Ipl or Photofacial Side Effect - Hair Growth?

asked 3 years ago by anon
Latest answer by Steve Laverson, MD
Question viewed 12,439 times
Tags: facial hair, side effects

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?

6 answers to Ipl or Photofacial Side Effect - Hair Growth?

Not Crazy; Its the world thats gone nuts

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. However, if you have darker hairs, they may be eliminated. On this planet at least, females are all to happy to have this hair gone. The business of hair growing back thicker is an old wife's tale (this... more

Arnold R. Oppenheim, MD
Virginia Beach Dermatologist

Photofacial and Hair Loss

You're not crazy, it's a valid question! The light from the photo facial is attracted to pigment and does not differentiate between what is present in the skin verses in the hair follicule. Therefore if the hair is anything other than grey or blonde, it may respond to the light from the photofacial and disappear. The hair will not come back thicker, if anything it will decrease which most patients are pleased with.

Steve Laverson, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

IPL rarely makes hair grow

There have been reports that IPL treatments made hair grow. One explanation was that too little energy was used.

Robert Kasten, MD
Mainz Dermatologic Surgeon

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 affect them and singe off the hair (usually only dark hairs). For most people, this is a welcome side effect. The hairs that actually singe, and the follicles that are affected, will... more

Don Mehrabi, MD
Beverly Hills Dermatologist

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, redness, telangiectasia, and skin texture. So go for it!

Mary Lupo, MD
New Orleans Dermatologist

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 and fotofacial procedure is not new and have been around for several years. Some forms of IPL machines are used for hair removal. As with any laser, they are usually not great for... more

Stella Desyatnikova, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

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