You may also want to take a look at our complete round up review of all home laser / IPL devices and our extensive cost comparison analysis.
I've noticed a lot of laser hair removal clinics state things like:- "Laser is much more effective than IPL" without referring to any reputable sources to back up their claims.
This led me to wonder whether there were any truths to these statements or whether the clinics are simply using this as part of their marketing spiel without any scientific evidence to back it up. In this article, you'll learn the truth (as backed up by scientific data) about which hair removal treatment is the most effective:
Diode Laser Hair Removal vs IPL
Diode vs Laser - What are the Differences Between the Two Treatments?The Study - 15 Female Patients with Underarm Hair Removal TreatmentThe MethodThe ResultsStudy LimitationsLimited DurationOnly Pale Skin TypesPatient Number too LowConflicting Study (2008)
Conclusions from the Studies - It's ComplicatedDeciding which Device to UseFinal Concluding Remarks
Diode vs Laser - What are the Differences Between the Two Treatments?
Without being too technical, lasers are a concentrated beam of light at a specific wavelength. The diode laser, for instance, is set to a wavelength of between 800 and 810nm. The other types of laser, alexandrite, ruby and Nd:YAG, each have their own set wavelengths.
IPL, on the other hand, doesn't have a specific wavelength and instead emits non coherent light in the range of 550nm and 1200nm. You can consider this the "shotgun" approach to hair removal - the IPL device will emit a broad spectrum of light over a large variety of wavelengths in a pulse like fashion.
There is no doubt that both technologies have been proven effective for hair removal. However, there is less certainty over which technology is better, and that's what I wanted to investigate.
The Results
The study concluded that both methods of hair removal were as effective as each other. Patient reports and hair counts show that both methods of hair removal were effective for hair reduction at five weeks after the final treatment.
However, the study concluded that IPL was more painful and produced more side effects than the diode laser. The final conclusion from the study is quoted below:-
Conflicting Study (2008)
A similar study in 2008 with 9 women considered the efficacy of diode laser hair removal against IPL. In this study, the treatment area was the face rather than the underarm and results were gathered 6 weeks after the third treatment as opposed to five weeks.
The results of this study showed the the diode laser was more effective while being responsible for greater discomfort and side effects from the treatment than the IPL device.
Deciding which Device to Use
Firstly, it should be said that in a normal situation it isn't up to you to decide what type of hair removal treatment is best. This should be up to your dermatologist or hair removal practitioner to decide (usually during a free initial consultation).
However, here are some important factors to consider:-
