Laser vs IPL: Which one is really better?

With so many salons now offering permanent hair reduction services, there’s a lot of information available on which technology is better.

A lot of the information available for you to read is often biased, and promotes a machine that is available in that salon. If a salon has laser hair removal, they push that laser is better and vice versa for IPL.

What does that mean for you? It means you could be investing a lot of money into a treatment that isn’t right for you.

Both IPL and laser hair removal use light to destroy your hair follicle. So, which one’s better? At Brazilian Butterfly, we have both laser hair removal and IPL machines, so we don’t favour one over the other. If we’re honest, one machine isn’t better than the other. It comes down to your hair and skin colour and which machine can achieve the best result for you.

Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal is the most common type of hair removal… It’s a monochromatic device, which means it only has one specific wavelength of light that it emits. If you have fair skin and dark hair, you are likely to have great results from this machine, however, if your hair isn’t dark and your skin isn’t fair, then this may not be your best option as the light emitted may not be attracted to your hair follicle to destroy it.

IPL Hair Removal

Unlike laser, IPL hair removal is poly-chromatic, which means the settings of the IPL machine can be changed to suit a range of skin and hair colours. Don’t have fair skin or dark hair? Then this is the device for you.

Pain factor

Both Laser and IPL devices have cooling systems on them to help minimize the pain you feel. While both treatments can be less painful than a wax, most clients will still feel a snapping pain, similar to an elastic band flicking against the skin. Some of our clients experience less pain with IPL than laser, but it really comes down to how your individual skin reacts to the treatment.

At the end of the day, when you remove the marketing spin and bias it all comes down to wavelengths. You need a machine that’s wavelength can penetrate your skin colour and is attracted to the colour of your hair so it reaches your hair follicle to destroy it.

Next time you see a Facebook post, blog or review spruiking a laser or IPL service, make sure you look to see what type of machine that salon uses, you’ll probably find they are pushing what they have which may not be right for you.

At Brazilian Butterfly, before we start any treatment plan we hold a thorough consultation with you, with one of our experienced therapists. In this free, no obligation consultation we will conduct a thorough skin analysis to determine which machine and settings will achieve the best result for you. We then carry out a patch test to ensure you have no adverse reactions to the treatment and to ensure you know what to expect at your first appointment.

If you are interested in further information or would like a thorough skin and hair analysis to determine what is best for you, you can visit our website to find your nearest salon or to book.