Intense Pulsed Light Hair Removal

I had Intense Pulsed Light hair removal (IPL) done a number of times for excess hair on my back but I'm not sure I got permanent hair removal as the hair has grown back. I stopped doing the treatment as a result and wonder if I should have stuck with it?

I have gone back to waxing and while not as permanent as Intense Pulsed Light hair removal, it's certainly a lot cheaper.

Response from Carl: Like you, I've tried both Intense Pulsed Light hair removal and waxing too. The thing with IPL though is that it can take numerous treatments before you really notice a difference. It really depends on how much hair you have to be removed.

Also the color of your skin and hair (light skin and dark colored hair tends to yield the best results) and the skill of the IPL practitioner can impact your results too.

Finally, your schedule of treatment can impact the results too. When I first started going for Intense Pulsed Light hair removal, I would usually have one treatment per month so that when I went back after 4-6 weeks for my next appointment, the hair was just starting to grow back. The IPL practitioner was trying to ensure that they were catching the hairs in the growth phase to zap them as they were growing and were visible above the skin.

Remember too that IPL tends to offer permanent hair reduction, not permanent hair removal. Remember too that hair grows in cycles so perhaps it isn't old hair regrowing after treatment but new hairs that were dormant during the IPL treatment that are now growing.

My Intense Pulsed Light hair removal treatments were a successfully albeit time consuming and expensive option. I believe I did achieve permanent hair reduction...I guess I'll see over time how permanent the results really are.

Carl