Intense Pulsed Light (IPL), as most commonly employed by non-specialist
medical practitioners and beauticians, is a method of hair removal from
the body involving the use of a specially constructed xenon flash lamp
and focusing optics.

IPL technology is also employed in the treatment of medical disorders of
the skin including sun damage induced dyspigmentation and vascular
changes; poikiloderma of civatte; acne rosacea; broken
capillaries/telangiectases; vascular and pigmented birth marks. Such
treatment is best administered by a specialist dermatologist. This new
technology incorporates ‘dual mode filtering’ and other important
advances which result in safer and more effective treatment than the
older systems; which were initially designed for simple processes such
as hair removal.

Hair removal mechanics: The focused, broad spectrum light is applied to
the surface of the skin by way of either a hand-held wand, or by an
articulated arm. The intense light travels through the tissue of the
skin until it strikes the hair shafts or the bulb (root) of the hair.
The bulb is usually where the highest concentration of melanin is
located, as opposed to the rest of the hair shaft.

When the light strikes the dark-colored melanin, the light is converted
to heat energy. The bulb and most of the hair shaft is instantly
vaporized. The intense heat radiated by the hair also destroys the
hair-producing papilla or the entire hair follicle. It is also claimed
that direct light-heat conversion occurs directly in the darker colored
capilaries that bring nourishing blood to the follicle.

The pulses of light produced by IPL equipment are very short in
duration, so discomfort and damage to non-target tissues is minor. Most
people who undergo IPL epilation only experience slight irritation
similar to that of a minor sunburn though under certain circumstances,
blisters may occur. The light that emanates from the IPL wand is
filtered to remove any ultraviolet components, eliminating the
possibility of UV skin damage.

The IPL hair removal process has become very popular due to the
relatively low cost and rapidity of the procedure. IPL compares very
favourably to laser hair removal, which is often more costly and time
consumptive. The comparison of effectiveness between IPL and laser
epilation is debated by scientists, equipment manufacturers and
practitioners but is generally accepted to be equivalent. IPL is
generally advertised as “permanent hair reduction” as opposed to
“permanent hair removal” (this is a misnomer when applied to laser or
IPL hair removal).