In a previous article we have already summarised what to look for when buying a permanent hair removal device for your home, and in this article we summarise the differences between our devices.

Since IPL technology can achieve spectacular and long-lasting results (not only in hair removal, but also in skin rejuvenation), it is not surprising that it has become so popular that there are now many devices available on the market. This means everyone can find the right device for their specific needs. 

Home IPL hair removal device comparison chart:

Laser or IPL hair removal device?

In the table above we have also included a laser hair remover (Tria 4x Home Laser Hair Remover) that we used to sell. Although the energy level is very high and it is a good device, the extremely small flash window – which is typical of lasers – makes a treatment so long that anyone who has one at home will not take it out. Imagine a 5-forint coin, and using it to flash all over your legs (or body). Its additional disadvantage for us is that facial rejuvenation and acne treatment and other functional lasers are not available, and there is no counter included.

How important is the number of flashes?

Above 400,000–500,000 flashes, every device has enough flashes to groom an entire family and also for maintenance treatments, so there is no need to worry and go for the highest flash count machine. And over time (5–10 years), all IPL lamps weaken, so a replaceable lamp is more important. Let us calculate the number of flashes needed for a series of treatments: we recommend weekly treatments for the first two months and then once a month for the next two months until you have been off treatment for 1.5 years. This gives a total of about 24 treatments per person. One treatment, if you treat your whole body, is 2,000–3,000 flashes depending on the size of the area and the number of times you go over an area. Even rounded up, it takes 100,000 flashes for the hair removal of one person. An unlimited number of flashes or a replaceable head may be practical for those who want to share the device with others. 

IPL device with unlimited number of flashes? Is this TRUE?

An unlimited number of flashes means that the machine can produce more than 1 million flashes. In fact, the figure should be 1 million, which would be realistic. As we are talking about Chinese devices, for example DEESS (DEESS GP591 Unlimited Flash IPL Hair Removal Device, DEESS GP590 3in1 Unlimited Flash IPL Hair Removal Device), it is hard to believe that flashes will be just as powerful indefinitely at the end of the service life of the product, or that they will not stop working above 1 million flashes, or that the 1 millionth flash will be just as powerful as the 100,000th flash because they do not contain quartz lamps. If you buy a device with an unlimited number of flashes, you should do so because of the design, power, capability, cooling, etc. Or because you would rather have 1 million flashes than 500,000 in your machine because a huge family of 20 people would use it every day:)

Why is it important to have as high an energy level as possible?

In short: more energy = better and faster results.  Men and people with light-coloured hair need to choose the strongest version. Big cosmetic machines work at 50J/cm2, but do not be scared of the energy level of home machines, obviously 5J/cm2 is very low, so it is worth investing in a home machine with as high an energy density as possible.

How important is integrated cooling?

For convenience only, as home devices do not burn and are not uncomfortable to use. A slight pinching sensation of heat can be experienced in more sensitive areas, the advantage of the cooling filament (e.g. in the case of DermaGene Light) is that even that pinching sensation of heat is barely felt, it is a nice cool sensation on the skin and you can even raise the energy level higher (i.e. better results) because you do not feel the heat as much.

How important are the size of the treatment window, the speed and the automatic/sliding mode?

All of these serve to make the treatment easier and faster, you decide how much time you want to spend on the treatment and how much a bigger flash window is worth (we think a bigger window is more important than speed). Sliding mode makes the treatment much more comfortable. There are devices where you can switch on automatic functions (e.g. DermaGene Light 3in1) and you do not even have to touch the flash button, as soon as the treatment head touches your skin, the device flashes. All you have to do is move it evenly. There are also devices where, if you keep the flash button pressed (e.g. DermaGene Quartz 5in1), the device flashes continuously. And there are devices where you cannot turn on such a feature. Sliding mode makes the treatment of larger areas (e.g. legs, arms) much easier and faster. For more delicate areas, like your face or bikini line, it is easier to use “stamp” mode: carefully place the head on the area before each flash. 

Number of functions: the more functions, the more usability.

Decide which features you need and choose according to your needs, but the Skin Rejuvenation feature is definitely recommended because it is great for the skin – you will love it! For vasodilatation treatment, you should only choose Quartz if you have tiny capillary dilatations that are reddish, not bluish and up to 1mm in diameter. (Such as a rosacea, for example). Many people mistake varicose veins for capillaries, but the device can only treat cobweb-like and thin capillaries (the treatment of larger ones is prohibited).