Truth About Laser Hair Removal
Hair removal is a daily or at least weekly ritual faced by most men and women, even though women generally are more prone to feel the pressures of society if they do not take care of this situation. There are several types of hair removal, some are temporary, such as shaving and others are more permanent, such as laser hair removal.
Laser hair removal is a procedure using a laser beam to disable or destroy the root of hair follicles, while not destroying the skin surrounding the hair follicles. The process used to perform this procedure is called selective photothermolysis. This procedure is considered selective because it targets only the follicles and not the skin, photo because a light is used and thermolysis because of being destroyed by heat.
To perform this procedure, the skin is generally cooled using a gel, spray or cooling tip. After the cooling, the laser beam is then applied. It searches out the melanin in the hair follicles, and then sends the light to destroy the root.
This procedure is ideal for dark hair and light skin; however, this procedure will not produce positive results on people with red, white, gray or true blond hair. People with dark skin or suntans could also have not so favorable results due to them having more melanin in their skin and the laser being attracted to the melanin. The results are generally discolored skin or other side effects.
There are advantages and disadvantages to using this procedure for hair removal. The advantages are long-lasting hair removal or permanent hair reduction enjoyed by some consumers. This procedure is considered safe if performed properly. This is a very useful procedure for large areas, such as legs or backs. If regrowth occurs, it is generally lighter or finer than before.
Disadvantages include no real long-term research and data on the safety and effectiveness have been established. Another disadvantage is that it cannot be used on unpigmented hairs, such as gray hair or on red or blonde hair. Caution should be used with people who have darker skin tones or are sun-tanned. Treatments that are done improperly can cause burns, lesions, discoloration of the skin and patchy hair regrowth. This procedure can be expensive and painful and does not always work. Eye protection is also required when having the procedure done.
There are four types of lasers commonly used for this procedure. They are Alexandrite, Ruby, Diode and ND. Alexandrite is the Candela Gentlelase Pluse. Ruby is the EpiTouch or Epilaser. Diode is the Coherent Light Sheer. ND, along with LP ND Yag, includes Candela Gentleyag and Altus Cool Glide.