Laser Hair Removal Epilation performed by laser was performed experimentally for about 20 years before it became commercially available in the mid 1990's. Laser and light-based methods are sometimes called phototricholysis or photoepilation.
In addition to lasers, some light-based epilators use a xenon flashlamp which emits full-spectrum intense pulsed light (IPL) . Treatment with this device is sometimes popularly referred to as laser hair removal, though the device is not a laser per se.