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Excess and unwanted hair is a very common problem for both women and men alike.
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For women, it may be: coarse, dark facial hair; heavy and coarse extremity hair; coarse body hair including the pubic region and buttocks; or it may be an issue of the annoyance and inconvenience of leg and axillary hair. For men, it may be an issue of thickness and degree of body hair; extensive back hair; or chest hair that grows up the neck. Traditional methods of hair removal such as waxing, depilatories, and electrolysis may be painful, inconvenient, and require frequent repetition. Laser hair removal offers an opportunity to significantly retard hair regrowth and possibly even eliminate it in some cases.
Certain wavelengths of laser (long wavelength lasers such as the Ruby and Alexandrite) are preferentially absorbed by the melanin (dark pigment) in hair, particularly at the base of the hair shaft in the growth centers of the hair follicle. During their growth phase, the hairs are sensitive to the heat produced by the laser energy. This either forces the hairs into a prolonged resting phase or destroys them permanently. |
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As not all hairs are in the growth phase at any one time, the laser hair removal treatments need to be repeated a number of times until all of the hairs have been affected. The frequency of treatments and the sensitivity of the hairs to the laser energy are different for different areas of the body.
Laser hair removal is performed under a topical anesthetic as an outpatient in the office setting. There may be some minor temporary and short-lived redness and burning sensation to the treated areas that resolves quickly, Some minor blistering can occasionally occur in certain sensitive areas, particularly the face and neck. These heal quickly and without scarring.
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