IPL Hair Removal

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)

Mainly used for hair removal and photorejuvenation.

Usually based on a cooled Xenon flashlamp which produces a high intensity pulse of bright white light which can be filtered to obtain the necessary wavelengths.

Wavelengths can be adjusted through the use of filters (or handpieces) to provide different treatments:-

Hair Removal 295 - 350nm

Acne Treatments 400-1100nm

Skin Rejuvenation 400 - 1200nm

IPL handpieces have a large treatment area commonly 5cm x 1cm

Pulse repitition rate - Within the range 5-100ms. Modern IPL machines tend to use pulse trains as there is less chance of burns ie. the skin is allowed to cool before the next pulse. Between pulses the skin cools down quickly but the hair remains hot.

Fluence is a major consideration with large spot systems as the larger the spot size the lower the fluence ie. energy density is less over a larger area therefore the energy rating of an IPL machine will need to be higher.