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What is IPL or Intense Pulsed Light hair removal?
Intense pulsed light hair removal is a new and advanced long-term hair
removal method. The client lies in a comfortable position, and then
the technician glides a hand piece over his or her skin. Precise doses
of light within specific wavelengths are emitted from the hand piece
placed on the skin and moved along after every pulse. When you come
for your first session or FREE CONSULTATION we will answer all of your
questions. In the meantime, please read our FAQs.
What is Bye Bye Hair?
Bye Bye Hair®
is the name we chose for our hair removal services at The European.
Because we are bringing Ottawa a affordable hair removal serice with
the latest technology that is more effective than other systems, we
are establishing a distinct brand name for the service.
What is the IPL hair removal process?
The principle of an IPL is that the light is transmitted through skin tissue and is absorbed by melanin, which is found at the root of the hair. When the light is absorbed, heat is produced which radiates out into the follicle wall destroying the cells so hair re-growth is impeded. Technically, IPL is considered a laser light treatment, but because because of so many differences between traditional laser hair removal, such as truly painless, it is appropriately being branded as a new technology.
IPL works equally well on most skin pigmentations without removing any of the pigment. IPL hair removal can also safely and effectively eliminate hair of all colors: black, brown, red, blond and even white. Only a handfull of treatments, at monthly intervals are needed to obtain stunning results. It is very quick, relatively painless and very little redness or skin reaction to worry about.
Is IPL hair removal safe?
Yes, it is very safe. The Intense Pulsed Light system delivers energy to the skin very gently. Plus, the hand piece extracts heat from the skin during each pulse of light for maximum protection. Moreover, the wider range of possible settings and spectrum of light delivered by IPL enables a much broader range of possible settings than available in any single or even in many combinations of Lasers. These capabilities translate into better and safer treatments and more effective results. The main side effect that may occur is temporary redness which lasts for either a few minutes or occasionally for a few hours. Patients could usually go right back to work. More serious side effects are very rare (less than 1% of patients). Those usually involve a temporary change of skin color (lightening or darkening) that can last for several weeks or months. For maximum safety, all clients should be at their lightest skin color at the time of the treatment. It is safer to treat the darkest skinned patient who is at his lightest that to treat a light skinned patient that has been recently tanned.
Does it hurt?
No, the light is selectively absorbed by the hair and hair follicles. The skin itself is exposed to little heat. Plus, no irritating chemicals are used and the hairs aren't pulled on in any way. Patients usually find IPL treatments less painful than laser treatments or electrolysis. Local anesthetic creams or pain medications are therefore not needed.
How many IPL hair removal treatments will I need?
The number of treatments needed depends on the area to be treated, the hair density and the contrast between the hair and the skin color. The more there is a contrast between the hair and the skin color, the less treatments you need. Consequently, people with white skin and black hair would require the least number of sessions, and people with white skin and light hair would require the most number of sessions. Moreover, your hair grows in cycles and many factors influence its growth, such as age, ethnicity, weight, hormones, diet, metabolism, previous hair removal methods and medical history. All these factors help increase or decrease your hair's resilience. IPL slows the growing capacity of follicles in the growth cycle at the time of the treatment. You might therefore only need one treatment. However, since some hair follicles may enter their growth cycle after your treatment, 2 to 6 treatments are needed, in average, in order to achieve optimal results. In most cases, a 50% hair reduction is observed after an average of one to two treatments. Each treatment can be given at three weeks or longer intervals (2-3-4-5-6 months), depending how far you are in the treatment. The exact amount of time that the hair stays gone depends on the area being treated as well as the settings in accordance with the client's hair and skin factors
How does IPL differ from Electrolysis and Diode Laser Hair Removal?
The main difference between IPL and Laser is that Intense Pulsed Light utilizes a range of wavelengths whereas laser has only one single wavelength. This means that the light that causes the hair to be eliminated is not adjustable. Unfortunately, hair texture, color and size vary from person to person as well as on one's own body. If you use the same beam of light for different hairs, how can you expect them to be removed with the same efficiency? This is why one hears a lot of variation in results when it comes to Laser. With IPL, the energy delivered to the area is adjustable. In other words, we have the ability to customize the settings (the wavelength, number of pulses, duration of pulses, delay between pulses, and power delivered) to match each client's specific hair color, thickness and depth; as well as the color of their skin. We can therefore treat more hair types effectively (almost any area of the body can be treated), with more consistent results. This ability allows minimizing side effects and maximizing the effectiveness of the treatments. Here is a comparison of the wavelengths of some lasers and the IPL. Ruby = 694nm, Alexandrite = 755nm, Diode = 800nm or 810nm, Nd:YAG = 1064nm, IPL = 420nm to 1200nm. Moreover, since Intense Pulsed Light utilizes a range of wavelengths, it has other uses. Besides removing hair from the face and all body areas, it can treat other skin disorders like pigmentation irregularities in the skin due to sun damage as well as small congested blood vessels and diffuse redness found on the face and chest. This is where Intense Pulsed Light systems are superior to Lasers. Their broad-spectrum light enables them to go within different depths in the skin layers in order to reach, with accuracy, hair follicles, small red blood vessels and treat pigmentation disorders, depending on each client's needs.
What skin imperfections could an IPL Photo Facial treat?
Red complexions caused by Erythema, Erythrosis and Broken Capillaries.
All signs of Sun Damage or Photo-Aging, Hyper-pigmentation or Irregular
Pigmentation, Fine lines and wrinkles, Enlarged pores, Skin roughness,
Acne and Acne Scars.
How does IPL compare to other advanced technologies?
Microdermabrasion is when the top layers of the skin are sanded or polished
away. Chemical peels use acid solutions to burn away layers of skin
(the intensity of a chemical peel will depend on what type of peel is
being used). Laser skin resurfacing works by exfoliating the protective
outer layer of your skin, which may require bandages and a somewhat
lengthy recovery period. IPL was designed to combat the effects of aging
and to treat damaged skin in a softer and gentler way. It delivers precise
amounts of light energy through your skin's surface which stimulates
the production of collagen and elastin. As the new collagen and elastin
form, they soften the appearance of aging skin. Collagen plumps up the
skin and elastin firms it. Fine lines and wrinkles are therefore decreased.
Moreover, the redness associated with rosacea would be dramatically
reduced.
The price for IPL skin treatments ( skin rejuvenation, acne, pigmentation, spider veins) is the same per area as for hair removal. The cost is determined by the units of light or "shots" and this is usually the same for hair removal and shin treatments.
How many treatments will you need?
In the cases of hyperpigmentation, three to six treatments are usually needed, depending on the area and the condition of the skin. In the cases of facial veins, multiple treatments are necessary to achieve optimal results. Tiny pink and red vessels usually require two to three treatments to achieve acceptable results. Veins that are darker or purplish are usually more difficult to remove and therefore may require more treatments.
What results could you expect?
After one or two treatments, your skin will have a more even tone and
a smoother look and feel. Clients with rosacea will see a progressive
decrease in redness with every treatment. Sunspots will start to fade
and pores will become less apparent. Fine lines and wrinkles may soften
over time. These improvements continue with each treatmen
Will the pigmentation spots, the red complexion or the veins return?
No, whatever is treated will never come back. However, if your skin
is prone to have pigmentation imbalances or facial veins , chances are
that new ones will form over time. After all, IPL skin rejuvenation
treatments improve previous skin damage. However, after the cure, the
natural aging process will continue. That is why you should apply sunscreen
on the treated area and avoid sun exposure. In addition to that, maintenance
treatments are recommended in order to uphold optimal results.
What will recovery be like?
Post-treatment discomfort is almost nonexistent. Your skin may appear slightly more red or flushed than usual. This will fade within the first few hours to 48 hours after your treatment. Pigmentation will even out in about ten days after the treatment. After blood vessel treatments, capillaries may seem to be more visible, but will slowly shrink in about three to ten days, leaving the skin looking younger with a more even toned complexion. Following any treatment, your skin may feel tender for several days. It is totally normal.
>IPL acne treatment
Acne is an inflammatory disease of the skin, caused by changes in the pilosebaceous units. They consist of a sebaceous gland connected to a canal, called a follicle, which contains a fine hair. Cells called keratinocytes line the follicle. The sebaceous glands produce sebum, the oil that lubricates and protects our skin. As our skin renews itself, the old cells die, mix with our skin's natural oils, and are expelled onto the skin's surface. Under normal circumstances, these cells are shed gradually, making room for fresh new skin. For the majority of acne sufferers, the trouble begins when the body begins to produce male sex hormones called androgens. These increase in both boys and girls during puberty and cause the enlargement of the sebaceous glands. (Androgens are also responsible for acne flare-ups associated with the menstrual cycle and, on occasion, pregnancy). When the sebaceous gland is stimulated by androgens, it produces extra sebum. In its journey up the follicle toward the surface, the sebum mixes with common skin bacteria and dead skin cells that have been shed from the lining of the follicle. As we have seen for the normal pilosebaceous unit, this process is normal. However, in people with overactive sebaceous glands, these cells are shed more rapidly. Mixed with a surplus of sebum, the dead skin cells form a plug in the follicle, preventing the skin from finishing its natural process of renewal. This clog can take the form of a white head or a black head. The bacterium Propionibacterium acnes is a regular resident of all skin types. It lives at the skin’s surface and in the follicles and it is part of the skin’s natural sebum maintenance system. Since they feed on the sebum, excessive sebum production encourages their rapid multiplication. They then change the chemical composition of oils and secretions into extremely irritating fatty acids. The bad news does not stop there. Contamination is the next step. In fact, these new substances, created by the chemical reaction, have the ability to penetrate the follicle’s wall and contaminate other parts and other canals of the internal layer of the skin. As this happens, the sebaceous gland of the clogged follicle continues to produce sebum, bacteria continue to multiply and the contaminated areas continue to spread. In simple terms, there becomes an inflammation in the follicle and the surrounding skin.
The price for IPL skin treatments ( skin rejuvenation, acne, pigmentation, spider veins) is the same per area as for hair removal
What happens next? Well for every inflammation, there is an inflammatory response.
When your body encounters unwanted bacteria, it sends an army of white
blood cells (our bodies’ paramedical team) to attack the intruders.
This process, called the inflammatory response, is what causes pimples
to become red, swollen and painful. In this fight, many bacteria are
destroyed and rejected as pus. If the general condition and the immunity
defense are good and most importantly, if the skin was not touched or
scratched, the pimple softens and disappears without leaving a trace.
Is it finally over? Unfortunately, not in all cases.
As you have just read, when tissue suffers an injury, the body rushes
its repair kit to the injury site. Among the elements of the repair
kit are white blood cells and an array of inflammatory molecules that
have the task of repairing tissue and fighting infection. However, when
their job is done they may leave a somewhat messy repair site in the
form of fibrous scar tissue, or eroded tissue, especially in people
who are susceptible to scarring. The result; an acne scar
What should you do to prevent scarring?
Unfortunately, there is no miracle treatment that could erase scars. The best cure is PREVENTION. It is therefore crucial to treat acne early in its course, as soon as the first signs appear for the more that inflammation can be prevented or moderated, the less likely you are to experience permanent damage to your skin. It is also important to continue the treatment even after pimples disappear in order to keep new blemishes at bay.
How does IPL treat acne?
IPL acne phototherapy is a revolutionary treatment that can clear moderate inflammatory acne without any side effects. It works by directing intense blue light to the treatment area to eliminate P.Acnes, the bacteria that causes acne. The light causes the photodestruction of the bacteria that causes acne without damaging any of the surrounding tissue. Moreover, this cure helps improve the appearance of acne scars for the light energy delivered through your skin’s surface stimulates the production of new collagen beneath the scars. This treatment works well on all skin types (colors) and can treat any area of the body.
Who are the best candidates for this treatment?
IPL treats inflamed, mild to moderate acne blemishes. If you have pustules, it would be better to do a microdermabrasion and cold laser treatment first and then proceed with the IPL sessions.
How many treatments will you need?
In general, one to eight sessions (one treatment every two weeks) are needed, depending on the severity of your acne problem. It is essential to follow this cure with a home regimen in order to maintain the results obtained by regulating your sebaceous secretions on a regular basis and in order to prevent or minimize scarring as much as possible.
Pre-Treatment Advice
Hair Removal Methods - During the month before your treatment, it is
important not to use hair removal creams, bleaching ingredients, wax,
electrolysis, tweezers, hair epilators or any other method that weakens
or removes the hair from the roots on the area to be treated. Only shaving
with a manual or electrical razor is allowed between sessions. Before
starting the hair removal session, you have to shave very closely with
a razor.
Clothing - Avoid wearing dark clothing or undergarments on the areas to be treated so there would be no color transfer onto the skin.
Sun and Tanning - IPL treats efficiently tanned skin. However, the maximum efficiency of the treatment will be obtained by avoiding sun exposure and tanning beds for the area to be treated a month before starting the treatment. We also suggest that you do not use a self-tanning cream during the same period. A sunscreen with at least an SPF 30 should be applied on the concerned area.
Body Hair Removal - For optimal results, the areas to be treated should be regularly exfoliated with a non irritating and non abrasive Glove. Your skin should be properly and regularly hydrated and nourished with a cream. However, the day of the treatment, DO NOT apply any cream or lotion. Also, if you are treating your underarms do not apply any deodorant or if you did, make sure you wipe it off before treatment. Shave right before your treatment.
Face Treatments - For optimal results, it is strongly recommended that the face should be properly treated from all impurities (eg: Blackheads) and dehydrated skin as they might filter out the Intense Pulse Light and therefore compromise the results. We will recommend a skin care home regimen specifically designed for your pre and post treatment needs. We will not be held responsible for any cutaneous reaction that may occur if not using our recommended procedures.
