Intense Pulsed Light Hair Removal is an effective and fast way to get rid of excess hair. There are some characteristics that make the process even more effective and some types of hair and skin that are easier to remove. The process is also influenced by the photo type of the skin, the phase of growth the hair is in and the characteristics of the hair itself, such as its thickness or density. Let's take a closer look.

The color of the hair is a key in this process. IPL hair removal works in combination with melanin, so the more melanin in present in the hair (that is the darker is the hair), the better results will be achieved. White and gray hair won't give any result while blond hair can be treated but results are not certain. Only IPL is able to remove blond hair or reduce appreciably their number, while laser hair removal can't do it. If hair are thin or light it is more difficult to remove them for the same reason (lack of melanin concentration).

The skin photoype is the grade of darkness of the skin. Dark skins make the IPL hair removal harder to perform because the melanin is present also in the skin and the treatment is dispersed. Also, as melanin interacts with the intense pulsed light, skin burns may appear.

Another factor related to melanin is hair thickness and hair density. The higher the density, the better the removal because the light will be strongly attracted and converted into heat to burn the follicle and prevent further hair growth.

Last but not least the hair goes through phases, and the IPL hair removal should be performed during the active growing phase, to reduce it. If you perform IPL during the regression phase the removal won't be very effective as the hair can grow again. After the removal it may seem that the hair is actually growing  but it's just the cause of the epidermis renewing that will eventually drop the hair off. The hair life cycle phase is important to understand because it explains the fact that an effective IPL hair removal needs more than one session and sessions must be at least two months apart one from the other, to give the hair time to go through the two regression phases and return to the growing one.

Source: IPL Hair Removal Guide