IPL Hair Removal @ Strip

Summer is just around the corner and that means only one thing, the dreaded (for some) swimsuit season is upon us. We all want to shed our clothes as the mercury rises, but this is the season where all our lumps, bumps and unwanted hair will be laid bare for all to see. Shaving and waxing can be uncomfortable and just plain time consuming when there are so many outdoor activities to attend, so Talk tried out semi-permanent hair removal treatment, IPL, at the city’s favourite hair pruners, Strip.

Strip now have four locations in the city and we booked in for an appointment their flagship Shanghai store on Xinle Lu (158 Xinle Lu, near Donghu Lu. Tel: 5403 0011). This sassy hair removal establishment is fun and friendly with a bevy of young girls, fluent in English, eager to help or answer any questions you might have. The quirky brand image is reinforced throughout the interior design right down to the promotional leaflets and so clear is their message that after going in for a hair removal session you will leave wanting semi permanent make-up, fake eyelashes and brow shaping at sister studio browhaus. This company knows what it is doing, and you feel safe in the knowledge that the staff are professional and the treatments are safe.

IPL (intense pulsed light) hair removal treatment uses a broad spectrum of high-intensity focused light to destroy and weaken existing hair and hair follicles through heat energy, thereby stopping hair growth. IPL works best when hair is in the active growth phase as the light energy emitted forces the hair into a resting phase. As the hair starts to grow back after treatment, it will begin to shed naturally and regrowth will be reduced with less noticeable, thinner hairs. For the best result, the treatment should be carried out over the course of six to eight sessions every four to six weeks, depending on which part of the body you are targeting. The treatment is safe as the machine only delivers the maximum needed energy level required to destroy the hair follicles. IPL hair removal works best on people with light skin and dark hair and is, unfortunately, not as effective on people with dark skin or very light hair. Most people can expect hair reduction ranging from 75% to 80% but for blonde or red-haired clients, results can range from 25% to 60% depending on the amount of melanin present in the hairs.

Our therapist, Ada, escorted us to the treatment room. Although she shyly admitted upon our first encounter that her English was not good, she stunned with her technical vocabulary when it came to hair removal.

We had been told not to wax or shave before the treatment so that the therapist could clearly see the area and colour of hair she was dealing with. Once this initial inspection was over, Ada carefully shaved the hair away. The IPL machine was wheeled out and we were given protective glasses to shield our eyes from the light. A cooling collagen gel was applied to the area about to be treated and without any more fuss, the IPL wand was quickly moved back and forth over the area as it happily flashed, zapped and beeped away. Ada told us that some clients may feel a mild prickly discomfort or heat at this point but we did not notice this. The only sensitive area we felt was when the light picked up ingrowing hairs, but this feeling paled in comparison to the discomfort of waxing. We were also happy to hear that this treatment would combat our unsightly ingrown hairs, as the light would be absorbed by these hair follicles leading to the hair follicles shrinking and eventually the hair falling out naturally after gentle exfoliation. We started to notice the heat of the machine when the collagen gel was wearing off, but it was frequently replaced throughout the treatment. Ada told us that if the discomfort became too much, she could either apply more collagen gel or turn down the intensity of the light, however, this would lead to a less effective IPL session.

The 40-minute treatment was all over before it had even begun and the discomfort we expected to feel never came around. A cream was applied to calm the skin, reduce redness and repair the skin cells. We were also bought a soothing moisturiser and instructions not to have a hot shower, sauna, do intensive exercise or go swimming for the next 24 hours and told not to exfoliate or sun tan for one week. Tweezing and waxing between sessions is also banned but shaving is ok after one to two weeks. Since our session, we have not experience any discomfort with hair regrowth and we have begun to notice a reduction in hair growth. Although expensive, we believe that this IPL treatment will pay for itself by making regular and uncomfortable waxes obsolete in the near future. Time will now tell how effective the IPL treatment has been, and if we are one of the lucky cases that experiences an 80% reduction in hair growth. Here’s hoping!