Both techniques have the same mode of action:the devices send a flash of light which turns into heat (70°C) on contact with the melanin of the hair and burns it. The technical difference? The laser is monochrome, that is, its flash is a single color (red for hair removal), while the pulsed light is full color and must be adjusted to send a flash that targets only melanin hairs (with another setting, the same device can treat pigment spots). In terms of efficiency, they are equal, but on several conditions:
1/ The hairs to be treated must not be in the state of down (this is why the area to be depilated must always be shaved before the session, in order to transform any down into hair) and must be in anagen phase (=growth);
2/ The device must be correctly adjusted in order to deliver the right amount of energy:if the power is too high, it can burn the skin, if it is too low, the hair will not be destroyed.
Good to know:pulsed light is less precise than laser, so we need more sessions to achieve the same result (but since the sessions are less expensive, financially, it's kif-kif).
And besides, most devices do not promise it. It makes sense:for safety reasons, they are restricted (about 3 times less powerful than medical devices or aesthetic practices) and all use pulsed light. The idea? Propose a new way of depilating:every 2 weeks, we shave then we flash with the machine. From the first session, the hairs grow back finer and more slowly. After a number of sessions, hairless areas were observed. Good to know:it is not recommended to use a homemade device when following a hair removal protocol at the doctor's office (there is a risk of minimizing the action of the medical laser), but once you have finished, you can avoid doing touch-up sessions by treating regrowth with the device at home.
Yes… but not on all hairs. As the devices target the melanin of the hair, they are most effective when the skin is white and the hair black. But it's not a bad thing for the others (phew!). For very light or red hair, pulsed light is recommended, because as it is polychrome (=it has a multitude of wavelengths), it is more likely to properly target the melanin of blond or red hair. For black hair on black skin, the Nd:YAG laser is often prescribed, because its wavelength makes it possible to target the hair without flashing the melanin of the skin (therefore without risking burning it). In the end, the only case where laser hair removal or pulsed light is impossible is when the hair is white, therefore totally devoid of melanin. There, the only solution, electric hair removal:a needle is inserted into the hair canal and destroys it via an electric current (long and painful, we prefer to warn you).
