Quick Guide to IPL Epilation: This Way It’ll Work Without the Burns!

1. IPL is not a laser! IPL is intense pulsed light. The pulses can’t be perceived by the naked eye, but appear as a single flash instead. “Although devices for home use declare that pulsed light can be used safely without the risk of eye damage, I would personally still prefer to get protective glasses for regular treatments,” says Ivana Pokorná from the Formositas Aesthetic Medicine Clinic regarding the safety of IPL. 

2. Check your skin type and the colour of your hair. IPL hair removal is particularly ideal for fair skin with dark hair, which allows the pulsed light to find its target most easily (it goes after melanin, the pigment in your hair). The pulsed light searches specifically for the follicle, which it disrupts and, with repeated use, permanently destroys. 

Each device has a specified spectrum of the appropriate skin tone, and the latest models of IPL epilators have sensors that can monitor the skin colour: if it appears to be too dark, the light won’t be released. IPL isn’t too effective on hair with minimal pigment (light or red hair), and will have no effect at all on grey hair which has lost its pigment altogether. 

3. Make a plan. You need to start before summer because your skin shouldn’t be exposed to direct sunlight after IPL treatments. Also, the hair won’t stop growing all at once, but gradually. How often should you use an IPL epilator? Generally once a week for the first and second month, once every two weeks for the third month, then once a month for up to a year from when the treatment started. And from then on, only once every six months. If you get a fancier device with an app, feel free to use it; it will also help you with timings.

4. Watch your tan. Darkening your skin in combination with IPL isn’t a good idea. “If you’re still thinking about risking it, you should know that doing so may cause unwanted depigmentation in the treatment area,” warns Ivana Pokorná. In other words, you could lose your tan on the area treated with IPL.

5. Shave first. The first time I used my IPL epilator was a disaster. I didn’t shave. Because I don’t read instruction manuals and I just expect to get away with it. Well, I wasn’t so lucky that time. And every hair got burned. 

So dedicate one evening to shaving the area – a regular razor is fine – and on the following evening, when you can see black dots on your skin from the hairs growing again, that’s when you epilate. The light will find the hair at just the right stage of growth!

6. Hop in the shower. If your underarms are your target area, then they shouldn’t only be shaved but also clean. No antiperspirant residue! And facial hair removal comes after you’ve removed your makeup and cleansed your face.

7. Use attachments. If your epilator has them, use special attachments for your legs, groin and face. The one for your legs is the largest, to make epilation faster. The one for your face is the smallest, for a more targeted treatment. 

8. Remind yourself what a right angle looks like. Because the epilator head needs to be kept at exactly 90° to your skin. It takes a while to get the hang of it (it took me a while to master the back of my calves!), but IPL devices are designed so that the light only flashes when they are positioned well. 

9. Forget about IPL when pregnant. And you should also avoid it if you have diabetes (the skin is sensitive) or epilepsy (the flashes). 

10. Skip tattoos and freckles! This is because you’d only irritate the skin in the area (IPL targets dark pigment, remember?). IPL isn’t suitable either for those with eczema or psoriasis, etc.

11. Test for the right light intensity. Every skin has a different degree of sensitivity. If your skin is normal in this respect, the colour of your skin determines the right IPL intensity. The darker it is, the more gentle the pulses should be. And if you’re doing a patch test for the first time, be sure to start on a low intensity and work your way up. IPL shouldn’t be painful. 

12. Don’t lend your IPL device to men! The structure of their hair is different, so some companies have already come out with special IPL epilators for men – the Braun Silk-expert Pro 5 PL5115 IPL, for example. But even with them, gentlemen should never experiment on their beards. The devices are too powerful for that, so the risk of burns would be high. 

13. Skip intimate areas! Although IPL treatment is suitable for the bikini area, i.e. the “bikini line”, it does not belong directly on the genitalia. It’s three times as painful there!

14. Moisturise when you’re done. When you’re done with your IPL treatment, apply a moisturising cream or body lotion. I particularly love moisturising gels with aloe vera. You’ll love how smooth your skin is as well. 

15. Don’t forget about SPF. If you want to avoid skin irritation after your IPL treatment, wait at least 24 hours before exposing it to the sun and always have the highest protection factor at hand. 

16. Don’t pluck your hair between treatments. It takes several weeks for the follicle to fully form again, so epilation done before then won’t be very effective. 

And you’re done. You won’t find a more concise guide to IPL epilation. And next time you can look forward to a bunch of reviews of specific IPL epilators that we’ve been testing in the editorial office for weeks!