Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is a non-invasive gentle way to erase damage inflicted on your skin from sun, aging and biological factors.

Permanent Hair Reduction
With the ever-increasing popularity of lntense Pulsed Light (IPL) hair removal, the ability to offer unsurpassed results to the greatest variety of patients is crucial. Excel Photonix manufacturers of Pulsar have led the way in making effective hair removal a mainstay of leading aesthetic practices.

We pride ourselves in providing a treatment regime which results in long-lasting IPL hair removal. In fact, Pulsar technology has been proven to:

Provide permanent hair reduction.
Effectively treat virtually all hair colours and hair textures, from blonde to black, and coarse to fine .
Remove hair from all skin types (Fitzpatrick Skin Types I - VI). Even tanned and dark-skinned patients can be treated with confidence.
Quickly and efficiently eliminate hair from all parts of the body, no matter how deep the follicles reside or how large or small the area. This includes sensitive areas like the lip, under the arms, and around the bikini line, as well as large areas like a man's back or a pair of woman's legs.
Perform successful hair removal with minimal patient discomfort, side effects or interruption of routine activities.
Expand aesthetic services by offering comprehensive, clinically proven IPL hair removal treatments, individually or in conjunction with other cosmetic procedures.

Pulsar IPL Hair Removal Facts - Questions & Answers

How does the system work?

The energy from the light source is taken up by the pigments (melanin and Haemoglobin) in the skin, hairs and blood vessels. Selective filtration makes the energy uptake specific for melanin (600 to 950 nanometres) or haemoglobin (530 to 950 nanometres); thus the system can be used for hair removal, vascular lesions and pigmented lesions.

Pulsar IPL Hair removal is accomplished by the generation of heat from light in the melanin which is then transferred to the hair follicle (root).

Pulse times of this applied light have been chosen to destroy the hair follicle by heating for at least 1millisecond (one thousandth of a second) to 70 degrees centigrade.

Why is Gel used?

It is necessary to apply a thin layer of gel to the skin prior to treatment to assure an optimal optical transmission of light from the applicator to the skin.

How is the treatment carried out?

The Applicator (hand piece) is placed in contact with the skin surface and the light pulsed through it onto the skin. The applicator is then moved to the neighbouring area and the process is repeated.

Who can be treated?

IPL Hair removal:

Dark hairs are most easily treated due to the large concentration of dark melanin in these, which gives maximum absorption and conversion of light energy to heat. Very fair hair has less melanin and consequently less heat is produced making it slightly less certain of permanent destruction of the hair follicles. Grey (white) hair has almost no melanin and cannot be efficiently treated. The upper skin layer, of the epidermis, also contains melanin and the concentration increases when the skin is exposed to UV light. It is therefore necessary to treat dark skinned and tanned individuals with less energy to avoid generation of excess heat and pain in the skin. The Pulsar computer has pre-programmed treatment suggestions for different hair and pigment types.

Does it hurt?

As the light energy is absorbed by the pigments (melanin and haemoglobin), the pain depends upon the concentration of melanin in the epidermis and the hairs combined. Consequently it hurts more in dark skinned people and those with dense, dark hairs. No anaesthesia is required and most patients describe the pain as moderate and acceptable (as if a rubber band is snapped against the skin).

Does the patient need to shave prior to treatment?

Hairs should be 1 to 2mm long when the patient comes in for treatment so it is possible to mark out the treatment area. Long hairs take up the energy and prevent all of it reaching the hair follicle. Therefore hair is trimmed just before treatment for maximum transmission of the energy. If the hair is normally shaved and can be seen when shaven then patients can shave right up to the day of treatment although plucking and bleaching should not be done. By avoiding epilation and waxing 4 weeks before treatment it ensures as many follicles as possible contain a hair and thus can be destroyed by the light.

Why do hairs 'grow' after treatment?

Contrary to other treatments, hairs are not vaporised by the Pulsar treatment the hair follicles are killed by the heat but the hairs remain in the skin and often become attached to the epidermis. They will fall out after 1 to 3 weeks as the epidermis is renewed. During this period it will seem that the hairs are growing as they are pushed out by the epidermis.

How can you tell if the treatment has worked?

After treatment the hairs are often loose within the follicle and can easily be pulled out with tweezers. A red ring around each follicle is often seen a few minutes after treatment. These two things are good indications that sufficient heating of the follicles has taken place.

Unfortunately they are not always seen and we have seen many patients with successful treatment results without the post-treatment signs.

What are the side effects?

The visible light is completely safe so no special precautions are needed apart from glasses for the brightness. The skin of some patients becomes quite red immediately after treatment and very rarely small blisters as from excessive sun exposure can occur. However, most patients experience no side effects at all and the described skin reactions above usually disappear within hours to a few days.
Unlike electrolysis the Pulsar treatment is non-invasive.

How many treatments are necessary?

Only hair in the growth phase can be treated. The number of hairs in this phase varies from 10 to 70% depending on the body site. The lengths of the growth cycles also vary. For most patients up to four treatments is enough with two to three months interval are sufficient to remove virtually all hairs. After the first treatment most patients get a significant reduction in hair density also new grown hairs tend to become finer. It is important to know that the first treatment is believed to synchronise the anagen (growth) phase of the non-anagen hairs.

This may cause what seems to be regrowth but which is actually just the sleeping hairs starting to grow at the same time (new growth). This in turn makes the next treatment(s) more effective.

How do I prepare for treatment?

Patients should avoid tanning 1 month ahead of and during the entire treatment scenario to avoid excessive discomfort from excessive light absorption in the epidermis.

Immediately after the treatment the skin is particularly sensitive to UV light and strong sunlight should be avoided for 4-5 days.

How long does treatment take?

The facial treatment usually takes 10 minutes whereas both legs or an entire back use to take approximately 1.5 to 2 hours using our new 22sqcm head this is now achieved in around 20min.

Is it permanent?

Most authorities would agree that using current laser and light technology it is possible to permanently remove hair. Histology studies have found destroyed and denatured hair follicle cells post treatment