Laser Hair Removal

Definition. All hair is made of keratin, a hard protein that's also found in your fingernails and toenails. Hair growth begins beneath the surface of your skin at a hair root inside a hair follicle, a small tube in the skin. You have two types of hair on your body. Vellus hair is soft, fine, and short. Most women have vellus hair on their chest, back, and face. It can be darker and more noticeable in some women than others, especially those with darker complexions. Vellus hair helps the body maintain a steady temperature by providing some insulation. Terminal hair is coarser, darker, and longer than vellus hair. It's the type of hair that grows on your head. Around puberty, terminal hair starts to grow in the armpits and pubic region. On guys, terminal hair begins to grow on the face and other parts of the body such as the chest, legs, and back. Terminal hair is there to provide cushioning and protection. In some cases, excess hair growth, called hirsutism (pronounced: hur-soo-tih-zum), may be the result of certain medical conditions. In girls, polycystic ovary syndrome and other hormonal disorders can cause dark, coarse hair to grow on the face, especially the upper lip and chin, as well as on the chest, belly, and back. Some medications, like anabolic steroids, also can cause hirsutism. A laser is directed through the skin to the hair follicle, where it stops growth. It works best on light-skinned people with dark hair because the melanin (colored pigment) in the hair absorbs more of the light, making treatment more effective.

Is it right for me?
Both men and women seek laser hair removal services to have superfluous or unwanted hair removed. Laser works best with dark coarse hair. Light skin and dark hair are an ideal combination, but new lasers are now able to target dark black hair even in patients with dark skin. It's important to note that laser does not work on light hair and very fine and vellus hair ("peachfuzz"). Electrolysis is the only permanent solution for those types of hair but has shortcomings such as possible scarring, expense, and discomfort, as noted above.

Advantages. This type of hair removal is long lasting and large areas of skin can be treated at the same time.

Disadvantages. Side effects of the treatment may include inflammation and redness. Using cold packs may help diminish any inflammation after treatment. Avoiding the sun before a treatment may make results more effective. Risks include the chance of burning the skin or discoloring dark skin with the laser, hypopigmentation (white spots), and flare of acne.

Results. How Long It Lasts: Intended to be permanent, but people often need to return every 6 months to a year for maintenance. The number of sessions depends on various parameters, including the area of the body treated, skin color, coarseness of hair, and gender. In general, it is necessary to foresee between 3 - 8 treatment sessions. Coarse dark hair on light skin is easiest to treat. Finer hair and hair on darker skin is harder to treat and may require more treatments. Certain areas  may require considerably more treatments to achieve desired results.