Symptoms Directly After IPL Treatment Was Very Different at New Salon, Could This Mean it Wasn't as Effective?

The new salon was being careful to see what settings are appropriate for you.  This is a much better idea than burning you.  Next time, they will probably increase the power.  We do want to smell some burning and see the tiny red bumps to know you are having an effective treatment.

What we look for when either laser or IPL hair removal is performed is exactly what you describe: 


What is called "the smell of success."  You want to smell some hairs burning.

Slight redness in the area treated

Perifollicular edema - small raised bumps surrounding hair follicles in the area treated


If you switched to a new machine, it's conservative and correct to use lower settings for the first treatment, as the first treatment is 1/2 therapeutic and 1/2 diagnostic.  We want to know how your skin responds to the machine and to the treatment itself. 

See how the hairs behave in about three weeks.  By that time the treated hairs will have worked themselves out of the hair follicles.  If nothing happens, mention that to your treating physician.  The setting should increase with subsequent treatments as your skin can tolerate it. 

If the hair is still present and none of it was singed off during the treatment and there is no follicular edema or erythema (red or swelling) around the hair follicles, your treatment may not have been effective.  Be certain that you are going to someone with a lot of experience and the best technology.  Some little Ma and Pop medispas don't know what they are doing. 

It sounds like they used a laser the first time and an IPL the second time.  While IPL does work for hair removal, there are practitioners who feel that laser treatment is more effective for hair removal than IPL.  Newer IPLs with optimal settings and a high enough fluence (energy density) should work well for hair removal.  There are many different IPLs out there and some are more effective than others.  It is possible that the energy used was too low to give you a good treatment response.

It sounds as if you had an IPL treatment as opposed to a true laser hair removal treatment.  These are two different types of treatments each using a different laser.  The first treatment you described does sound like true laser hair removal with all the correct treatment effects.  The second does not.