Permanent upper lip hair removal. IPL or other?

[RoosterCogburn]

After years of feeling self conscious Ive decided to bite the bullet and have some kind of permanent hair removal on my upper lip.
The hair is very fine, but dark.

Has anyone had successful IPL or did you use a different method that worked?

I've bought a course on Groupon that I'm about to start. Think it was £59 for six sessions. I'm freaked out that I have to shave first though!

Is that IPL andadietcoke?

I've made an appointment to discuss the best option at a local clinic - after years of ignoring my facial hair (but feeling horribly self conscious about it although my best friend and DH tell me it isn't that bad) it seems weird that I will sit down and discuss it with a stranger

I'm doing my top lip amongst other bits. I shave the day before and some of it falls out a week later. The closer the shave the better the results I reckon. It's a pretty long process. Start in the autumn and do 5 sessions over 5 months and see where you are. Then start again the following autumn. It was very successful on my lower legs even after 5 sessions. Serious improvement on beard after 8 sessions - but not yet seen how that will will pan out longer term. Front of muff done 15 times and very patchy results. Bikini line likewise. Inner thigh to knee not bad result but definitely not finished after 7 sessions.
The thing to grasp is that hair cycles are actually years long so you are probably going to need to go back for top ups.
The other major thing is to do it before the hairs go grey cos it doesn't work on grey hair at all.

Thanks wally. That's really helpful, I had no idea the timespan was so long.
I naively thought if I started now I'd be done in a few weeks.

Yes IPL. It's a clinic in Manchester who are only just starting offering it. I'm probably going to be a guinea pig but I assume they'll all be trained. I think you have to leave a minimum of four weeks between sessions so imagine I'll be on for a minimum of 6 months but they have evening and weekend appts.

Well, I bit the bullet and had a consultation and my first session this afternoon.

I have to go back every six weeks - he said probably for six sessions in total which takes me to the middle of February.
Here's hoping for hair free loveliness.