Review (4/5): IPL hair remover works well, good ergonomics
The latest craze in hair removal is IPL: Intense Pulsed Light. Owing to improved light technology, hand held devices that can provide the requisite intensity light to perform IPL at home and at an affordable price are now available.
I've tried a number of these IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) devices for hair removal.
At this point, I can say that these IPL devices all work pretty similarly, with only a few differnces separating them. Among the most significant differences:
** Does the device only address hair removal, or does it also promise to do "skin rejuvenation" or help with acne?
** Does the device offer the "ice" functionality, where a heat-sink near the flash head reduces the effective heat at the skin
** Does the device offer a LCD readout of info such as number of flashses left, power level, etc
** What are the ergonomics of the device itself: Gun shaped or tube shaped or...?
** Does the device include attachments that modify the shape/size of the head for focused use in places like the lips?
** What is the maximum number of flashes for which the device is rated (most devices are rated for 500,000-1,000,000 flashes, which is equivalent to a lifetime)
If all you need is hair removal, just about all the devices offer that, and should provide equivalent functionality.
This one is mid-priced, and offers typical, functionality for a mid-line IPL gun:
** Hair removal only
** No ice functionality
** LCD screen
** Comfortable gun shape
** No attachments to change the flash end shape
** Rated for 500,000 flashes, 5 power levels.
Operation is pretty trivial: You plug in the power supply, (the hair removal tool is NOT battery operated; you must have it plugged in), you choose the power level (five settings, chosen by rapidly pushing the power button)) and then you aim it at a body area with hair you'd like to remove. It is recommended that your body is freshly cleaned and that the hair be shaved before starting. You can choose either on-demand flashing (via the trigger button on the gun-shaped body) or else automatic flashing when skin contacted is detected. Switching between the modes is accoplished by a long press of the gun button. Auto mode is indicated by flashing of the power indicator bars.
The light is extremely powerful and could damage your eyes with continued direct exposure. Therefore, you should never look directly into the light and a cheap pair of folding protective eyeglasses are included in the box.
The light is triggered by a touch-sensitive metal area in the front of the device. Using very slow-motion photography, I was able to capture a snapshot of the light (see photos). But the light duration is extremely short.
You run the tool over the area where you want to remove hair, and make sure you exposure all the hair follicles in that region. You will not see any immediate results. The light signals your hair to stop growing, but it requires multiple treatments over several weeks before you will be expected to see results. Eventually, you should find a substantial reduction in the hair in the treated areas.
In the box, you get the tool, a power adapter, a cheap pair of sunglasses, a disposable razer, an instruction booklet, and some non-descript cotton-tipped swabs.
This device only offers one mode: Hair removal. Other IPL devices offer other modes (skin rejuvenation and acne treatment). Whether that's a loss depends on whether you believe those other modes really work anyhow. The jury is out.
The ergonomics of this IPL device are good. It's gun-shaped, which I find to be comfortable in the hand. The power attaches to the bottom/end of the gun, which gives good flexibility in aiming the gun and does not interfere with holding the gun in a way where you can see the LCD.
Overall, this IPL gun does what it promises to do, and offers an LCD screen and good ergonomics. This isn't the cheapest IPL device you can find, but the combination of gun-shaped ergonomics and LCD readout are nice.
Pros:
** Hair removal IPL, simple to use
** Convenient, easy to hold and point gun shape
** LCD readout of number of flashes left and power level. Also indicates the mode (automatic, manual).
Cons:
** Not the cheapest IPL device offering hair removal