IPL Laser hair removal and the research behind it: Safety, Effectiveness, and Permanence

Considering the lack of regulations and standards around laser hair removal treatments, time and around many experts have expressed their concern about the risks this technology may pose to its consumers. Not only are there multiple clinical treatments to choose from, but also at-home treatments targeting hair removal. 

IPL Laser hair removal

IPL Laser hair removal at home is one of these options that has gained rapid momentum in the last few years.

• IPL Laser hair removal devices have made it possible for the common person to have access to a technology at-home, with which they can achieve the super-smooth, silky skin that they had only seen celebrities having!
• IPL machines provide similar results at-home as that from a professional Laser hair removal at a clinic. These hair removal devices, such as the Pulsar by EvenSkyn are one of the best at-home Laser hair removal treatments. They have been established as safe, effective, and permanent through various clinical trials.

Safety

The safety of IPL devices to be used at home has been a topic of concern among consumers, mainly because the users always associated the use of Laser with a clinic. However, IPL devices have been found to be very safe for use if the user follows the instruction manual strictly before using the device.

• Clinical research published in Lasers in Medical Science states that the existing evidence database of over 25 years of laser and IPL use, has not raised any concerns regarding its long-term safety. Only a few anecdotal cases of melanoma post-treatment over two decades of use have been identified. 
• It also stated that the repeated exposures to high-intensity IPL light, for example, even 52 treatment sessions over 6 months did not increase carcinogenicity or tumor formation.
• In a multicenter clinical study, 34 individuals showed no long-term complications after receiving three sessions of at-home IPL hair removal treatment.

Efficacy

There are several clinical efficacy studies that report a significant hair reduction with light-based home-use devices. 

• In a multicenter study, 34 individuals treated with a home IPL device thrice, showed an average hair clearance of 64% in a variety of anatomic locations 3 months after their last treatment. 
• In a clinical trial with 77 appropriate users, the at-home IPL laser was highly effective at removing hairs. A mean hair reduction of 61% was observed only 3 weeks after the first IPL treatment.
• In another clinical trial, all 20 users showed a positive clinical response to self-administered IPL treatment at-home, with reduction of unwanted hair. Hair counts were observed to be reduced from approximately 38% to 54%, 6 months after the last of the three treatments. 

Permanence 

IPL at-home hair removal devices have shown high satisfaction levels among users. This is mainly because the results from an IPL treatment are long-lasting, once the user has used it frequently and regularly for a few months.

• In a clinical trial with 20 IPL device users, the patient satisfaction scores were noted to be very high after seeing the results from just three self-administered treatment sessions. All patients stated that they would purchase the at-home IPL device for future use too.
• In another clinical study of 29 IPL device users, 84% of participants showed a significant percentage of hair reduction at the 6-month follow-up post the last of their three sequential weekly IPL treatments.

Sources:

1. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/the-pros-and-cons-of-at-home-laser-hair-removal/ 
2. https://www.choice.com.au/health-and-body/beauty-and-personal-care/hair-care-and-removal/articles/are-laser-treatments-and-ipl-safe
3. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322042
4. https://hairfreelife.com/ipl-hair-removal-what-are-the-risks-and-benefits/
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5653718/#CR11
6. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/45168175_Are_home-use_intense_pulsed_light_IPL_devices_safe
7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19401905/
8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19292837/
9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17659582/
10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19396717/