LASER v’s IPL (Intense Pulse Light):

CleanSkins Laser Clinic uses a laser for the same reason that surgeons only use lasers in surgery.  Lasers are precise medical devices designed to perform specific tasks unlike IPL’s.  A hair removal clinic that has an IPL device will tell you that IPL’s are more effective than lasers and visa versa for a laser hair removal clinic.

The most important consideration when choosing your hair removal clinic is the quality of the hair removal device and their staff

  • IPL, SPL or similar light based devices are not true lasers.  In summary lasers use specific wavelengths of light (one true colour) to target individual problems whereas IPL’s use a broad spectrum of light that has a large band of wavelengths (several different colours) which target a number of problems simultaneously.  When the correct hair removal laser wavelength is used, 100% of the beam will target melanin in the hair follicles.  With IPL type devices only a percentage of the colours emitted in the broad spectrum of light can effectively target melanin in the hair follicles. For example, different lasers using different wavelengths specifically target individual problems whereas IPL’s deliver energy to the specific target as well as unintended targets making them less effective at each given task than the laser designed specifically for each task.
  • IPL type devices are not collimated, i.e. quick to spread out minimising the effectiveness of each treatment.  Laser light is collimated, meaning slow to spread out resulting in concentrated, more effective treatments.
  • IPL devices are by far cheaper to purchase than genuine lasers which can result in cheaper treatment prices for the client. However as IPL type devices provide less targeted treatments clients can require more treatments than they would if they were treated by a genuine hair removal laser.  When the cost of IPL is compared to lasers the costs may initially be lower; however if IPL’s require clients to have more treatments, lasers are by far the cheapest form of hair removal in the long run.

Below are links to two clinical papers comparing hair removal lasers to IPL devices;

  • IPL devices have resulted in increased frequency of complications in Clinical trails and offered overall inferior results when compared to laser hair reduction. Ref: Phillip L. Bailin, M.D., F.A.C.P. Chairman, Department of Dermatology Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Clinical Study comparing the effectiveness of LASER versus IPL type devices in the treatment of hair reduction have shown that Candela’s Alexandrite 755nm Laser is more effective in the long-term reduction of hair. LASER vs IPL