IPL treatment: 8 sessions and hair is still growing - Should I continue?

Question

I did 8 sessions of ipl treatment the doctor said it after 8 session hair won't grow but after that treatment I still have hair on my armpit what should I do he said to countinue the treatment but its kinda expensive should I countinue? Thank you!

Sonia Badreshia-Bansal, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. IPL is limited to treating fine hair and dark skin. YAG and ALEX are the best treatment for permanent hair reduction.  I would recommend consulting with a Board Certified Dermatologist for best treatment plan. I hope this helps!

Christopher Dannaker, DO, MPH, FAAD · Answer

Laser Hair removal has become a procedure relegated  to MedSpas, often and usually without the assistance or evaluation skills of a physician.  A physician should evaluate your particular situation.  There are many possibilities.  IPL was at its inception inferior to laser hair removal (IPL is a flash lamp device).  Now there are respectable publications noting parity between lasers and IPL devices for hair removal.  Some physicians may not agree though, many of us prefer lasers.   No matter which medical device is used, the settings are important.  It is easy to give a patient a sham treatment with too low of settings yet the patient will in the short term, note some hair removal.  Likewise, it is easy to turn these devices up to the point that a patient's skin can be permanently damaged.  The number one cause of laser skin related lawsuits is hair removal, typically done by non physicians in unsupervised environments.Let's assume a newer IPL device was used and used properly, with effective settings,  then other possible reasons remain for your poor response.  Was your initial evaluation in error?  Did you have very fine hair or lightly pigmented hair that will not respond?Did you have a physical exam?  Is the hair on the face and you are female, triggering an investigation as to whether there are signs of a hormonal excess, hair elsewhere (beyond what one's ethnic background would suggest), or signs of androgen excess;  irregular menses, beard-like hair in a female, associated acne face and / or body.  If those with androgen excess we always mention hair removal becomes laser hair control as the hormonal excess, if untreated, will continue to stimulate the production of new hair sprouting from smaller baby type fine hairs.I'd recommend taking pause with your treatment as 8 is enough to see dramatic improvement and investigate with your physician- a dermatologist is best.  You might ask for the type of machine and the settings used so he can review this information.

IPL treatment: 8 sessions and hair is still growing - Should I continue?

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IPL treatment: 8 sessions and hair is still growing - Should I continue?

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