Is it necessary to wait between IPL and laser hair removal?

Hello lolaraschke, and thank you for your question regarding transitioning from IPL hair removal to professional diode laser treatments.

If you’ve been using an IPL device at home, it’s a good idea to wait at least 2-4 weeks before starting professional laser hair removal. This waiting period allows your skin and hair follicles to recover from the effects of IPL and ensures that your skin is in the best condition for the diode laser treatment.

Here’s why waiting is important:

IPL and lasers target the same hair follicles. If IPL has recently been used, the hair follicles may already be damaged, making it harder for the diode laser to effectively target and treat them.
Skin sensitivity: IPL can temporarily irritate the skin. Starting laser treatments too soon can increase the risk of side effects such as redness, irritation, or burns.
Hair growth cycle alignment: Both IPL and diode laser treatments are most effective during the active (anagen) phase of the hair growth cycle. Waiting ensures that more hairs are in the optimal growth phase for laser targeting.
If you’ve noticed any skin irritation or redness from the IPL treatments, it’s important to wait until your skin is fully healed before starting professional laser treatments. Always inform your laser technician about your IPL usage so they can tailor the treatment to your skin’s condition and hair growth patterns.

I hope this answers your question and helps you plan your transition to diode laser hair removal. Good luck!

Sincerely,
Dr. Katzen

Both IPL and diode lasers target melanin in the hair to heat and damage the follicle. You should wait about 4-6 weeks after your last IPL session before having a diode laser treatment. This waiting period allows:
~Hair regrowth into active phase, which is necessary for the laser to target the follicle effectively
~Your skin to recover from any residual photosensitivity or irritation caused by the IPL
~Avoiding overlap of treatments, which could increase the risk of burns or pigmentation changes

Hello, it is best to wait five weeks in between treatments. On average, a hair growth cycle occurs every five weeks.

We suggest that you wait 4-6 weeks until you get laser hair removal from the last time you used IPL. Our Cutera Coolglide is a 1064 wavelength Nd:YAG laser with which a beam of concentrated light targets the melanin in the hair follicles and vaporizes them. Only certain hair follicles are in active growth phase at a given time. The active growth phase of hair follicles are 4-6 weeks. You would want to wait 4-6 weeks between treatments to target new hair growth.

Laser Hair removal for non pigmented hair will unfortunately help and or work. Anytime you are combining any sort of hair removal it is always best to proceed with caution and give yourself at least 2 weeks in between treatments. Hope this is helpful

To avoid complications, please, wait at lease 6 weeks between treatments. It is fine to get the diode laser treatment after IPL home device, but the time in between is very important.

Hello,
Thank you for your question. My suggestion would be to stop the at home IPL device once you start your Laser hair removal sessions. I would stop the IPL device 4-6 weeks to starting the laser hair removal sessions.

Hello! thank you for your question. You should wait a minimum of 2 weeks between using your at home device and getting laser hair removal professionally. However, once you begin laser hair removal treatments, I would recommend discontinuing your at home device.

Hi Lolaraschke!

I am so happy to hear that your experience with laser hair removal is going so well! Having smooth legs and arms free of stubble is a feeling that all LHR patients hope for after treatments.

My name is Sarah and I am a medical assistant at Anil Shah Facial Plastic Surgery. In our office we specialize in laser hair removal with a diode laser called the Diolaze, which is our preferred laser due to quicker results and higher comfort level. With this laser the down time between each session is only 4 to 6 weeks! Since you are using IPL at home, you would wait that same 4 to 6 weeks before starting your first treatment with the diode laser.

If you have any further questions or are ready to come in for a consult feel free to message me here or call the office at 312-874-7716.

Typically, it is recommended to wait at least two to four weeks after your last IPL treatment to begin laser hair removal sessions. This waiting period allows the skin to recover and minimizes the risk of adverse reactions, such as excessive heat or irritation during laser hair removal. Thus, it is advisable to wait for a certain period of time between these two procedures to avoid potential complications and ensure optimal results.