What is laser hair removal and how does it work?

People have been trying to remove body hair since the beginning of time and you would have thought evolution would have given us a helping hand. Did you know that even the Ancient Egyptians used waxing and depilatory creams to get rid of their unsightly hair?

Before laser hair removal, electrolysis was the only method of long term hair removal. The invention of the laser brought speed and efficiency to the world of aesthetics.

Laser hair removal was first used in 1997 and since then it has become more and more popular. Most people who have had the treatment report it becomes pretty addictive and they are incredibly pleased with the results. Advancements in techniques have made it long lasting, affordable and near enough pain free! It’s not just women having the treatments, men are also jumping on the bandwagon.

There are a lot of different types of lasers used for hair reduction and as technology improves, the results also get better. Gone are the days of poor results and unbearable pain. Laser works by sending a laser light through the skin which is attracted to the pigment (colour) in the hair. This light energy is then converted into heat energy which heats up the follicle. This then slows down or prevents future growth of a hair.

IPL or Intense Pulsed Light

This is a broad spectrum of light and it isn’t really a laser. It is unfocused energy that uses a variety of wavelengths and because of this there is a lot of wasted energy meaning it isn’t absorbed by the pigment. The pigment needs to be warmed to a certain temperature for adequate destruction of the follicle. IPL struggles to do this appropriately.

IPL is also more likely to cause burns and pigmentation on the skin because a lot of the scattered energy hits the skin instead of penetrating it to reach the follicles. It is also un suitable for darker skins.

ndYAG

ndYAG stands for neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet and this is the crystal that is used in the laser to produce a particular wavelength of energy. It is most commonly used for removing tattoos as it can penetrate far into the skin to break up pigments of stubborn tattoos.

This laser can also be used for laser hair removal and is the safest for black skin. However, a very small area is treated at a time so it is quite a lengthy appointment.

Diode Laser

Diode uses a single wavelength of light to heat up and destroy the follicle. The high quality laser at The Laser Lounge Media City also uses Crystal Freeze (™) technology to cool down the area during the treatment. Diode lasers deliver high frequency, low fluence pulses and can be safely used on all skin types. This means much less chance of burns and pigmentation.

If you are interested in having laser hair removal, book in for an informal consultation and patch test today.