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Hair Laser
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Introduction
Lasers are a new modality for the rapid, gentle removal of unwanted hair. Lasers
are not for everyone, and their proper use requires great expertise. Consumers
contemplating laser hair removal require education to properly evaluate if and
where to have laser hair removal performed. Many competing technologies exist.
Several are already outmoded, and others offer particular advantages for certain
patient populations. This site is designed to help consumers decide if they are
proper candidates for laser hair removal and to answer the most relevant
questions concerning this important new advance.
Influence of skin color on laser hair
removal.
Light skin makes laser hair removal easier to perform. Fewer treatments are
required, and better, faster results are obtained. People with darker skin can
be treated, but results are slower, more sessions are required, and greater
expertise is required on the part of the laser center. Laser hair removal must
be individualized for each patient.
 Influence
of hair color on laser hair removal.
Dark hair absorbs more laser energy and is easier to treat. Coarse dark hair
responds the best to laser treatment. Light hair is more difficult to treat.
Blonde or red hair is very difficult to treat. Multiple treatment sessions are
required, and results are variable. Blonde or red hair usually contains
pheomelanin, which absorbs laser energy less avidly than the eumelanin pigment
which is present in black or brown hair.
Laser hair removal requires multiple treatments.
Although one laser session can produce long-term hair removal, as a rule
multiple treatment sessions are necessary to obtain optimal results. In large
part this is due to the fact that laser hair removal is most effective for hair
which is in the anagen phase. Anagen is the growth phase of hair. Since hair
grows in cycles, not all of the hairs are in anagen at any given time.
Additional sessions are necessary to catch all of the hairs when they are in
anagen.
What areas can be treated?
Any area, except adjacent to the eye, where there is excess hair. The most
common areas requested are the face, upper lip, neck, chest, periareolar,
underarms, back, abdomen, bikini line, and legs.
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[ Laser
Hair Removal Procedure ]
[ Laser
Equipment and Accessory Packages ] |
How does laser hair removal work?
Lasers have been used for many years for a
variety of medical cosmetic procedures including treatment of facial and leg
veins, age spots and smoothing fine lines on the face. The laser energy is
transformed into heat, which can disable the follicle leaving the
surrounding skin unchanged.
Why is laser preferred for hair removal?
Traditional hair removal techniques, such as
shaving, plucking and waxing, provide only temporary relief. Until now, the
only long-lasting hair removal solution has been by electrolysis - which can
be time-consuming and is usually limited to small areas, because each hair
is treated individually. Laser hair removal is non-invasive, and safely
removes unwanted body hair without damaging the delicate pores and
structures of the skin. Facial and bikini areas are usually completed in
under 45 minutes; legs and larger areas can take longer.
What
does the treatment include?
Depending on the amount of hair and area
treated, the procedure varies from patient to patient. Generally, the
treatment will include: Safety eyewear to protect the patient's eyes
during the procedure from the laser light. A small handpiece will be used to
deliver the laser light. Most experience little discomfort at the treatment
site. The sensation and the degree of discomfort varies with each person. In
some cases, topical anesthesia is an option. Your laser specialist will
discuss this before laser treatment. Depending on the size or number of
areas treated, the time will vary in length from minutes to hours. Patients
can return to work or resume their normal activities immediately following
treatment. The area may become slightly red and may last from a few minutes
to several days depending on the area and skin sensitivity.
What precautions should be taken before and after treatment?
If you are tan or have a darker skin
type, a bleaching cream should be started 4-6 weeks before treatment for our
melanin absorption lasers.
How many treatments will I need?
Hair grows in cycles. The laser is only
effective on hair in its actively growing cycle. At any one time there will
only be certain hairs in that growing phase. This means that consistent
treatments at appropriate intervals are absolutely necessary for the best
possible results. The number of treatments required depends upon your skin,
hair coloring, coarseness of the hair and density per treated area. Everyone
will require at least 2-3 treatments as the process is only effective on
hairs during their growing cycle. Additional treatment will be necessary to
treat other follicles when they re-enter the growth phase and produce new
growth.
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Power,
Wavelength and Tissue Penetration
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 The
most efficient wavelength required to achieve results by laser is in
the 670 to 890 nm (nanometer) range. This particular frequency allows for the
greatest tissue penetration without loss of photon intensity through the
dermis(2). This range is also highly selective (as well as reactive)
with follicle melanin
and carbon dye.
The amount of
power required for this range to reach the papilla
matrix varies with the
depth of the follicle pore. There are generally 3 types of hair growth:
terminal (deep), secondary (medium) and vellus (shallow). Terminal hairs
usually extend 7-8 mm into the dermis and require around 10 Joules per CM2 of
photon intensity at the surface of the skin to create adequate thermolysis in
the papilla matrix to destroy the tissue(3). Secondary hairs grow to
about 5-6 mm in depth and require ≈5 JCM2. The lightest hairs need
roughly 2 JCM2. These vellus hairs are most common on upper lips of adult women
and normally respond very well laser epilation.
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Faster Than Regular Electrolysis
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The
advent of this new technology has created enormous excitement in the field of
epilation cosmetology, and with good reason. Laser hair removal is simply the fastest
way to remove unwanted hair currently available. It is very easy and highly
effective. The laser can completely clear the leg hair growth on an average
woman in under one hour. The same area would require more than 40 hours
of needle electrolysis.
Discussion
In this study the laser treatments given
every six weeks yielded better long-term clinical results than the treatments
given every two weeks. Previous studies [1-5] have demonstrated good to
excellent results for treatment intervals between four and eight weeks. An
earlier study done by the investigators [6] demonstrated excellent long-term
hair reduction using three-week treatment intervals. Mathematical modeling
showed that better laser penetration was achievable at the hair bulb and bulge
in the absence of terminal hair shafts extending to the skin surface. It was
recognized that the success of a hair removal treatment at a shortened treatment
interval was dependent on the regeneration of melanized target structures for
the follow-up treatments [6]
The poor long-term results seen with the
shortened treatment interval would suggest that the laser treatment given only
two weeks following the initial treatment did not yet have an adequate target to
absorb the laser's energy. It is hypothesized that the hair bulb has not yet
regenerated at two weeks and hence the laser treatment was ineffective. The
six-week interval allowed adequate time for the hair bulb and follicle to
regenerate therefore providing an adequate target for the laser and hence, a
more effective long-term result.
Conclusions
The treatment intervals chosen for laser hair removal strongly affect
the efficacy of long-term results. This study demonstrates better efficacy at
the six-week treatment interval compared with the two-week treatment interval.
References
1. Bjerring P, Cramers M, Egekvist H, Christiansen K, Troilius A. Hair
reduction using a new intense pulsed light irradiator and a normal mode ruby
laser. J Cutan Laser Ther 2000; 2: 63-71.
2. Kauvar AN. Treatment of pseudofolliculitis with a pulsed infrared laser. Arch
Dermatol 2000; 136:1343-6.
3. Eremia S, Li C, Newman N. Laser hair removal with alexandrite versus diode
laser using four treatment sessions: 1-year results. Dermatol Surg 2001; 27:
925-9.
4. Gorgu M, Aslan G, Akoz T, Erdogan B. Comparison of alexandrite laser and
electrolysis for hair removal. Dermatol Surg 2000; 26:37-41.
5. Bencini PL, Luci A, Galimberti M, Ferranti G. Long-term epilation with
long-pulsed neodimium:YAG laser. Dermatol Surg 1999; 25:175-8.
6. Lloyd JR, Mirkov M. Long-term evaluation of the long-pulsed alexandrite laser
for the removal of bikini hair at shortened treatment intervals. Dermatol Surg
2000; 26:633-7
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Patient # |
hair counts |
6 week
clearance |
| 2
females, 3 males |
pre |
post |
percent |
| 1 |
274 |
9 |
97% |
| 2 |
331 |
63 |
81% |
| 3 |
327 |
19 |
94% |
| 4 |
187 |
2 |
99% |
| 5 |
411 |
54 |
87% |
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median |
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91.6% |
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WorldPay
For your convenience.
Confidence
