Patient Resources – Hair Removal

RealSelf.com Answers from Dr. Verebelyi

• Which is the best hair removal treatment – laser or IPL?  It really depends on the wavelength as to whether these are effective hair removal devices or not. IPLs have actually been studied for years as hair removal devices. For instance, Cutera offers an IPL which the provider can select one of three separate wavelength ranges. Range A is around 770 nm, which acts much like an Alexandrite laser that works best on lighter hair and lighter skin types. Range B is around 810 nm and acts like a Diode laser, which works better for medium skin types and slightly darker hair. Range C is around 1000 nm and resembles a 1064 nm Nd:YAG, which is safe and effective even on patients with Fitzpatrick V type of skin. I have used this type of IPL for a few years with excellent results. If you compared the A setting (about 770 nm) with an Alexandrite laser (755 nm) I think you would find that they are either equal or the actual laser may work about 10 percent better. However, this is a nice trade off when you consider the safety and versatility of the IPL device. I have taken care of many patients that were burned with a laser that they never should have been treated with one in the first place, simply because the provider did not have any other light sources at their disposal.