To provide a method and apparatus for depilation capable of effectively heating multiple follicles without burning the surrounding skin.

The method includes the step of producing at least one pulse of incoherent electromagnetic energy. The incoherent electromagnetic energy is then coupled to an area of surface of the tissue that includes more than one hair follicle. The method may alternatively include the step of applying a gel on a surface of the tissue to cool the tissue. The energy heats the hairs and hair follicles without heating the tissue. The apparatus includes a source of pulsed incoherent electromagnetic energy. The source is located within a housing, and a coupler directs the incoherent electromagnetic energy to the surface of the tissue. In an alternative arrangement a gel disposed on the surface of the tissue such that the gel cools the tissue but is not adjacent, and does not cool, the hair follicle.