How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?
With the exception of Tria, which uses a diode laser, all of the hair removal systems we’ve reviewed use IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) technologies to remove unwanted hair.
These intense light pulses penetrate to below the skin’s surface, where the heat this generates targets the hair shaft and root. It will destroy the follicle, causing the hair to shed and never grow again.
We’ve written a lengthy article to fully explain the differences between IPL and diode laser machines, but, in short, diode lasers are more precise, penetrate the skin better, and produce less heat while performing their tasks. This in turn means they are safer to use and can often be used for slightly darker skin tones.
On the flipside, IPL machines are cheaper, have larger treatment surfaces, and can therefore treat larger areas much quicker.
Do At-Home Treatments Take Long?
Unlike with waxing or shaving, the laser beam actually kills the hair follicle so that the hair cannot regrow after it falls out. It takes more than a few sessions to achieve these results, so a lot of the home devices come with a razor as a bonus – there will be a period of time when you still need to shave your hair away.
Should you believe companies who claim their home laser hair removal product works in one simple session? Absolutely not. The light beam will only kill follicles when the hair is in an active stage of growth. Since each individual hair grows at a different rate and in different patterns, you cannot possibly hit all of them at once during a hair growth cycle. It just isn’t achievable.
If you are patient and can wait up to 10 weeks for results, you can often save yourself some money by selecting a slightly less powerful machine with lower flash rates. If you need to see results fast, though, you should be prepared to ante up to make it happen.
Is Hair Removal by Laser Permanent?
All laser and IPL machines are roughly equal when it comes to this question. What is different is your skin. Will it be permanent? It really depends on your skin, hair, and especially your hair follicles.
These treatments will kill almost all targeted hair follicles, but there is a chance that they will regenerate over time, and so you may need touch-up treatments after a while. Maintenance like this really is not a big deal, though, if you buy a device that contains more flashes than you’ll need or one you can “re-stock” with additional cartridges.
With all that said, although no hair removal method will ever be 100% permanent, laser removal is still much better than using an epilator. Results not only last longer, but since each hair follicle will be completely destroyed as your device glides past them, you’ll also have fewer problems with ingrown hairs.
Lifetime and Replacement Cartridges
Each IPL machine has a specified number of flashes it can send out (also called pulses). Some give figures as low as 5000 and others have flash rates as high as 350,000.
However, judging the “lifetime” of a hair removal device by simply looking for its maximum number of flashes can be slightly misleading. How long you truly need it to last depends on:
- your skin type
- your hair color
- your hair density
- the number and size of spaces on which you are planning to use your device, and
- whether or not you intend to share it with anyone else.
Some home devices come with cartridges that contain the mechanisms which generate the flashes. These can be replaced if you find that you need more flashes than originally provided.
Note that the machines with replaceable cartridges usually contain far fewer flashes, to begin with, and that each one contains fewer flashes than a no-replacement device.
For example, the iLIGHT Ultra contains 65,000 flashes, as do each of its cartridges. The DEESS iLight 3 plus, on the other hand, is capable of 350,000 flashes, but does not allow you to replace the cartridge.
Before you purchase your device, just ask yourself, “How many parts of my body am I planning to use this on? Do I use it on my face? My upper lip? Will I share it with others? Will I ever need to repeat a treatment?”
Skin Tone and Hair Color
Let us begin by stating that none of the best laser hair removal devices we’ve found in our research have proven to be effective on grey hair or very dark skin.
Dark skin tones contain more melanin (pigment) than light skin tones, and the more melanin you have in your skin the more it absorbs the light. This, unfortunately, means that it leaves less heat for attacking the hair follicles.
Dark-skinned people who try to use these devices may still get rid of some hair, but it will be less effective and they are more likely to experience irritation in the process. Visiting a clinic with specialized equipment might be a better option in these cases.
Grey hair will always be lighter than the skin it grows from. Since the light pulses target dark hair colors, they will not be able to affect grey hair, regardless of what shade your skin is.
Some machines perform decently well with blonde and red hair, but pretty much all of them work better with black hair.
Remember, since the laser does its job beneath the skin, we are speaking about natural hair color only.
Also, you should never use IPL devices with tattoos. You may burn your skin and/or ruin the tattoo.
Safety Equipment
Performing laser hair removal at home can release biological and chemical substances into the air, so until more research is done on the topic, it is recommended that you wear a mask as you work.
Some laser hair removal devices come with breathing masks, but if your device doesn’t come with a mask you can easily pick one up on Amazon or at your local hardware store.
You may also know, from movies if nothing else, that most professionals use protective glasses when operating with lasers. The general idea here is that the light sources used in home hair removal products aren’t really harmful if you only use them sparingly and take care not to shine them directly into your eyes (so be extremely careful when treating your eyebrows!).
A lot of manufacturers don’t even recommend eye protection, though. Still, if it would make you feel more comfortable, you can always pick up some safety glasses on Amazon for a pretty low fee.
