What is Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal is a treatment for unwanted or unsightly hair using a high intensity laser beam. The light from laser beams is absorbed at different rates by different body tissues, depending on the colour of the laser beam.
The laser light used in laser hair removal is fired as a very brief flash and passes safely through the skin. It is absorbed by dark hair follicles and is turned into heat, damaging the cells at the root of the hair, thus preventing further hair growth - the hairs fall after a week or two and any subsequent regrowth is finer and sparser .
Hair growth phases
Hair follicles go through 3 different growth phases:
- Active growth phase (called the anagen phase). At any given time, the majority (85%) of our body hair is in this phase. During anagen, the hair has an abundance of melanin.
- Regressive phase (catagen phase), which lasts about two weeks, during which the hair stops growing but is not yet shed. About 3 - 4% of our body hair is in this phase at any given time.
- Resting phase (telogen phase), which lasts 5 - 6 weeks, at the end of which the hair falls out and a new hair begins to form. Approximately 10-13% of our body hair is in this phase at any one time.
Laser hair removal treatment only works in the active growth phase. Because different follicles can be in different phases, several treatments are necessary to achieve a lasting result - typically 6 or 8 treatments are required in a white skin and maybe 8 or 10 in a darker skin.
The flashes are repeated every second, so hundreds of follicles can be treated in one session. Sessions typically last 15-45 mins, depending on the area being treated.
Laser hair removal treatment can be used on any area of the body, including the face, legs, stomach and bikini line.
Who is suitable for laser hair removal?
The short answer is that nowadays, almost anybody can have laser hair removal.
Because the laser light needs to pass through the skin, and be absorbed by the hair follicles, the best results are obtained when there is a large difference between the colour of the hair and the skin colour, e.g. black hair on fair skin.
It used to be that people with darker skin pigments were not suitable candidates as the dark skin pigment absorbs too much laser energy, causing damage to the skin. However, laser hair removal treatments have developed, and having dark skin is no longer a barrier to achieving that smooth, hairfree look. Hair removal clinics using NdYAG laser or IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) equipment are the ones to look out for.
Darker skin may need more sessions at a lower power to prevent skin damage, but improvements are being made all the time so check out a few clinics to see what they can offer.
Fair Hair
Blonde or grey hair was originally impossible to treat using laser hair removal, due to the lack of melanin in the hair to absorb the energy from the laser beam. Recent developments however mean that even this obstacle can now be overcome with the use of Meladine.