HeySilkySkin™ IPL Laser Hair Removal Handset

IPL gives long-term hair reduction rather than a one-and-done permanent result. After a full twelve-week course most people are left with far less hair, and what does grow back is finer and lighter. A top-up session every four to six weeks keeps it that way. No home device — and no clinic laser — can honestly promise that every hair is gone forever.

Most people notice visibly slower, patchier regrowth after three to four weeks of using the handset twice a week. The fullest result lands at the end of the twelve-week course. Coarse dark hair on legs and underarms usually responds fastest; finer hair on the face and arms takes longer.

No. Most people describe a warm flick, like a light elastic band, and nothing more. It is markedly less painful than waxing or epilating. Five intensity levels mean you start low and only move up when your skin is comfortable, so you stay in control the whole way.

Twice a week for the first twelve weeks, leaving three to four days between sessions. After that, once every four to six weeks is enough to maintain your results. Using it more often will not speed things up — hair only responds during its own growth phase.

Not safely at the deepest tones. IPL is guided by the pigment in your hair, so it needs contrast between dark hair and lighter skin. On deep skin tones the light is absorbed by the skin instead of the hair, which risks burns and pigment change. Check the skin tone guide on this page — if you sit at the deep end of it, we would rather you asked a clinic about an Nd:YAG laser than bought this handset.

No. IPL targets melanin, and blonde, red, grey and white hair does not contain enough of it to absorb the light. The handset works on black and dark brown hair, and gives a good but slower response on mid-brown. If your hair is fair, an IPL device of any brand will disappoint you.

Yes, on the upper lip, chin, cheeks and jawline, using the lower intensity levels. Stay below the cheekbones and never flash near the eyes, eyebrows or eyelids. Do not use it on the eyebrows themselves — the hair will not grow back the way you expect.

Yes. The bikini line and Brazilian area are among the most popular places to use it, and doing it at home means no salon appointment and no stranger involved. The skin there is more sensitive, so start at intensity one or two and build up.

Yes — shave the area clean and dry it before every session. The light needs to reach the follicle under the skin, and hair above the surface only absorbs energy and scorches. Never wax, pluck or epilate between sessions: pulling the root out leaves the IPL nothing to target.

Clinic lasers use a single concentrated wavelength and are more powerful, so they can need fewer sessions. IPL uses a broader spectrum at a lower energy, so it takes more sessions to reach a comparable result — but you do those sessions at home, on your own schedule, for a one-time cost instead of $429 a session. For most people the end result is smooth skin either way; the difference is time and money.

Mild pinkness or warmth for an hour or two after a session is normal. Stop and drop an intensity level if you see lasting redness, blistering or any change in skin colour. Do not use the handset on tattoos, permanent makeup, moles, freckled patches you want to keep, broken skin, or recently tanned or sunburnt skin.

We do not recommend it. There is no evidence that IPL harms a pregnancy, but there is not enough research to say it is safe either, and pregnancy hormones change how hair grows anyway. The same goes for photosensitising medication such as some antibiotics, retinoids and St John’s wort — talk to your doctor first.

Yes. It works the same way on chest, back, shoulders, arms and legs, and coarse dark body hair tends to respond well. Do not use it on the face below the cheekbones if you want to keep a beard, and never on the genitals.

No. The handset ships with 1,000,000 flashes and a 12+ year use-life, which is far more than a lifetime of full-body courses. There is nothing to replace, recharge or subscribe to — you pay once.

A laser fires one precise wavelength; IPL fires a broad spectrum of light and filters out the rest. Laser is more powerful and more targeted, which is why clinics use it and why it costs what it costs. IPL is gentler and safe enough to use on yourself at home, at the cost of needing more sessions to get there.