IPL
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is used to effectively treat excessive hair and skin conditions.
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is used to effectively treat excessive hair and skin conditions. Multiple components in the skin absorb light of different wavelengths. The absorbed light is converted into heat, which can be used to effectively treat various indications.
IPL hair removal
The flashes from the laser device generate heat. As you flash it on a dark hair, the heat conducts through to the hair follicle.
The hair follicle is destroyed and no more hair can grow.
Because of the different stages of hair growth, the treatment is performed every 6 to 8 weeks, in 8 to 10 treatments.
After a few treatments, you will already see less hair!
IPL acne and skin improvement
During this treatment, the bacteria that cause acne are destroyed, sebum production is reduced. This means that the sebaceous glands shrink, making them less likely to become clogged. As the sebaceous glands shrink, they also become less visible. This treatment can also be performed for smoother skin. The first results are already visible after just a few treatments! The number of treatments depends on the type of acne.
IPL rosacea and pigmentation spots
Due to the flash of light generating heat, a clotting mechanism takes place in the vessels. This causes red capillaries, the rosacea, to narrow and disappear.
Because rosacea and pigment spots are at almost the same skin level, they can be treated at the same time.
The flash breaks down the dark pigment of the pigment spots. From the very first treatment, the results are evident.
IPL FAQ
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is used to effectively treat excessive hair and skin conditions. Different parts in the skin absorb light of different wavelengths. The absorbed light is converted into heat, which can be used to effectively treat various indications.
In the treatment of unwanted hair growth, the hair should contain pigment for the articulation of lights and heat to hair root, which should eventually be destroyed. in blond, red and gray hairs, as well as transitional/down hair, no or little pigment is present. Therefore, successful treatment cannot be guaranteed. Negroid skin types (skin type VI) are excluded for any IPL treatment due to the too high pigment content in the skin. The other toned skin types, however, are ideally suited for IPL treatment. In addition to the above exclusion criteria, there are several more to be named. You will always have an intake first where an IPL and medical history form will be reviewed with you after which I will assess your suitability for IPL treatment.
The duration of a treatment depends on the surface to be treated. Each flash of light with the MedCos IPL treats an area 5 centimeters long and 2 centimeters wide. This eliminates many hair follicles per flash.
When the flash of light reaches the hair follicle, one may experience a tingling sensation, like a rubber band against the skin. The heat generated during treatment is similar to sunburn.
Treatment affects only the hairs that are in the growth phase. However, most hairs are in the so-called resting phase. Only when these hairs enter the growth phase are they receptive to treatment. On average, between 8 and 10 treatments are needed for optimal results.
Do not epilate, but you should shave, preferably 24-48 hours before treatment. The stubble should be as short as possible, then the treatment is much less sensitive because there is no heat lingering on the skin. You don’t have to worry about not being able to see how the hair growth is going, usually this is already easy to see on smoothly shaved skin, because small black stubble is left behind after shaving.
Epilation should not be done for some time before treatments begin, at least 8 weeks. The hairs are needed to conduct the effective heat inward. If too few hairs have grown back, the client has little return from the treatments.
There are also creams on the market that claim to inhibit hair growth, apply them after waxing or tweezing. Please do not use them throughout the treatment course. After all, we want to hit as many active hair follicles as possible and otherwise this becomes a very laborious process because these so-called hair growth inhibitors put the hairs into a “resting phase” and then cannot conduct heat to the hair root.
Starting treatment too early after frequent waxing/peeling.
- White or gray hairs. White skin with blonde hairs cannot be treated by the IPL system because the light uses the pigment of the hairs for guidance. White, red and gray hairs contain little to no pigment which also means no conduction takes place.
- A disorder in the endocrine system (either a lot of male hormones or hypersensitivity of receptors to those hormones) that causes constantly dormant hair follicles to be made active (different hair than existed during treatments).
- Wrong periodicities between treatments: treating too early gives lower returns. The body simply produces hair at a certain rhythm of different growth cycles. Therefore, it is also very important to maintain proper periodicity during the treatment course.
No, the hair follicles that are destroyed can never produce another hair. They are “coagulated” (their protein structures are glued together at the microscopic level) and that is something the body can no longer repair. When you are satisfied with a hair reduction of 80 to 90%, you can proceed to IPL treatment. If you want 100% hair removal, then IPL Treatment may not be realistic and you will have to adjust your expectations.
Unfortunately, there are thousands of hair follicles on our skin that are dormant or produce only light down, but which can still be awakened by hormone changes at a later stage in our lives, for example, during pregnancy, at menopause, when taking certain medications (antibiotics, hormone preparations, doping), disorders in the endocrine system (thyroid, hyperactivity of adrenal glands in stress, ovariacysts), or during a period of much exertion. Also, it could just be familial predisposition. In young men, this will be more common because they have more testosterone in their bodies.
That means you can be rid of unwanted body hair for years, but you may have the misfortune that hairs will grow back at some point, or the fuzzy residual hairs will grow back thicker anyway. So you may end up needing “maintenance” again. However, it will never have the same density as before, because the majority of hairs will have been eliminated (because those hairs already existed during the treatment period). It is important that you prefer not to epilate or wax any more light down hairs when you are out of treatment, because if you start pulling on them, the body reacts in a protective way: it makes the hairs stiffer and thicker! Perhaps the body does not do this so deliberately. But damage to the hair follicle takes place, it causes increased blood flow and this gives increased hair growth. As a result, even downy hairs (laguno) can become so-called terminal hairs. For example, when you pull out stiff hairs from the chin, you sometimes involuntarily pull some downy hairs with you. These can become harder and stiffer hairs due to increased blood supply. Cutting it short is a better way.
When you are out of treatment, it is advisable to undergo a so-called “maintenance treatment” twice a year for optimal permanent results. In fact, it is always possible for some hair to come back in a particular location. When you keep this up, you will enjoy your hair removal treatment to the fullest.
Some medications and herbal preparations make the skin hypersensitive to daylight, including high-energy light. Read carefully the package insert of the drug used, or check www.geneesmiddelenrepertorium.nl. Hypersensitivity to strong light can occur with various medications.
This guideline may be deviated from on an individual basis if you have been taking a particular medication for years and have never noticed any hypersensitivity to light: i.e. have never suffered from sun allergy (itching, bulges after sunlight), and have never had to squeeze your eyes shut during ordinary daylight. You can then have a few test patches to see how your skin reacts. And if that goes well, you can do have the areas that you don’t get sun with treated, such as the armpits.
Anti-inflammatories also do not go hand in hand with the treatments, as they inhibit certain cells that need to become active precisely after the treatments in order for the skin to return to normal. You can start IPL hair removal treatment/cure only when the said medications are no longer used.
The desire for hair removal should not be a reason to discontinue these important medications. When in doubt, consult with your doctor first to see if and what the options are.