Did you know that winter is the best time to start thinking about laser hair removal? While this non-invasive cosmetic procedure can be performed all year, it requires consistency as results accumulate with each treatment; tackling laser in the cooler months means you’ll be hair-free and beach ready by the time December rolls around!
Traditionally, laser – also known as Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) – is a treatment that we’ve left to the professionals. But in the last five years, technology has come a long way, and now brands are offering at-home devices that promise to yield the same results as a professional treatment.
But can an at-home device really stack up to an in-clinic treatment? Here, Hannah English, beauty writer, pharmaceutical scientist and Braun ambassador explains the difference between the two.
At-Home Laser Hair Removal
First things first: how does laser hair removal even work? “IPL emits Intense Pulsed Light beneath the skin that targets the melanin in the hair follicle,” English tells ELLE. “The melanin heats up and pushes the hair into a ‘resting’ mode. When hair is in this resting phase, it falls out naturally, and the process of hair growth starts back up again.”
Provided you invest in a high quality IPL device, the treatment is safe and effective for use at home. “Be careful where you purchase from – many cheaper IPL devices don’t have a skin tone sensor, which means users have to compare their skin tone to paper charts in order to set the energy level. This leaves it up to the user to get it right or wrong, with limited guidance on the right setting.”
Braun Silk·expert Pro 5, RRP $999 at Shaver Shop
For those looking to invest in their own device, the recently-released Braun Silk·expert Pro 5 is one of the most sophisticated on the market. “The Braun Silk•expert Pro is completely safe for use at home – it uses Braun’s proprietary SensoAdapt technology that continuously measures the differences in skin tone (80 times per second) and automatically adjusts the light intensity to the optimum level. So, it’s always the perfect balance between energy and safety.”
To ensure the best results, Braun recommends kick-starting your journey with four to 12 weekly treatments. “The time it takes to see results varies from person to person, depending on their typical hair growth cycle. For some people, areas including the underarm, lower leg and bikini area could take up to 16 months.”
That being said, it’s worth noting that at-home IPL is not suitable for all skin types. “It’s most effective on light to medium skin tones, with hair ranging from natural blonde to dark brown or black,” English explains. “The device is not effective on very blonde, red, grey or white hair – the smaller amount of melanin in these hair colours won’t absorb the light energy. As dark skin contains more melanin, it could absorb more than the safe, recommended amount of light energy and so may cause discomfort.”
In-Clinic Laser Hair Removal
Professional laser hair removalcommercial use
Turns out, the technology used in-salon is very similar to that of the aforementioned at-home devices. “The mode of action is the same for both technologies – that is, targeting the melanin in the hair follicle. In terms of reported hair removal results, there’s no principal difference. The key difference is the type of light used to achieve results. IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) is a broad band pulsed light source, whereas laser is a monochromatic, coherent light source.”
If you want to go down the professional route, you’ll need to book a series of treatments. It takes two or three weeks to see results after your first go, and eight to 12 sessions to get the full effects.
Brought to you by Braun.
