Hair removal by Flashlamp

Increasingly popular, flash lamps are now used all over the world, to remove unwanted and excessive hair from the body. A lot of equipment manufacturers, as well as practitioners of this technique, claim that the effect are permanent. It is still a fairly new technique though, and while a lot of individuals have indicated hair loss, data on how permanent this loss is, is still not always readily available.

The specific technology is known as Intense pulsed light (IPL), and is usually used by a qualified medical practitioner working under the guidance of a doctor. Not too dissimilar to laser treatment, this method involves the use of a xenon flash lamp, used with focusing optics. The focused, broad spectrum light is applied to the surface of the skin. This light travels through the skin, striking the hair shaft and the root of the hair. Like lasers, the flash lamp method targets melanin, which is found in high concentration at the root of the hair, compared to the rest of the hair shaft. The light literally burns the root, vaporising the hair producing follicle and most of the hair shaft in the process. By burning the root follicles, the flash lamp method ensures that the hair does not regrow, and so is a permanent method of hair removal.

Because it works by specifically targeting the melanin in the hairs root, IPL is particularly suitable for the removal of dark hair, and is less effective for individuals with blonde or light colored hair. It must be noted that this treatment is also used for treating a number of skin conditions, particularly spider and thread veins, mild acne, freckles and some birthmarks.

There are plenty of comparisons between this flash lamp method, and laser treatment. Debates on the efficacy of the two methods continue between individual customers, practitioners, and equipment manufacturers, but the general consensus is that the two methods are more of less equally effective. That said, flash lamp hair removal has become hugely popular since it is both cheaper and faster than the equivalent laser hair removal.

Since it targets the lower layers of the skin without affecting the top layer, IPL is considered to be non-ablative. Indeed, so quick is the recovery from this treatment that people have been known to have flash lamp hair removal during their lunch break, returning to work immediately afterwards. That said, it is recommended that people who have had IPL treatment refrain from exposing the targeted areas to direct sunlight for a few days after the procedure.

Some individuals have been know to suffer side effects from this treatment though. Complaints have included soreness and pain in the skin, sensations of sun burn and occasionally, the appearance of blisters. Since the treatment can be painful for some individuals, a lot of practitioners do use topical anaesthetic before beginning the hair removal. As with any medical procedure, anyone considering flash lamp hair removal should speak both to the practitioners, and their doctor, to find out more whether such treatment is suitable for their individual requirements.