The Science behind Laser Hair Removal

It is very common for us to worry about having too much hair. Last year men and women spent $8 billion removing it with razor blades alone, reports Gillette. And that is not taking into account waxing, depilatory creams, electrolysis, and the gold standard of hair removal, that by lasers.

Click here to read an interesting paper about Laser Hair Removal

Human beings' hairy preoccupations are curious because, compared with their closest animal relations, humans have very little hair to begin with. Hair is unique to mammals, and is one of the most obvious and defining characteristics of the group. A scientist might argue that humans are not, technically, “hairless”. Many have the same density of hair follicles as an ape of the same body size would have. But human hair is generally fine and short, and so humans look naked compared with their closest animal relations. How bare they are, though, does vary racially—which may explain why a Thai lady may request that her European boyfriend should have his entire body waxed.

Hairiness is also related to the level of a predominantly male hormone. Hence, being less hairy may be a sexual signal of femininity. The message is clear: if you don't want to look like a dirty man in a hygiene-obsessed world, get rid of your body hair. And as the fashion for revealing clothing and microscopic underwear spreads, so too does the desire to show only smooth, naked skin—a desire often reinforced by society. Consider the outcry when Julia Roberts waved to a crowd and revealed, to the horror of many, a hairy armpit.

Laser hair removal has become one of the most common cosmetic procedures performed globally, ranked second among cosmetic procedures behind only Botox injections in frequency of procedures performed. Laser hair removal utilizes beams of highly concentrated light designed to selectively penetrate into the hair follicles. The heat from these lasers seeks out brown and black pigment (so they don’t see blonde and grey hair). When it finds the brown or black hair, the heat goes down the hair shaft into the follicle to destroy it. As hairs grow in cycles every four to six weeks, you will not get them all first time. You have to laser each cycle of hair growth. You usually get about a third of them at any one time, so you will need a minimum of three to four sessions to get the best result. After that your hair should stay away, and if any do come back they will be much finer, not coarse and dark.

Light-based hair removal devices have revolutionized long-term hair removal. results last much longer than shaving and waxing and can cover areas that would take too long with electrolysis.

How is Laser Hair Removal done?

Most patients will have the hair trimmed with a scissor to just a few millimeters above the skin surface. The laser and light source will be set with parameters which take into consideration your skin color, the hair color, the thickness of the hair, the location of the hair and the amount of energy needed for the treatment to be performed. A cooling device, usually a gel, will be used to protect the outer layers of the skin. The operator will then give a pulse of light to the treatment area and should then observe the area for several minutes to determine if the optimal parameters were used. They will also look to see that there are no adverse effects prior to continuing the procedure. When the procedure is finished, it is common for the area treated to have some redness and some accentuation of the hair follicles themselves. This is “normal,” and should disappear over the next 12-24 hours, in most cases. At the conclusion of the procedure, most will have ice applied to the area treated, and some may use some special aloe gels or anti-inflammatory creams, lotions, or water to relieve any discomfort to the area.

Is it permanent?

Most individuals will be scheduled for another treatment 4-6 weeks later and the procedure will be repeated until hair growth has been eliminated. At each successive laser hair removal procedure, less hair should be found in the treatment area. Treatments will be resumed at a point in the future when, and if, hair growth occurs again necessitating further therapy.

Which body parts can be subjected to Laser Hair Removal?

As with any laser treatment, complications can occur with laser hair removal. Both the physician and the patient must be aware that they may occur and be able to identify them and treat them appropriately. With laser hair removal, redness and swelling of the hair follicle, known medically as erythema and perifollicular edema, are “normal” events seen with most laser hair removal procedures. On occasion, pain and discomfort will occur with laser hair removal – most of this can be easily treated with over-the-counter pain medicines. Other adverse events, although rare, are seen and should be reported immediately to the physician in charge. Patients should be advised to use effective sun protection for the weeks following all laser hair removal procedures. Blisters and burns are rare, in the right hands.