IPL Laser Hair Removal | Smooth Skin in London

IPL Laser Hair Removal

IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light technology. London Body centre IPL hair removal devices apply very gentle pulses of light to the hair root. This makes the hair go into its resting phase: the hair you have falls out, and gradually your body grows less hair in that area.

Laser Hair Removal

IPL stands for intense pulsed light. It’s a type of light therapy used to treat wrinkles, spots, and unwanted hair.

You can use IPL not only for lasering away unwanted hair but also to minimize or remove:

age spots

sun damage

freckles

birthmarks

varicose veins

broken blood vessels on your face

rosacea

hair on your face, neck, back, chest, legs, underarms, or bikini line

How Does It Work?

IPL is similar to a laser treatment. However, a laser focuses just one wavelength of light at your skin, while IPL releases light of many different wavelengths, like a photo flash.

The light from IPL is more scattered and less focused than a laser. IPL penetrates down to the second layer of your skin (dermis) without harming the top layer (epidermis), so it causes less damage to your skin.

Pigment cells in your skin absorb the light energy, which is converted into heat. The heat destroys the unwanted pigment to clear up freckles and other spots. Or, it destroys the hair follicle to prevent the hair from growing again.

You can use IPL anywhere on your body, but it may not work as well on uneven areas. It isn’t recommended for people who tend to get thick, raised keloid scars or who have darker skin tones. It’s also not as effective on light-colored hair as it is on darker hair.

Before the Laser Hair Removal Treatment

Before your IPL procedure, your skin care specialist will examine your skin and let you know what to expect. Let them know if you have any skin conditions that might affect healing after your treatment, such as inflammatory acne or eczema.

You will be asked to complete a Fitzpatrick skin typing form as well as a medical history form before we even book the patch test and consultation.

Your skin care specialist may recommend that you avoid certain activities, medications, and other products for two weeks prior your procedure.

You should avoid

direct sunlight

tanning beds

waxing

chemical peels

collagen injections

drugs that increase your bleeding risk, such as aspirin (Ecotrin) and ibuprofen (Advil)

creams or other products that contain vitamin A, such as RetinA, or glycolic acid

During the Laser Tattoo Hair Treatment

Before your IPL procedure, your skin care specialist will examine your skin and let

Your skin care specialist first cleans the area that’s being treated. Then they rub a cool gel onto your skin. Then, they apply light pulses from the IPL device to your skin. During your treatment, you’ll need to wear dark glasses to protect your eyes.

The pulses might sting your skin. Some people liken the feeling to being snapped with a rubber band.

Depending on which part of your body is being treated and how large the area is, the treatment should take 20 to 30 minutes.

To get the results you want, you may need to have 6-20 treatments. Those treatments should be spaced about 2 weeks to one month apart to let your skin heal in between. Hair removal requires 6 to 20 treatments.

After the Laser Hair Removal Treatment

You should be able to go right back to your regular activities. The treated area of skin will be red and sensitive for a few hours, as if you got sunburned. Your skin may be slightly swollen, too. Your skin will continue to be sensitive for a couple of days after the procedure. You may need to avoid using hot water on it until your skin heals.

IPL Laser Hair Removal | Smooth Skin in London

Achieve smooth, hair-free skin with IPL Laser Hair Removal at London Body Centre. Safe and effective! Book your session today.

The process sounds painful, but isn't too bad

Laser hair removal works by sending the light of a laser through the pigment in the hair. This (light) converts to heat, which damages the hair follicle and hair bulb.

Patience pays off

It takes two or three weeks after your first treatment to see a difference, and 6 -20 treatments to get the full result.

You've got to use a hair trimmer/shave the area before you laser

The laser can react with hair on the skin’s surface which will cause some irritation and maybe dreaded burnt hair smell.

It's actually a pretty fast process

The appointment can last 5-30 mins depending on how large am areas we are covering.

You can't go to the gym afterward

The heat from the laser stays in your skin for 24 hours so no gym, saunas, hot showers, you get it. If you do, you run the risk of creating a lovely warm environment for bacteria to multiply and give you spots.

Get ready to think seriously about the sun

You need to avoid sunbathing and sun exposure as much as possible before and after treatment. Also if you have a tan you’ll need to wait till it fades before you can start your treatment. We will check in with you about upcoming holidays to make sure you don’t have a holiday coming up which might affect the timing of your next appointment. Stay safe peeps.

Laser treatment can trigger more growth in some cases

It’s true, particular types of hair can be stimulated into growing longer and thicker. But don’t worry, if hair isn’t suitable, we will let you know.

You might need to switch up your beauty regime and products

Scrubs, glycolic acid and retinol creams should be avoided 2 days before and after treatment. It’s recommended that for a 2 week period before and after laser, you avoid chemical peels and similarly you should wait 1-2 weeks before using fake tan.

Laser hair removal has more than one benefit

Laser can actually help with irritating AF ingrown hairs. Aside from clearer, smoother skin and permanent hair reduction, laser hair removal also boasts benefits including helping to reduce ingrowing hairs and less irritation of the skin. This is because the treatment encourages hair to grow straight.

You can't pluck, dye or wax the hair

Plucking, waxing and bleaching impedes the process. If you want to be hairless throughout the process, go the shaving route instead. You’ll need these tips to make each shave last longer though.

You might need to go back for top up treatments

Most people report 90 percent permanent reduction in hair growth but fluctuating hormones can make hair grow back.

How long does it take?

About 15- 30 minutes

FAQ

Achieve smooth, hair-free skin with IPL Laser Hair Removal at London Body Centre. Safe and effective! Book your session today.

What is IPL?

IPL is a light treatment for a variety of treatments including:

Permanent hair reduction

Thread vein (spider vein) removal

Rosacea reduction

Pigmentation reduction

Acne treatment

Skin rejuvenation

What does “IPL” stand for?

IPL stands for “Intense Pulsed Light” because it uses an intense (bright) short pulse of light to treat various conditions.

Simply, how does IPL work?

A flash of light is used to heat the target condition, causing it to break down, and be absorbed by the body. The trick is to make sure that the surrounding healthy skin does not heat up too much and burn. This is achieved by setting the total amount of heat energy, the number of pulses in a single shot, the time delay between shots, and the amount of heat delivered as radio frequency energy.

How effective is IPL?

The effectiveness of IPL treatments is good, but varies from person to person, and treatment to treatment. Many people have very satisfactory results.

Hair Reduction: For example, it is called “permanent hair reduction” because hairs are permanently reduced. The body has many follicles and they are not all producing hairs and so they cannot be treated. At some point they can start producing hair in which case you may want to have maintenance treatments, or you might be fine with the odd hair and it can be much finer and lighter.

Thread vein removal: Even though an area has been treated, other thread veins can develop over time. Taking care with sun exposure, protecting your skin from the elements and being careful with not over-blowing your nose can help. It is said that a good Vitamin C supplement with help with strengthening blood vessels and therefore help prevent capillaries breaking so easily.

Rosacea reduction: Rosacea is caused by a number of factors including stress. This treatment will help to reduce an episode of rosacea. It cannot cure rosacea.

Pigmentation reduction: This can be an amazing treatment to reduce pigmentation though as soon as you start to have sun exposure again it can bring back the pigment. Taking extra care with sun exposure and practising “safe sun” will delay any return.

Acne treatment: There are many factors including hormones. This treatment helps with the external symptoms and if in conjunction with looking at your skin care and diet this treatment can help break out of the cycle and to move forward.

Skin rejuvenation: Our skin is always aging; it is one of the joys of knowing we are fortunate to still be alive. IPL skin rejuvenation may help to turn back the clock but it won’t make us 21 again!

Is IPL safe?

IPL is considered a safe treatment if performed by a trained practitioner. We further minimise risks as follows:

IPL, like any treatment, can never be 100% safe, despite what others may tell you. IPL treatment has a small risk of burning (similar to sunburn) and allergic reaction, that could result in excessive pigmentation, loss of pigmentation, blistering, or in rare cases, scarring. The only completely safe option is to not have IPL treatment. Other treatments may also be available (that have their own associated risks). The IPL risks are minimised by carrying out a patch test with the settings starting at low, safe levels and increasing gradually until the target point is met without undue trauma to the skin. Side effects can still happen after the event which is why the patch test is small, in a less obvious place if possible, and then we wait 14 days.

What does it feel like?

Some people liken an IPL shot to a small elastic band flicking onto the skin, followed by a warm sensation. People have described it as more comfortable than waxing. One reason for doing a patch test is to ensure the settings are comfortable for you. But the sensation will vary from person to person, and for some women may depend on the time of the month.

How many and how often will I need treatments?

Anywhere from 6-20 treatments – this is varying from person to person and ski type and medical history.

What is a consultation and patch test?

A consultation is a question and answer session where we ascertain whether you are suitable for treatment. If you are suitable, a patch test is where we carry out a test treatment on a small patch of the treatment area to see how you respond. If both are successful, then we can go ahead with a full treatment.

What may prevent me having IPL treatments?

Factors that may prevent you from having IPL treatment include:

Active sun exposure which means no sun tanning, sunny holidays or sun beds in the month before treatment, nor in the month after a treatment. No spray/artificial tan about 10 days before a treatment. Increased pigment in the treatment area can lead to burning; whilst sun exposure soon after treatment can lead to abnormal pigment changes as you will be more photosensitive.

Medications that make you photosensitive will require delaying IPL treatment until the medication has been completed and sufficient time elapsed to clear your body.

Conditions that may prevent treatment include: heart disorders, a pacemaker, blood clots, cancer (and subsequent treatment), and epilepsy. Treatments or issues, that may delay treatment, include: pregnancy, allergies, fresh Botox and other injectables, scarring or tattoos in the treatment area, and certain allergies.

Skin types that tolerate the sun the worst, are the best candidates for IPL! IPL hair reduction and acne treatment may not be possible on the darkest skin tones. IPL pigmentation and vascular (thread vein and rosacea) treatments may not be possible on darker skin tones.

Other factors that may prevent or delay treatment include unrealistic expectations. We are open and honest about what can or cannot be achieved in your time frame. We cannot guarantee results and can only share our knowledge of the more common results.

Why is a course of treatments so expensive?

IPL treatment costs are reflected by the start-up and running costs.

Brief Overview of Your Treatment

PROCEDURE TIME

Around 30- 45 minuets

DOWNTIME

Min 4 weeks

DURATION OF RESULTS

Laser Hair removal is permeant

London Body Centre Aesthetics, Laser, HIFU Treatments in London

IPL Laser Hair Removal | Smooth Skin in London

IPL Laser Hair Removal

Laser Hair Removal

How Does It Work?

Before the Laser Hair Removal Treatment

During the Laser Tattoo Hair Treatment

After the Laser Hair Removal Treatment

IPL Laser Hair Removal | Smooth Skin in London

FAQ

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