Page 12 - Blog Posts v1

The temperature and time are dependently linked - we can cook the germ cells at a lower temperature for a longer time, or at a higher temperature for a shorter time - it really doesn’t matter which!
How hot the hair becomes is actually quite trivial! The most important factor is how much energy is delivered into the follicle - THAT is what determines the final outcome! (I'm going to write a post about this topic soon...)
How do the technologies compare?
If used correctly, they are pretty much the same (apart from the quality!)
Let’s say you want to go to the local supermarket one Sunday morning. You might decide to drive there, or walk, or ride a bike or hire a helicopter! They all give you the same result - they just take different times.
Lasers and IPLs are the same - they can all generate the same results, but only if used correctly.
There are two main differences:
The first is that each system will interact with the epidermal melanin to a different extent. Alexandrite lasers will likely induce more epidermal damage compared with the other systems, purely because of its higher absorption. So these systems tend to be used only on the lighter sin tones, while Nd:YAG laser are 'best' for darker skins.
The second main difference is versatility. Most of the skin procedures we apply today are based on preferential absorption of the light energy. To achieve this we must target certain chromophores in the skin - melanin, haemoglobin, water etc. The absorption coefficients of these chromophores dictate which wavelengths we must use, to maximise the amount of energy absorbed.
IPLs offer a wide range of wavelengths, usually from around 400nm up to 1200nm. Using filters, we can choose which range of wavelengths to apply. This, therefore, means that an IPL can target all of the above chromophores and treat a wide range of skin conditions.
The lasers above are much more limited since they only generate one wavelength each.
Incidentally, I often see a lot of nonsense about lasers being more ‘direct’ or ‘penetrate deeper’ or ‘more efficient’. These are all nonsense claims, usually from laser salesmen trying to push a sale!
The reality is that IPLs are more difficult to learn to use properly. This has resulted in them having a bad reputation, but that’s mostly because their users don’t know how to get the best out of them.
Mike’s Blog Posts 12