Laser vs IPL: Lasers are far more precise and can selectively target dark, coarse hair while leaving the surrounding areas Laser technology is simply much more effective.
IPL is an acronym for Intense Pulsed Light. It is a machine that is commonly used for permanent hair removal, and skin rejuvenation. For the uninitiated, IPL is often mistaken as a type of laser but they are actually very different technologies. At Cocoon Medical Spa, we do not use IPL machines, but instead we use a series of lasers.
IPL uses an extremely bright light source that is fired through a series of light filters to produce a band of light wavelengths.
Each laser however, produces only a very specific single wavelength of light rather than a band of wavelengths. Unlike IPL, as each laser produces only one wavelength, multiple lasers are required for the treatment of different skin problems. For example, a specific laser may be used for the treatment of hair, pigment, capillaries, tattoos etc. Each laser is much more specific in the treatment of a particular skin problem than IPL. IPL may therefore be more likely than laser to affect normal skin as well as the intended target and lead to skin damage and complications.
So why do some clinics have IPL rather than laser? One of the main reasons for this is to save on costs. A single IPL machine can treat a number of skin conditions, including excess hair, pigmentation, and capillaries, but does not treat them as well as a dedicated laser for the job, like our Diode 808 Laser for hair removal. Multiple lasers will cost a lot more than a single IPL machine.
Our side effect/complication rates are very low due to the fact that we only use laser, and that only our doctors are allowed to conduct treatment.
