Timing is always of the utmost importance, and the same can be said with regard to hair removal, no matter what method you use. If you want the best results, you have to do it when the time is just right so that your efforts don’t go to waste.

You might be wondering, in terms of time, how long between IPL hair removal treatments do you have to wait before attending the next session? The short answer is, it varies, you can expect your hair removal sessions to be spaced between six to ten weeks because the laser light only works during your hairs’ growth phase. During this time, the laser light will hit the hair follicles during the active growth phase ensuring that the IPL treatment work effectively. Therefore, 4 to 6 treatment sessions are needed to target ALL hair in the active growth cycle. 

In other words, it will take between about four to six session spaced between six to ten weeks apart in order for the IPL treatment to get rid of your unwanted hair. Don’t worry if you do not get a 100% smooth skin result because in some cases, you will need to do additional sessions to get the full benefit of permanent hair removal. 

If you are being treated by a professional then you have nothing to worry about, because they will inform you when you should come in again for the next set of IPL treatments. However, if you are an independent person who wants to try doing it yourself using one of the do-it-yourself IPL devices in the comfort of your own home, then we will be happy to show you what to look for before doing your next session.

How To Take Care Of Skin After First IPL Session?

First thing’s first, here are a few of the post-IPL hair removal do’s and don’ts. Like any method of hair removal, you may experience some redness and skin irritation that is perfectly normal. Don’t worry about that, both should go away after a few hours. 

However, if you feel uncomfortable, you can treat it with some OTC medicine like Tylenol in order to reduce the pain. You can even apply some aloe vera gel in order to soothe the sensitivity, as it has excellent cooling and soothing qualities for irritation.

You should do your best to avoid the sun. It is strongly recommended by dermatologists to avoid the sun completely for the first 24 hours, but you should also minimize exposure to the sunlight for at least a week. If you do go out, make sure to wear sunscreen, especially those with a high SPF like 50. 

If you are someone who spends a lot of time in the sun, even though I strongly advise against it, don’t just apply sunscreen once and then think that you are covered. You should re-apply sunscreen every two hours in order to achieve maximum protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays.

Your skin has just gone through a delicate treatment, making it more sensitive, so you should avoid any further skin treatments, at least for two weeks after your first IPL session. This is just a grace period that gives your skin some time to relax and heal.

Don’t forget to exfoliate. You might not like the idea of scrubbing an already sensitive area, but I’m not saying you should exfoliate after the first day. Wait 7-10 days before your first scrub in order to remove dead skin cells and dead hairs that will shed from the IPL treatment. 

Remember to exfoliate gently – scrubbing too much, too often and too rough will definitely cause further damage to your skin. 

Doing IPL sessions at Home? How Long Between IPL Hair Removal Treatments?

One thing you should know about doing IPL treatments yourself at home is that it is a process that takes time. If you want to see the results, you will have to be a little patient. Unlike laser hair removal, you don’t have to wait weeks before using your IPL device again. 

Whether you are doing it with a professional or at home, you will need to perform the treatment two or three times a week. This will only be necessary for the first three to six months of your treatment. 

While you may not see hair growing after the first session, you will have to continue using the IPL device in order to maximize its effectiveness. The hairs will stop growing, but the ultimate goal of using IPL hair removal is to permanently reduce the overall hair growth. 

So, continued use is necessary. Once you’ve noticed that fewer and fewer hair has grown back, and after long periods of time, then you can reduce the number of times you use your IPL device to twice a week. 

Eventually, you will only have to use it whenever a rogue and stubborn hair grow every once and a while.

Why Do You Need So Many IPL Hair Removal Sessions?

Just like laser hair removal, IPL is only effective after numerous treatments. But why? The reason for this is because of your hair and their life cycles. 

No single hair on your body is at the exact same stage of its growth cycle as another hair. They are all growing at different rates and each is in a different stage. 

There are three stages in a hair’s growth cycle: anagen (the actively growing stage), catagen (the transitional stage), and telogen (the stage where the follicle is dormant and the hair is free to shed). 

The best time to do damage to the hair follicle is when it is in the anagen stage and hair is actively growing. The light beams from your IPL device will not have any effect on hairs that are in the other two stages. 

However, there is no way for you to know what stage each individual hair is in at the moment. This means that you will have to continuously use your IPL device over a long period of time in order to damage the follicles whenever they are finally in the anagen stage.

Why Do IPL Treatments Need To Be Performed Over Long Periods Of Time?

If you’re wondering it takes months of continuous treatments to see the results, it’s as I’ve stated before – you need to damage the follicle when it is in the actively growing stage of the hair’s growth cycle. But why does it take so long? 

Hairs on the different parts of your body each have a different length of their growth cycle. For example, your armpit’s hair has a growth cycle of five months, while your leg hair has a growth cycle of ten to twelve months.

And unfortunately, there is no way of knowing in which stage your hair is in at the moment.

The only thing you will notice is when you use your IPL device and after a week there are still hairs that have not shed. This just goes to show that the hair follicles weren’t damaged during the treatment, which means that they are in either the catagen or telogen stage. 

All you can do is continue to use your IPL device two or three times a week until you notice the reduction of hair.

Keep in mind that you should not overdo it with IPL treatments – two or three times a week is enough. Daily sessions will only damage your skin so it would be best to avoid the urge to beam the intense light on your skin every day. 

Thanks for reading the articled titled, “How Long Between IPL Hair Removal Treatments”. I do hope you enjoyed the read and learnt something from it. You may now visit the main IPL hair removal page, IPL product reviews or see what is available on the main Hair removal page.