Unwanted and excessive hair can be a pain to live with. Shaving and plucking takes time and can damage and hurt skin surface. Moreover, you shave the hair one day, and after a day or two, it's there again. Luckily, permanent hair removal is now available in many spas and clinics all over the Tampa. However, permanent hair removal via laser treatment should be a carefully made decision because the wrong choice could badly affect your skin and your health.
Two competing laser hair treatments are now on the market and there have been mixed reviews on the matter of which is better. The Candela GentleLASE treatment and the Intensive Pulse Light (IPL) treatments have been head to head in the competition for permanent hair removal, and as a potential client, one should know which treatment will best suit your hair treatment needs (and budget).
First of all, we need to get familiar with laser technology. What exactly does laser do to keep hair from growing back? Generally, laser uses a thin light beam that is able to pass through the skin. A cooling device or gel is used from harm burns. The light, with varying wavelengths, then targets the darker pigments within the skin called melanin. Hair has melanin which makes it a main target for the laser. As the laser hits the root and the follicle, the hair is instantly destroyed and will simply fall off. And since there are various skin and hair colors, research has shown that the best results have been observed with patients with darker skin and hair. Blondes and redheads sometime need more sessions than brunettes or those with black hair.
Intense Pulse Light treatment comes in many forms. There is the Super Long Pulse Light or (SLPL), the Variable Pulse Light or VPL, and Square Pulse Light (SPL). Basically, anything with PL means it uses IPL technology. One important note is that, IPL is not actually a laser treatment but is rather a technology that uses light energy. Like the name, it uses pulses of light to target hair follicles so it can heat it up with intense light. However, the light cannot be continuously in contact with the skin because it can cause burns, which is why it is applied in a pulsating manner. A cooling gel needs to be applied prior to the treatment to keep it from burning and damage. Several sessions of IPL can possibly permanently stop further hair growth (mostly for darker hair).
Candela GentleLASE treatment does use a laser that penetrates deep into the skin, avoiding skin surface damage with a dose of cryogen. It uses coherent light with uniform wavelengths that targets dark pigments like hair follicles. It uses a longer wavelength of light which enables it to reach deeper into the skin. The spot size of the light is wider that that of the IPL.
According to dermatologists, deeper skin penetration ensures less damage to the skin. Candela GentleLASE wins the race with its longer light waves. Also, this type of wavelength has better precision ability in terms of targeting the hair follicles. In terms of price, however, IPL would be your best option for a small budget. It would set you back $300 to $475 while GentleLASE would cost about $50 to $100 more. But the higher price does have its perks because surveys have shown less sessions are with Candela GentleLASE. Many have also testified with the GentleLASE.
Lasers and IPLs have been used for permanent other treatments like skin rejuvenation for many years. It has also been used for weight loss ,body sculpting, and cellulite reduction treatments (ex: Velashape) in place of actual plastic surgery and liposuction. Now that it has reached hair treatment processes, one must remember that a more precise and coherent application of light energy does a better job in destroying unwanted hair with less downtime and side effects.
Choose the right laser hair removal treatment for yourself. Consult with your clinic in Tampa before getting the actual treatment. Lose unwanted hair on your face, underarms, legs, chest, back, and bikini area. Instead of a wax treatments like a Bikini or Brazilian wax, why not try a more effective and permanent way of losing unwanted hair?