Is It Safe to Have IPL Hair Removal Treatment for the Bikini Area?

Provided your skin is not too dark, IPL treatments work well for achieving 75-90% permanent hair reduction in the bikini area. Bikini hair tends to be thick, dark and fast growing making this area particularly well suited for treatment.

Dr. Joseph

Hair removal can be accomplished with a laser (coherent, single wavelength) or IPL (non-coherent, broad spectrum) light source. The mechanism by which light-based hair removal occurs is the same for either type of light energy.

The laser or IPL is applied non-invasively to the skin. The emitted light is absorbed by the (melanin) pigment located in the hair shaft. This light energy is then converted to heat energy in the hair shaft and follicle, and damages those hair follicles in the active growth phase. The hair shaft must be present in the actively growing phase of its cycle to act as a conduit for the light energy to damage the hair follicle. Hair removal works better when the hair is darker and thicker because it more effectively absorbs the applied light energy.

Many would consider the LightSheer laser (diode, 800nm) to be the gold standard for hair removal, but a Nd:YAG (1064nm) can be used effectively as well. These lasers are applicable to all skin types and can be used on darker-skinned individuals (even skin types V and VI). IPL systems usually use a wavelength around 755nm to achieve effective hair removal. Consideration of skin pigmentation is much more important when using an IPL system, which can only be safely used in individuals with skin type I – III (and maybe carefully for some type IV).

Safe and effective results can be achieved with many types of hair removal systems when patients are properly selected. If your skin type is I – III, and you are not tan, an IPL-based hair removal system should work effectively for your bikini area.

Best wishes. Ken Dembny

Intense Pulsed Light treatments are great for hair removal. Make sure you have your treatment performed by an experienced technician in a doctor's office. The winter is a great time to have the procedure, when tanning usually is not an issue.

IPL hair removal depends on your skin type and your hair color. It really should not be done on sun tanned skin. While it is not as effective as some lasers there is no reason why it should not be done successfully in well chosen individuals using proper technique.

Laser hair removal can be done with a variety of different machines - IPL, diode laser, alexandrite laser, etc. It is my experience that the treatment with an IPL is slower and more painful for the patients. Diode and alexandrite lasers tend to be faster and less painful. Additionally, I believe they yield better results. With that being said, for any laser procedures you need to shop around for the best facility; do not go for the cheapest price. Burns can be a risk, but usually not with experienced offices and technicians. When technicians try to perform procedures too quickly, with not enough gel, or try to get "more removal" with higher settings, this is when we tend to see problems like burns.