What is Laser Hair Removal?
Laser hair removal (LHR) is a procedure conducted under medical supervision to get rid of unwanted hair. It uses a concentrated beam of light to destroy the hair follicle, thus preventing any near-term regrowth.
How is Laser Hair Removal different from traditional hair removing techniques?
Traditional hair removing methods usually close trim/shave the hair or pluck it, which is a temporary measure and the hair starts growing again after a few days.
Laser Hair removal is a long-term solution that destroys the hair follicle.
How does Laser Hair removal work?
Laser Hair Removal works on the principle of converting the energy of a highly concentrated beam of light to heat energy by getting absorbed in the hair pigments, which then destroys the hair follicles. This process is known as "selective photothermolysis”.
- Selective because it is specific to a specific area
- Photothermolysis because it uses the light and thermal energies
Please note that this is a long-term solution, not a permanent solution.
Multiple cycles of laser hair removal treatments are done for initial hair removal, and continued maintenance treatments might be needed on a case-to-case basis.
What happens during the laser hair removal process?
Procedure preparation:
- The target area is cleansed.
- If required, a numbing gel is applied to people with highly sensitive skin.
Setup:
- The procedure is conducted in a specifically designated room
- It is compulsory to wear protective eyewear during the procedure
Process:
- The targeted hair are trimmed to a few mms
- The skin is held taut and then a laser beam is directed towards it
- There is a cooling device on the tip of the instrument to protect your skin from damage. Alternatively, a cool gel might be applied
Duration
It depends on the target area being treated and can range from a few minutes to an hour or two.
Notes for the patients
- There might be a little discomfort, like a warm pinprick
- Do not get alarmed if you see small plumes of smoke with a sulfur-like smell. It is just the hair follicles vaporizing
Pre-procedure planning for the patient
- Stay out of the sun. If that is not possible then avoid getting tanned by applying broad-spectrum, SPF30 sunscreen
- Do not use any other hair removal methods 4 weeks before the treatment
- Shave or trim the hair of the treatment area
Treatment Results
The amount and the rate of growth reduce after one session only, almost by 10% to 25%. The hair that grows after treatment is fine and very light in texture. Needless to say, the growth goes down further with subsequent sessions.
Effective LHR requires a minimum of 2-6 sessions. The intervals between the sessions vary depending on the target area.
Maintenance LHR sessions can be done on annual basis or bi-annually.
Side effects
The side effects are minor and last 1 to 3 days. You may experience:
- Discomfort
- Swelling
- Redness
However, there might be rare cases when some patients may experience blistering, herpes simplex (cold sores) outbreaks, infections, scarring, and skin color change.
Laser Hair Removal for dark skins
You must be wondering why skin color matters.
The basic premise is that the pigment of the hair should absorb light energy. If there is little or no contrast between hair and skin color — dark hair and dark skin — then the results may not be as expected. For best outcomes, the contrast has to be more, i.e. dark hair and comparatively light skin.
However, choosing the right laser will help in addressing this problem. 1064 Nd; YAG laser is a long-pulsed laser that bypasses the melanin in your skin and targets just a hair follicle. However, it is always wise to get a patch test done before commencing a full-fledged process.
If you are interested in finding out more about our hair removal treatments, please click here and send a query to Alovia Clinic, or reach out to our expert Dr. Naren Parkash