The IPL fotofacial will "burn" you facial hair. In men this can be a problem but I have yet to have a female complain of this. If your hair is fine and wispy, there will not be enough melanin in the hairs to attract the light of the IPL an lead to the hair's destruction.... more
Can Ipl or photofacial burn the hair off your face during treatment?
I have very fine facial hair, like most women, but I'm worried that if I have a photo facial that the hair will be burned off during treatment and then grow back thicker. Am I crazy?
4 answers to “Can Ipl or photofacial burn the hair...”
A: Yes, you can get the hair burnt off, but, it will not grow back thicker. It actually may grow less.
Thank you for your question. A photofacial usually refers to the use of an IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) device to target blood vessels and pigment (rosacea, sun damage, lentigos). While it doesn't specifically target hair follicles, there is a component of the light spectrum in these machines that usually can... more
A: You are not crazy
It is never crazy to ask questions or have concerns about medical procedures. IPL is actually an effective method to permanently REDUCE facial hair. Of course, fine vellus, fuzz-like hairs don't respond well to any light based therapy, but it absolutely will not worsen it. Ipl will, however, improve dark spots... more
A: IPL treatment and facial hair
You are not crazy. Laser and light treatment have been shown in the past to affect hair growth. Usually, they are used for hair removal and reduction. There are occasional anecdotal stories of hair growing thicker after laser hair removal procedures, especially in the past with older generation lasers. IPL... more
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18 posts
3 Feb 2009
Intense Pulse Light is used as a hair removal system, using specific wavelengths to affect the growth of hair. However, the wavelengths for foto rejuvenation are usually shorter than those used for hair removal. Fine, light hair is not typically a good target for hair removal as is, so you likely will not see a difference. On the other hand, when a man is receiving this treatment, I always warn them that their beards might be affected by the light in that they may have "patches" of lighter growth. This is because their hair is much denser, thicker and darker than women's facial hair. If a woman has patches of darker, longer hair, I will dermaplane that patch to avoid burning the hair to the skin which is damaging and painful.