Should IPL always hurt?

[Rhona_]

Or at least, should you always feel discomfort if not pain?

I recently finished successful courses of permanent hair removal (VPL) on my underarms and bikini which left me pining for more! So I decided to buy a Groupon deal to get my 1/2 leg done. It's not a deal I would've gone for as a first timer (all the hair removal deals on there are just suspiciously cheap!) but I figured that they couldn't get away with "conning" me since I know exactly what to expect from the treatment.

Anyway, after the girl had asked me how I was with the other areas I'd had done, she told me that the machine they used was totally pain-free. This was during my consultation and I was thinking hmm, that sounds nice but not quite right!

On Wednesday I had my first treatment and I felt nothing. Nothing at all. Quite a change from my underarms and bikini! I'd trust it a lot more if I could feel any kind of sensation. There's been no changes in the hairs at all that I can tell.

So can anyone enlighten me in this subject?!

I've attached photos (hopefully..) of the machine, I'd hoped that I could do some research on the machine myself but I can't identify a brand or model!

 

[xxlouiseshanexx]

You will always feel a sensation, on the places where there is a lot of hair, for me it feels like a needle pricked into the skin, the pain only literally lasts for the flash, you won't feel anything if there is no hair there as there is nothing to react with xx (this is with IPL) obvs there is more sensitive areas like Hollywood etc xxx

 

[xxlouiseshanexx]

IPL works with pigment, I.e melanin in hair and pigmentation or haemoglobin in blood.
The light reacts with the pigment causing heat, this travels down the follicle to where the pigmentation melanocytes are thus in turn cauteriseing (sp) the blood flow to that particle follicle. So if no pigmentation no hear. It's hard to tell without seeing your hair but I guess from it using a 640 filter you have lighter or finer hair. And 24J does seem quite low but as I said its hard to determine without having a proper consultation xx

 

[Rhona_]

Thanks for your reply!

I actually have very dark hair, and light skin, so I got a great result on my underarms and Brazilian. I took these photos after the patch test (not the first treatment) so not sure if she used different settings for my actual treatment!

So I suppose I can presume if there's no sensation, then there's no work being done? That's what I'd suspected, but to be honest I hoped I'd be told otherwise! Not sure how the next 5 treatments are going to go then..!

 

[xxlouiseshanexx]

Thanks for your reply!

I actually have very dark hair, and light skin, so I got a great result on my underarms and Brazilian. I took these photos after the patch test (not the first treatment) so not sure if she used different settings for my actual treatment!

So I suppose I can presume if there's no sensation, then there's no work being done? That's what I'd suspected, but to be honest I hoped I'd be told otherwise! Not sure how the next 5 treatments are going to go then..!

No problem ! Like I said I can only really go on my own experience, I do IPL at least 2x a day. I use a cosmedico machine, but all the theory will be the same.
We always do our patch test with the same settings that will be used on the treatment area so the client can feel the sort of sensation through out the procedure.
At the end of your other course, we're there more and more areas which had less or slight no pain ? Xx