Can IPL Hair Removal Cause Skin Cancer

IPL Hair Removal And Skin Cancer Risks

IPL6000Q Remington Pro Plus QuartzMany people who think of doing IPL hair removal worry about skin cancer dangers. Read here all about IPL hair removal and skin cancer risks. There are many IPL hair removal systems for home hair removal, and there are many professional IPL systems used at the beauty salons preforming millions of treatments each year on thousands of clients.

This post is not a medical post, it includes general information, and in any medical issue you should consult your doctor. You should refer to your doctor to get diagnosed for skin cancer and learn what are signs to watch for.

IPL Light Not Cancerous

IPL light is an intense white light meaning it has a wide spectrum of light waves. Laser is a single wavelength beam which has a color depends on the wavelength beam used.

When IPL is used for hair removal, a bright flash of light is seen, like a camera flash. When this flash of light reaches the skin, it gets absorbed by the hair (as long as the hair is dark and the skin is pale). The dark hair gets heated by the light energy and the hair gets disables in the hair follicle.

The IPL light itself has no cancerous effect! IPL hair removal does not cause skin cancer.

IPL Hair Removal Technology

All IPL uses light energy to create the heat. Compared to laser hair removal the IPL light energy used is rather low. For example, professional laser systems for hair removal use 150-250 joules per cm² per second. This is an extremely high energy of light which creates painful zaps at the skin, burning away the hairs it treats. TRIA laser uses up to 24  joules per cm² per second, which as you can notice is a fraction of the energy used by professional systems at the hair removal clinics.

Most IPL systems you can buy for home treatments use a ‘standard’ 4 joules per cm² per second. So compared to laser hair removal the IPL systems  use less light energy. The IPL technology secret is by the intense flash speed, the flash is so fast it creates atoms movement caused by the heat and cooling which happens right after.

The while IPL light is has a wide spectrum, meaning the light has many wavelengths from 500-1200 nano meter. Laser beams use a single wavelength, usually 808 nano meter which is red color.

Skin Cancer Risks

The main cause for the development of skin cancer  is the exposure to the sun. Between other reasons the long lasting side effects of sun exposure can result in the development of skin cancer symptoms.

Do not expose the skin to the sun before and after IPL hair removal treatments, wear sun screen creams and lotions during the days between the IPL hair removal sessions. Do not treat dark skin because the light will be absorbed by the skin and not the hair, which will cause heat burns and not hair removal.. Only the Me my ELOS technology can be used on dark and black skin.

Buying a Safe IPL System for Home

me my ELOS Pro Ultra Plus attachmentsThere are plenty of systems you can choose from, here are several IPL systems which are safe for home use:

 

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UK customers – Get your Me my ELOS Homedics system from Amazon.co.uk

Read More On Skin Cancer and Hair Removal

  1. Can You Get Skin Cancer From Laser Hair Removal
  2. How to Avoid Laser Hair Removal Hyperpigmentation
  3. 12 Medical Conditions Where Laser Hair Removal Is Forbidden
  4. Summer Laser Hair Removals Might Cause Skin Cancer

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