Do not confuse laser hair removal with pulsed light …
Lasers have advanced techniques that require calibration at each treatment, and medical qualification is essential when purchasing.
IPL or more known as pulsed light are much cheaper machines, they require no control when the machine is turned on. This is why many customers may be unhappy and want to change their method.
IPL and VPL devices can be purchased by anyone when you need a qualification to buy a laser.
A laser does not wear out. The first shots will always be of the same intensity as the 2,500,000 th. For an IPL and VPL from the 10,000th pulse, the intensity will be lower and lower, which results in less effective treatment.
The burns seen on the net are mostly caused by less qualified professionals or by devices without coolers but very rarely by real lasers.
Here is a testimony which from what I could understand was done by an IPL (pulsed light)