When it comes to at-home IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) hair removal, patience and consistency are your greatest allies. However, you will not have to wait forever to see smooth skin. While individual results depend on the specific body area, genetics, hormonal growth, and lifestyle factors, modern clinical studies show that noticeable changes happen much faster than you might think.

The Real Timeline: 

Forget the myth that you need a year to see progress. When using a high-quality at-home device like the FAUSTINA IPL, your hair reduction journey follows a predictable, clinically backed timeline:

• Weeks 1–4 (The Initial Phase): You will begin to notice the first visible signs of hair reduction. Treated hairs will start to shed naturally, and regrowth will feel much finer and slower.

• Weeks 4–8: You will see significant, patchy hair-free areas, with many users experiencing up to a 50–70% reduction in hair density.

• Weeks 12 and Beyond: Near-complete results are typically achieved, with up to an 85–95% permanent reduction in hair growth. At this stage, you switch from active treatment to a simple maintenance routine.

Why Different Areas Respond Differently

Different parts of your body progress at different rates. For instance, legs and underarms often respond beautifully and rapidly.

The face, however, requires a bit more time and persistence. Facial skin is highly driven by hormones, and a single square centimetre can contain up to five hundred hair follicles. Many of these follicles sit dormant (inactive) and can become active later due to hormonal shifts, triggering waves of fresh hair growth that require targeted follow-up sessions.

The Correct Treatment Routine

To maximize your results, you must align your sessions with your hair’s natural growth cycle. IPL energy is only absorbed by hair follicles that are in their active growth phase (anagen).

• The Active Phase: Treat your targeted areas once every 1 to 2 weeks for the first 12 weeks. This consistency ensures you catch the maximum number of follicles in their active phase.

• The Maintenance Phase: Once your skin is smoothly hair-free, reduce your treatments to once every 4 to 8 weeks (or simply as needed) to keep the hair roots dormant.

• A Note on Frequency: Do not use your IPL device more than once or twice a week. Treating the skin too frequently will not speed up the process—because it cannot force a hair follicle to change its natural growth cycle—and will only increase the risk of skin irritation.

Shaving is Your Only Partner

Between your scheduled IPL sessions, shaving is your only approved hair removal method. You can shave as often as you like, including right before a treatment.

However, you must completely avoid waxing, epilating, threading, or plucking before and between your sessions. These methods rip the hair out from the root. Because IPL relies on the pigment inside the hair shaft to act as a conductor—guiding the light energy down to destroy the follicle—removing the hair root entirely renders the IPL treatment completely ineffective. Keep the root intact, let the IPL do the heavy lifting, and enjoy the progression to permanently smooth skin.