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What is the difference between IPL and diode laser hair removal?

In recent years, various laser clinics have emerged, as well as skin care salons that sell treatments to those who want laser/IPL hair removal.

By Jimmy Bergetun, General Manager •
Professional review: This article has been reviewed by Jimmy Bergetun, Managing Director at TBL Medical.

Comparison of Diode Laser and IPL for Hair Removal

It has become almost common knowledge that IPL laser is the best for everything, but is this really true?

What does IPL mean?

IPL is an abbreviation for Intense Pulsed Light, a light that is composed of different wavelengths of light, a light that moves in an uneven spread like a normal lamp light. In other words, IPL lasers are not lasers, even though most sellers market them to customers as laser treatments.
When using IPL for hair removal, the light will not be able to penetrate deep enough into the skin. The hair follicles located deeper in the skin will not be treated, which in turn leads to a poorer desired effect.

What does LASER mean?

Laser is an abbreviation for light amplification by stimulated emitted radiation. In other words, we call this light amplification by stimulated emitted radiation.
This can be explained simply as the use of a laser to synchronize radiation to a specific wavelength in order to achieve maximum effect.

IPL Systems

There are many different IPL systems on the market today – these systems have become very popular due to their low purchase price for clinics and the possibility of using different treatments with just one machine.
IPL machines have improved over the years, but you should ensure that your practitioner has extensive expertise and is familiar with the machine in order to achieve a good and safe result.
There are several clinical studies in which diode lasers, ruby lasers, and Alexandrite lasers come out on top in tests, requiring fewer treatments to achieve long-lasting results than when using IPL.

New Competency Requirements for Laser/IPL Practitioners

IPL is not classified as a laser and has therefore not previously been subject to the same radiation protection regulations as laser equipment. However, this changed in January 2011. The new radiation protection regulations were adopted and read as follows:

“Competence requirements – use of class 3B and 4 lasers, IPL and other powerful non-ionizing sources
The regulation specifies that class 3B and 4 lasers, IPL and other powerful non-ionizing sources must be operated by healthcare professionals for all intended use on humans, whether for medical or cosmetic purposes.”

For you as a customer, this means safer treatment, as only authorized healthcare personnel with relevant experience are allowed to use these machines. There must also be a responsible physician at the treatment site, or he/she must be able to be at the clinic within 1 hour in the event of unforeseen incidents.

So what does this actually mean for you as a customer?

The biggest difference you will experience as a customer is that you will need many more treatments with IPL (6-10 treatments) than with diode laser (3-5 treatments) to achieve the desired result. The total price, once treatment is complete, will therefore be considerably cheaper if you choose hair removal with diode laser as your treatment method.

Advantages of IPL

  • IPL hair removal equipment is inexpensive, so the investment for clinics is minimal (often costing a tenth of what a diode laser costs).
  • IPL is a technology that works very well with other forms of treatment.

What are the downsides of IPL?

  • Greater risk of burns to the skin.
  • More painful treatment for the customer, as most IPL devices do not have built-in cooling
  • Less effective, the customer will need more treatments than when using a diode laser due to the broad spectrum of light delivered by IPL.
  • Cannot treat darker skin types as this poses a high risk of pigmentation changes and burns to the skin.
  • Cannot treat light/gray hair (this also applies to diode lasers)
  • Patients often need many more IPL treatments to achieve the desired result.

Advantages of Lightsheer Diode Laser

  • Lightsheer diode lasers operate at an optimal wavelength for hair removal, which allows the laser beam to reach deeper hair roots. This means that diode lasers can destroy hair roots, whereas IPL only causes the hair to fall out.
  • Using Lightsheer diode lasers for hair removal means fewer treatments for the customer and, in turn, lower costs than when using IPL.
  • The Lightsheer diode laser is designed solely for removing unwanted hair.
  • Due to its exact wavelength, laser light is optimal.
  • Fast delivery of "shots" (faster treatment and less pain)
  • Built-in cooling makes treatment more comfortable.
  • Fewer treatments, normally 3-5 as opposed to IPL 6-10.
  • Can treat dark skin types.

What are the disadvantages of diode lasers?

  • Diode lasers are expensive for clinics to purchase.
  • More frequent service intervals for equipment.
  • High cost of servicing the equipment.
  • Many clinics sell IPL treatments as if they were laser treatments.
  • After reading this, we hope you have a better understanding of the difference between IPL and laser and can more easily decide which treatment you want to choose.
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