to spend 20 mins with you for free educating you on the procedure and testing your skin before taking a sum of money from you and promising you things. It’s just a good way to do business. LHR isn’t one of those things where things don’t vary depending on the person and their specific skin, so I wouldn’t want to be treated as just a number.
Dee, it sounds like your client got pigmentation. So settings weren’t properly set. And yes, a spot test could have helped here.