If you’ve been considering IPL hair removal, you might be wondering what it’s actually doing to the hair.

Does it pull the hair out? Does it kill the follicle? And if IPL works, why do you need more than one treatment?

I’ll try to explain it without making it overly complicated!

What is IPL?

IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light.

During an IPL hair removal treatment, short pulses of light are delivered into the skin. The light is attracted to the melanin (pigment) within the hair.

The pigment absorbs this light energy and converts it into heat.

That heat travels down the hair towards the follicle and damages the structures responsible for producing the hair. Over a course of treatments, this can significantly reduce the amount of hair growing in the treated area.

The aim isn’t simply to remove the hair you can currently see.

We’re trying to disrupt its ability to grow back.

Why does IPL work better on dark hair?

Think of the dark pigment within the hair as our target.

IPL needs enough pigment within the hair to absorb the light energy, which is why darker hair generally responds better to IPL than very light hair.

Blonde, white and grey hairs may not contain enough melanin for IPL to effectively target them. Some shades of red hair can also be difficult to treat.

This is one of the things I’ll assess during your consultation.

It’s also why IPL isn’t suitable for everybody. Your skin tone matters too, because there is melanin within the skin as well as the hair.

The aim is always to effectively target the hair while keeping the surrounding skin safe.

Why do I have to shave before IPL?

This sometimes confuses people!

You might think:

“Surely you need to see the hair to treat it?”

I do need the hair to still be present within the follicle, but I don’t need lots of hair sitting above the surface of the skin.

Shaving removes the visible part while leaving the hair within the follicle for us to target.

This is also why I don’t want you waxing or plucking the hairs between your IPL appointments. Those methods remove the hair from the follicle — which means we’ve removed the target we’re trying to treat.

Why doesn’t all the hair disappear after one IPL treatment?

This is probably the most important part of understanding IPL hair removal.

Your hairs aren’t all growing at exactly the same time.

Hair goes through different stages of a growth cycle.

IPL is most effective on hairs that are in the active growth phase (anagen), because the hair is still connected to the structures we’re trying to target.

At any one appointment, only a proportion of the hairs in the treatment area will be at the right stage.

The other hairs haven’t somehow “escaped” the treatment — they simply weren’t at the correct point in their growth cycle to be effectively targeted.

That’s why we wait and treat the area again.

Over a course of appointments, we’re essentially trying to catch different hairs as they enter the right stage.

So why are IPL appointments spaced several weeks apart?

More IPL isn’t automatically better.

Treating the same area again a few days later wouldn’t suddenly make all of the other hairs ready to be treated.

We need to allow the next group of hairs to enter the appropriate stage of their growth cycle.

The recommended gap between treatments can vary depending on the area of the body being treated because hair growth cycles aren’t identical everywhere.

At HAZE Beauty, I’ll advise you when your next appointment should be based on the area we’re treating and where you are within your course.

Following the recommended treatment intervals is an important part of getting the best from your course.

What happens to the hair after IPL?

Don’t expect every treated hair to instantly disappear when I pulse it.

After treatment, some hairs can remain visible for a while before gradually shedding from the follicle.

This can sometimes look like the hair is continuing to grow, when actually the treated hair is gradually being pushed out.

As you progress through your course, you may start noticing things such as:

• slower regrowth
• patches where fewer hairs are appearing
• hairs becoming finer
• needing to shave less frequently
• an overall reduction in the amount of hair

Everyone responds differently, which is why I won’t promise an exact result after a certain number of appointments.

How many IPL hair removal treatments will I need?

IPL hair removal isn’t a one-treatment process.

As a general guide at HAZE Beauty, I advise approximately 8–12 treatments for hair reduction, although some people may need more or fewer.

Several factors can affect this, including the area being treated, your skin and hair, hormones and how consistently you attend your appointments.

Even after a successful course, occasional maintenance treatments may be needed.

This is why I use the term long-term hair reduction rather than promising permanent hair removal.

Does IPL work everywhere on the body?

IPL can be used for hair reduction on many areas of the face and body when it’s appropriate and safe to do so.

However, different areas can respond differently.

Hormonal hair growth, particularly on areas of the face, can sometimes be more stubborn and may require a different approach or ongoing maintenance.

Again, this is why I don’t believe in giving everyone exactly the same treatment plan.

Your IPL course should be based on you.

Is IPL the same as laser hair removal?

No, although they work using a similar principle.

Both use light energy to target pigment within the hair, but IPL uses a broad spectrum of light, whereas laser systems use specific wavelengths.

Neither is automatically “better” for every person.

Skin tone, hair colour, the area being treated and the particular technology being used all matter when deciding which may be most suitable.

I’ve written a separate guide explaining this in more detail:

IPL vs Laser Hair Removal: Which Is Better?