Laser Hair Removal Treatment
Before the development of lasers, hair removal was painful, troublesome, costly, and very uncomfortable. The advancement of lasers on hair removal made it a convenient and cost-effective hair removal procedure. Laser hair removal treatment has made significant changes in the way people are better seeing themselves with confidence – minus the hair.
Laser hair removal treatment is based on the principle of selective photothermolysis that targets on melanin, a dark pigmented matter. Commonly targeted areas of this laser hair removal treatment are the following:
- Face
- Chin
- Lip
- Neck
- Hands
- Underarm
- Pubic and Buttocks area
- Legs
There are a variety of laser hair removal treatments to choose from, and all have respective functions as well. Below are some laser hair removal treatments that are commonly used:
- Alexandrite laser with a 755 nm wavelength, which works best for clients with fair skin.
- A 810nm pulsed diode array laser, best for medium skin types.
- Nd:YAG laser with 1064nm wavelength, very effective for dark-skinned clients but can also treat the other six skin color types; although data for long term effects is still not adequate.
The lasers wavelengths may come from a visible light to an almost infrared-like emission.
There are many factors to consider in order for laser hair removal treatments to have successful outcomes. These are:
- PulseA longer wavelength is beneficial for dark skinned individuals whereas a shorter wavelength is effective for laser hair removal treatments for patients with lighter skin.
- Spot size: Laser beam wavelength.
- Fluence: Laser energy that is expressed in joules per square centimeter or J/cm².
- Repetition rate: Pulse emission.
- Epidermal cooling.
Laser hair removal treatment sessions are based on the client’s targeted areas, color of the skin, hair thickness and gender. In all the phases of hair growth, anagen (where follicles are actively proliferating) is the usual target of these laser treatments. However, several laser hair removal treatment sessions are needed in order to remove all hairs in all phases of hair growth. Laser hair removal treatments are expected to range approximately 3 to 8 treatment meetings with 3 to 12 weeks spacing depending on individual cases.
In comparison with traditional hair removal methods, laser hair removal treatments are safe, whereas plucking, waxing and bleaching methods will have faster hair regrowth because it does not reach the hair follicle. Although with minimal pain involvement, anesthetics or cooling creams can be given especially if laser hair removal treatment is targeted on sensitive sites. Furthermore, laser hair removal treatments are not cancerous, since it can only penetrate a few millimeters into the skin. However, laser hair removal treatments should avoid the eye area to avoid damage to the eyesight.