Comparison of hair reduction by intensive pulsed light device and combined intense pulsed light with a bipolar radiofrequency.

Background: Photoepilation has become a very popular epilation procedure in esthetic and cosmetic practice. There are some types of lasers and other light sources used for epilation.

Aims: The purpose of our study was to compare an IPL device with an IPL plus RF in one device, using a within-patient, right-left controlled study design.

Patients/methods: Thirty-three patients completed four treatment sessions and the follow-up period of the study.

Results: Hair reduction was effective after the first treatment, but similar results were achieved using the IPL system alone, and with IPL combined with RF. The degree of hair reduction increased after the following treatments, but the two methods yielded similar effects. Three months after the last treatment, some hair had regrown in both treatments, the combined IPL with RF treatment gave significantly better results than the IPL treatment alone.

Conclusions: In conclusion, IPL and IPL-RF are effective hair reduction therapies, yielding similar effects in patients with skin phototypes II or III. However, IPL-RF can be more effective in long-term observations. These therapies are also safe and regarded be quite comfortable in this population.