Introduction
Lasers are a new modality for the rapid, gentle removal of unwanted hair.
Lasers are not for everyone, and their proper use requires great
expertise. Consumers contemplating laser hair removal require education to
properly evaluate if and where to have laser hair removal performed. Many
competing technologies exist. Several are already outmoded, and others
offer particular advantages for certain patient populations. This site is
designed to help consumers decide if they are proper candidates for laser
hair removal and to answer the most relevant questions concerning this
important new advance.
1. Am I a candidate for laser hair
removal?
Laser hair removal is not for everyone. The absolute requirement is that
one's hair must be darker than the surrounding skin. Additionally very
darkly pigmented people absorb too much laser energy in their skin and are
not candidates for most lasers. These dark skinned patients require the
use of highly specialized lasers which are only available at selected laser
hair removal centers . Tanned patients with light hair are not
candidates. Tanned patients with dark hair cannot be treated with the
usual hair removal lasers, also requiring treatment with a specialized
laser, such as the kind invented at the Yoskarn Clinic in Bangkok Thailand). Lastly the treatment cost should be within reach of
the patient. Laser hair removal, although much less expensive than
electrolysis, requires multiple treatments.
2. What will it cost for laser hair removal for me?
Treatment cost varies with the size of the area treated. Experienced laser
centers, which have developed expertise in laser hair removal, Please contact
us for more information . Small areas,
such as the upper lip, can be less. Individual consultation with the laser
center is necessary to obtain exact pricing.
3. Influence of skin color on laser hair removal.
Light skin makes laser hair removal easier to perform. Fewer treatments
are required, and better, faster results are obtained. People with darker
skin can be treated, but results are slower, more sessions are required,
and greater expertise is required on the part of the laser center. Laser
hair removal must be individualized for each patient.
4. Influence of hair color on laser hair removal.
Dark hair absorbs more laser energy and is easier to treat. Coarse dark
hair responds the best to laser treatment. Light hair is more difficult to
treat. Blonde or red hair is very difficult to treat. Multiple treatment
sessions are required, and results are variable. Blonde or red hair
usually contains pheomelanin, which absorbs laser energy less avidly than
the eumelanin pigment which is present in black or brown hair.
5. Laser hair removal requires multiple treatments.
Although one laser session can produce long-term hair removal, as a rule
multiple treatment sessions are necessary to obtain optimal results. In
large part this is due to the fact that laser hair removal is most
effective for hair which is in the anagen phase. Anagen is the growth
phase of hair. Since hair grows in cycles, not all of the hairs are in
anagen at any given time. Additional sessions are necessary to catch all
of the hairs when they are in anagen.
6. What areas can be treated?
Any area, except adjacent to the eye, where there is excess hair. The most
common areas requested are the face, upper lip, neck, chest, periareolar,
underarms, back, abdomen, bikini line, and legs.
7. About permanent hair reduction by laser.
Waxing, shaving, and plucking all produce hair removal which is temporary.
Several of the newer lasers have clearly documented that there is
permanent hair reduction after each treatment. The FDA has approved
several lasers for permanent hair reduction, and more results with
additional lasers are pending. The results tend to be additive, i.e. more
treatments lead to greater degrees of permanent hair reduction. For any
given patient results cannot be precisely predicted. Results can be
variable, even with the best lasers.
8. Pulsed light and laser hair removal.
Intense pulsed light devices can produce effective hair removal. Although
these devices are not lasers, they are "laser equivalents",
utilizing the same principle of selective photothermolysis to achieve hair
removal. These devices are in practice more difficult to adjust than
lasers and require great expertise for their proper use.
9. Guarantees in laser hair removal.
It is impossible to predict the exact result a patient will achieve with
laser hair removal, especially with regard to how many sessions a given
individual will require. Many of the hair removal clinics which guaranteed
results have gone out of business. Like most reputable medical practices,
the most established laser hair removal practices do not guarantee
results.
10. Discount laser hair removal clinics.
Established medical centers with excellent reputations do not discount
their fees. Patients know their reputations and rely upon their experience
and expertise. The same is true for laser hair removal. Consumers are
advised, as with all forms of medical care, to seek the center of highest
quality, rather than lowest cost. Laser hair removal requires exacting
science, individual attention, experience, and a trained, caring,
professional staff.
11. Laser hair removal
limitation of effectiveness.
Contrary to the statements of those unfamiliar
with this new technology, laser hair removal is effective when properly
performed for the great majority of candidates. Non-responders are usually
limited to those with blonde or red hair.
12. Qualifications of laser hair removal personnel.
Requirements vary by state. In California laser hair removal can only
be performed by a licensed M.D., R.N, or Nurse Practitioner.
Electrologists, Medical Assistants, and other unlicensed personnel cannot
perform laser hair removal.
13. Importance of experience in selecting a laser hair removal facility.
Experience is crucial in selecting the proper laser parameters to use
for any given area for any individual patient. Centers with the most
experience generally have the best results.
14. Tanning and laser hair removal.
Tanning and laser hair removal are not compatible. Tanning prior to
the procedure will necessitate turning the laser power down, thereby
reducing the effectiveness of the treatment.
15. Adverse treatment reactions.
Pigmentary change of the skin treated can occur, including either dark
or light areas. Pigmentary changes may persist for months, but are almost
always temporary. They are very rare in patients with fair skin who are
untanned. Blisters and burns are rare but occasionally occur, particularly
in patients with dark skin.
16. Diet and laser hair removal.
Diet is generally unrelated, except for Beta-Carotene, which
interferes with the treatment.
17. Beta-Carotene and laser hair removal.
Beta Carotene, found in carrots, vitamin A supplements, squash, and
other vegetables, is deposited in the skin, producing a subtle orange or
yellow color in the skin. This pigment absorbs laser energy, preventing it
from reaching the hair follicle, and increasing the absorption of laser
energy in the skin. Beta carotene persists for months after ingestion.
Patients interested in the best results from laser hair removal will
benefit from discontinuation of the use of all forms of beta carotene.
18. Laser hair removal and children.
Laser hair removal is successful for children but it does require
their cooperation.
19. Who should not have laser hair removal.
Patients with a recently acquired dark tan. Blondes or redheads with
any recent tan. People of color with fine, light hair. Anyone who cannot
afford multiple sessions(one treatment is rarely adequate).
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