What is IPL hair removal? Everything you need to know

This article will help you understand the ins and outs of IPL treatment, providing you with everything you need to know to make an informed decision about whether or not home IPL hair removal is the right solution for you.

How does IPL work?

IPL uses an intense flash lamp to emit scattered wavelengths of light across the surface of the skin. Imagine a big, bright flashlight repeatedly pulsing over an area, zapping the melanin in each hair shaft, causing it to heat up. Especially in the growth phase, this heat harms the follicle, slowing down or even completely arresting growth. Over several sessions, you can safely disable enough follicles to reduce hair growth in the treated area.

How Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) disrupts hair growth in 3 steps

1. The user shines bursts of IPL light onto the skin, causing the melanin in the hair shaft to heat up.
2. The absorbed light causes the hair follicle to heat up, dissipating heat down the shaft into the follicle.
3. With the right setting and usage, the follicle is heated to a temperature that disrupts or even permanently stops growth, leading to a gradual decrease in body hair. Depending on several factors, the effect may be permanent or temporary.

How is IPL different from laser hair removal?

Both IPL and laser hair removal rely on concentrated light energy to harm body hair follicles, slowing down or arresting hair growth. The primary difference lies in the type of light used: IPL uses a broad-spectrum wavelength light that covers a broad section of skin with each pulse, almost appearing as a camera flash on the skin, whereas Laser Hair Removal (LHR) devices shoot concentrated single-wavelength beams covering a small surface area with pinpoint precision. Both have their own sets of advantages, disadvantages, and specific use cases.

*Treatment frequency and the total number of treatments depend on several factors and may vary significantly between individuals. The gap between treatment sessions might vary between home and salon-level equipment.

Whether using IPL or LHR, it’s important to heat the follicle to a critical temperature while not heating up the surrounding skin to a degree that would cause significant discomfort or blistering. This is achieved by controlling the light intensity on the respective devices.

Benefits of IPL

On top of long-term hair reduction, IPL's versatility makes it a valuable addition to the beautician's arsenal. It’s used to treat a variety of skin conditions, including pigmentation, sunspots, acne, and wrinkles. It’s non-invasive, covers more skin in a single pulse than a traditional hair removal laser, and many users find it less painful when compared to laser, waxing or epilating. Oh, and the convenience of using it in the privacy of your own home? Priceless.

What areas of the body can be treated with IPL?

Another major benefit of IPL is that most devices offer varying levels of intensity, meaning you can safely and effectively remove body hair from your:

• Arms
• Underarms
• Legs
• Bikini line
• Face (below the cheekbones)
• Back
• Chest
• Stomach

Areas not recommended for IPL

We strongly recommend avoiding using IPL around the eyes and intimate areas. Do not use it on large moles, birthmarks, or tattoos. For more information on using IPS safely, scroll down to the FAQ section on our Bondi Body V2 Laser page.

Who should or shouldn't use IPL

Skin tone and hair colour compatibility

Both men and women can benefit from IPL; however, as with all forms of hair reduction that rely on light or lasers, there is a skin tone and hair colour chart to consider. The ideal candidates for IPL have fair skin and dark hair. Fair skin reflects excess light while dark skin absorbs a higher percentage, possibly leading to discomfort. For the same reason, IPL works better on darker hair—the increased amount of melanin absorbs more light (heat), making treatment more effective.

For a full breakdown of how skin tone and hair colour affect IPL outcomes, visit our Hair and Skin Tone Chart. If you’re still unsure whether or not IPL is right for you, please Contact Us.

Health considerations and limitations

Bondi Body recommends having a conversation with your dermatologist before using IPL or laser beauty treatment.

Don’t use IPL or laser if you:

• Are pregnant or breastfeeding
• Have any active implants
• Are under the age of 16
• Are taking any immunosuppressive medications
• Have had surgery in the past 90 days in the area to be treated
• Have had radiation/chemotherapy within the past 12 months
• Have sunburn, recently tanned, or used fake tan products
• Do not use IPL on tattoos, permanent make-up, warts, dark veins, scars, and skin anomalies.

IPL at home

Investing in an IPL at-home laser is a beauty no-brainer if you’re looking for salon-quality hair reduction at a fraction of the price and the convenience of on-demand body hair management—no more last-minute waxing appointments and pre-holiday razor rash.

But how to choose the most effective option in a market with so many options? It’s simple: let the biggest beauty brands do the talking. The Bondi Body V2 Laser was voted the best laser hair reduction device for comfort by British Vogue, while the gold standard of consumer research, the Good Housekeeping Institute, ranked it as the best IPL hair reduction device. Here’s why…

The Bondi Body V2 significantly outperforms its competitors when it comes to output, virtually putting it in a class of its own. It’s a salon-grade device you can use at home. We’re so confident that you’ll see the results you’re looking for that we offer a 50-day money-back guarantee and a one-year warranty in the unlikely event of device failure.

Its 8 intensity settings ensure painless, zero-recovery results (no more razor rash, thank you very much) and 2 modes, manual firing or automatically firing every 3 seconds, allowing you to easily target individual or groups of hair.

Reach out to us if you have any questions about the Bondi Body V2 Laser or would like to arrange a demonstration.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Home IPL Results

1. Use your device in the evening - Your skin might be more sensitive to UV light immediately after treatment. Allow the sensitivity and any redness to subside overnight.
2. Prepare your skin correctly - IPL produces its best results on cool and dry skin. Avoid taking a hot shower or bath and applying creams or moisturisers before treatment.
3. Shave before treatment - This ensures minimal IPL light energy is wasted heating surface hair and that the right amount of heat is generated in the follicle for maximum efficiency.