Does IPL work on fair coloured (blonde) facial hair?

Question

Some salon owners say...laser will NOT work on blonde facial hairs. However im using one who says it will..its the IPL type and she says may take longer but will work. Can I believe her or not.

Kurt Kuhlman, DO · Answer

The IPL does not work well on removing blond hair because there is not enough pigment in the hair to absorb the light from the IPL device. There is a product called Meladine that can sprayed on blond and red hair twice a day for 2 weeks before each IPL session. This is not very expensive, but is time consuming. We have had fair results with removing red and blond hair with using this product. We have had some success with treating the fine vellus (peach fuzz) hair that many women have on their face.

Lynn M. Klein, MD, FAAD · Answer

The dark pigment in your hair is what absorbs the laser energy, disrupting the normal growth cycle of the hair follicle. In people with light-colored hair, there isn't enough pigment to absorb a sufficient amount of energy for laser hair removal to be effective.

Andre Berger, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question,
IPL only works on hair that has pigmentation to it, so if your hair is very blonde, it will most likely not work. However, you could look into Electrolysis, which is an alternative to hair removal for light hair.

Anna Avaliani, MD · Answer

Lasers need pigment to effectively target. If you have light skin and light hair, laser will no the able to differentiate what to treat and therefore will not work. Unfortunately for light hair your only option is to consider electrolysis. Hope this helps. Best. Dr.Avaliani

Gary Nackman, MD, FACS · Answer

Laser or IPL based hair removal will not work on blonde hair. There is not sufficient pigment in the hair present in the follicle to absorb enough light.

Does IPL work on fair coloured (blonde) facial hair?

Answers (5)

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