The flash lamps issue

The flash lamp is not a laser, but simply a strong lamp. Its light is spread on a large infrared spectrum and does not penetrate very deeply into the skin. The results of hair removal using this technique are thus not very convincing – except in exceptional cases. It treats the coarse and dark hair at the beginning of the treatment. But the treatment becomes inefficient even faster than with the laser diodes, and sessions have to be scheduled very regularly so as to keep a clear skin.

Even worse: hair are often stimulated by this process, as they are attacked without being destroyed. There exists a large range of flash lamps, from the most basic (10.000 CHF) to top‑of‑the‑line medical devices (90.000 CHF approximately). These devices are used for facial skin rejuvenation. Indeed, their main advantage is to induce burns, so that a new skin is created. It is obvious that such devices must be handled by medical experts only: the potential risks are to induce severe lesions such a deep burns or permanent depigmentation.

The problem currently met with flash lamps (also called IPL for Intense Pulsed Light) is that their use is completely unregulated and that anybody can buy one and use it. Laser manufacturers probably imagine they can make more money by selling many of these cheap machines than by selling expensive lasers to a few practitioners only... Many clients have been seduced by the promise of equipment manufacturers: a modest investment that will bring in money… Aestheticians are constantly harassed by salesmen promising the world. Eventually, patients, who have paid large sums of money without reaching any convincing results, are disappointed, and are exposed to high burn and stimulation risks