The fight against unwanted body hair in both women and men is constant, and costs the UK in excess of £90m per year – the majority of which goes on shaving and depilatory products, but these will only offer short-term benefits to the user.
Unlike some cultures around the world, excessive body hair is generally considered unattractive in our society, and with the endless magazine articles, TV programmes and websites telling us how to look great and feel great, a huge social stigma has developed and medical experts are reporting massive increases in cases of tricophobia – fear of body hair.
Treatments Intense Pulsed Light, or IPL, uses short bursts of pure, filtered light so that the target structure, in this case hair follicles, break down and drastically limit their opportunity for re-growth. IPL is based on a scientific principle called ‘photothermolysis’, which, over a period of time, not only destroys the follicle itself without causing any damage to the skin, but it can alter the density and appearance of the hair until it becomes more or less unnoticeable.
Hair is essentially a band of protein called keratin, and the amount of melanin (pigment) the protein contains, determines your hair colour. The more melanin, the darker the hair. Since the treatment relies on light absorption in the pigment, IPL is at it’s most effective with dark hair and light skin.
Blonde or grey hair doesn’t contain enough melanin to absorb the light, so treatment can be ineffective, but if you are unsure, speak to one of our trained therapists and they will talk you though exactly what you need to know.
Hair growth is cyclical and goes through resting and growing phases. Only follicles in the growth stage (known as the ‘anagen’ phase) can be successfully treated and resting hair follicles need to enter the growth phase before they can be worked on. The length and timing of the growth cycles are affected by different factors such as body site, hair density, thickness, ethnic origin, hormonal status and age. Usually between six and ten treatments are needed and intervals between treatments are typically between one and three months.
Before the treatment, the area we’ll be working on will be shaved and then a thin layer of protective gel will be applied – similar to that used in ultrasound examinations – which maximises the absorption of the light.
For the vast majority of people, the treatment is pain-free, although due to the light pulses, you may feel a very light heat sensation or a minor tingling. This is absolutely normal and is no cause for concern.
There are a few minor housekeeping issues you need to be aware of for the treatment to have the desired effect. Don’t pluck or wax for four weeks prior to your appointment, or indeed during the course of your treatments. The same rule applies to sun treatments, as tanned skin will raise the pigment level and will have a detrimental effect on the treatments’ success.
For more information, advice and booking, please call us on 0800 756 9869 or email on jemma@jemma-upton.co.uk
