Now I don’t know about you. But hair removal is a bit of a personal topic, isn’t it? I mean some people choose to shave, some choose to wax, some choose to epilate, some choose to do nothing at all. And then there are some, like me, who choose to have a laser zap the hair away. Well, it doesn’t quite work like that, but you get my drift. But that’s what I signed up at the start of the year when I embarked on my IPL journey.
Now I know I’m making this sound far more epic than it really was. But it was a big deal for me! I’ve wanted to do this for an absolute age. Years in fact. Ever since I first heard about laser treatment, I’ve wanted it. I wanted to not have the hassle of having to book in for wax appointments. Or dig out the epilator when I’ve wanted smooth legs.
So I did it. I booked it for four areas of the body including legs and armpits. Now it’s worth mentioning at this point that each area required six treatments about six weeks apart. And if you’re heading out in the sun or have a deep tan, then that will also affect how long you go between treatments. As the treatment works best on pale skin but with dark hair. Which is what I have.
Before I even went for the patch test I did have visions of this being a painful treatment. After all, beauty is pain right? And having had enough painful wax experiences to last me a lifetime. I knew the quest for hair-free limbs wasn’t going to be a breeze. But I was wrong. It didn’t hurt half as much as I thought it would.
Now obviously it’s not completely pain-free. And you can definitely feel the laser working. But it just feels like a hot elastic band is gently flicking at you. And what surprised me the most, was how quickly the treatment is. My technician would laser all four areas of me in around 45 minutes! And unlike with a wax, there was no pain or discomfort after the treatment.
So how does IPL work? Well, I’m no expert, but from my understanding IPL (intense pulsed light) is a form of therapy that works to remove unwanted hair. And unlike other laser treatments that only use one specific wavelength. IPL has multiple wavelengths that scatter the skin and remove your unwanted hair.
And what are the results like? Well, I’m now at the end of my journey and thrilled to say hair free! I might need to go for a top-up next year but at the moment. I’m so happy with the results.
Have you ever had IPL? Would you want to get it done?
As always thank you to Kaye for taking the pictures!