Light, be it IPL or Lasers allow you to achieve hair removal because the hair follicle and hair shaft absorb light of certain wavelength's or colors and reflect the others. That is why objects look a certain color - because they reflect to your eye the colors they DO NOT absorb. In the case of hair, you want to deliver an intense pulse of light to the hair follicle and shaft of a color that will be absorbed by the tissue. This causes sudden heating of the tissue and its ultimate destruction. First it is important that you understand the difference between the two technologies -1. IPL - Intense pulsed light (also known as BBL - broadband light on the Sciton machines) - this is highly concentrated pulses of light of many different colors (wavelengths). It is effective against hair because some of the wavelengths of light delivered are absorbed by the tissue and result in follicular heating and destruction.2. Laser - This is light of only one wavelength or color. It is collimated which means all the rays of light are parallel and not scattered as with IPL. If the wavelength of the laser light beam matches what the target tissue (the hair follicle) will absorb, then you are using all your available light energy for the purpose desired and so it is more efficient. there are many different wavelengths of light used for hair removal, to name a few of the more common:Nd-Yag 1064, Alexandrite 755 and Diode 800 but there are many more types for different purposes. Some lasers are best for darker skinned patients to reduce the risk of pigmentation problems. Some lasers are faster for hair removal (ie diode) than others (Alexandrite). There is more to this than just picking a wavelength - you have to consider the delivery system - is the laser energy delivered evenly to reduce risk of burning the skin, how do you make adjustments to protect from burning the skin or getting post treatment pigmentation problems. I did many years of research on the technology before pulling the trigger and purchasing a system. Although there are several good systems around, I settled on the Palomar Vectus LASER system for a few reasons:1. It is a Diode laser which makes it useful for skin types I - VI.2. The delivery system has a broad treatment area making it quick and easy to obtain excellent results on even the most challenging of surfaces like a hair male patient's back. In comparison tests with the Lumenis Duet system, also a very good system, it performed much more efficiently. 3. The energy dispersion is much more even than the Duet, so there is less risk of burns and undertreated areas.4. SAFETY - this is a big one for me - it has a "Skin-Tel" system which allows the operator of the laser to take measurements of the patients melanin content (pigment) in their skin and the computer in the laser makes automatic adjustments in the energy delivery so as not to over treat or burn a patient. My office has had this laser for almost two years and we are very happy with it as are our patients. I hope that this answers your questions.
