Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) reduces the re-growth of hair by applying pulses of light to the hair follicle beneath the skin. The pulses of light are absorbed by the hair’s melanin (colour pigment), so effectiveness depends on the level of melanin in the hair. (Blond, grey and white hairs do not contain any or enough melanin, so IPL treatment will never work on these hair colours. Red hair contains a different type of melanin which is not responsive to IPL).
Furthermore, IPL requires a low level of melanin in the skin so that the skin will not attract the light. Dark and very dark skin tones are more prone to absorb the light, which can cause skin damage such as burns, blisters or discolouring. You can assess your skin tone in the skin tone/hair colour chart in the user manual and online. (Please note: Lumea models SC2004, SC2005, SC2006, SC2007, SC2008, SC2009, BRI950, BRI953, BRI954 BRI956, BRI959 are suitable for dark skin tones, none of the Lumea models are suitable for very dark skin tones).
Philips Lumea comes with a skin tone sensor on models BRI860, BRI861, BRI862, BRI863, BRI864, BRI950, BRI953, BRI954, BRI956, BRI959, SC1981-SC1985, SC1996, SC1997, SC1999; this sensor ensures that a pulse will be emitted only on suitable skin tones.