The IPL Hair Removal Process

Before starting the treatment, the IPL practitioner who operates the machine trims the hair to be treated so that it is barely visible above the skin.

Alternatively they might ask you to shave the hair to be treated yourself several days before your treatment so that by the time your treatment takes place, the hair has regrown just above the skin.

The longer the hair, the more the energy from the IPL system has to travel down the shaft of the hair to the root so it's necessary to have the hair cut short.

Before IPL treatment, your practitioner will cover the skin to be treated with a cooling gel and will then use a handheld device held up against your skin to deliver the treatment with pulses of light.

My practitioner had me wear a pair of dark protective glasses during treatment to protect my eyes, too.

The handheld device has a flat surface and is about the size of an upholstery brush that you'd vacuum your couch with so it can cover a decent size of skin at one time. Hopefully that gives you an idea of the size of the device!

Depending on the density of hair that you are having treated, the system can treat hundreds of hairs simultaneously so in that regard it is certainly more time effective than electrolysis which requires each hair to be treated individually!

My Experience
Check out this link to learn more about my experience with IPL to see how I found this form of hair removal in terms of its effectiveness and the side effects I noticed.