Laser Hair Removal

www.cynosurelaser.com

How does a laser or light-based system remove hair?

A laser is a high-energy beam of light that can transfer its energy through the skin to a specific part of the body. These beams of light can vary in terms of their strength and the type of tissue that they can target. In the case of hair removal, pigment contained in the hair shaft can be targeted as can the hair follicle or root with a single specific wavelength (or colour) or light generated by the laser.

This energy heats up the base of the hair follicle, which causes damage to the cells that produce hair growth. If enough damage is done, this will prevent the hair from growing any further (see diagram below).

The effect is most obvious during what is known as the anagen phase of hair growth. That is when new hairs start to grow.

During this period of growth, the hair follicle has increased pigmentation and growth of new cells that makes it more open to damage from light treatment.

The procedure

During this treatment, safety eyewear must be worn to protect your eyes from the light generated by the laser.

A gel is applied to the treated area and the Smartcool system sprays your skin with cold air during the treatment to reduce discomfort. A small hand piece is touched to your skin with flashes of laser light to damage the hair follicles.

Most patients describe the procedure as a little uncomfortable, with a tingling or stinging sensation during treatment. The discomfort varies with each person, depending on your individual pain threshold. The majority of patients tolerate this sensation without anesthetics.

Within about 30 minutes of treatment, the area may become pink or red; this may last from a few hours to one day.

How many treatments will be necessary?

Hair grows in cycles. The laser or pulsed light only affects hair when it is in its early growth phase. In fact, the system will disable follicles that are actively producing hair at the time of treatment. At any time, some hair follicles are dormant. Repeated sessions will be necessary to treat these follicles when they re-enter the growth phase.

The number of active follicles and the length of the growth phase varies, and the first treatment will only damage some of the follicles. After a few weeks, previously resting hair follicles break into growth, which then need to be treated.

Treatments can be repeated at approximately monthly intervals. In this way, after 2 - 5 treatments, most of the hair follicles in any particular site can be successfully treated.

How long does it take?

With this procedure numerous hairs are removed at the same time. The amount of time needed depends on the size of the area to be treated. The lip usually take a few minutes; other areas, such as the leg, may take an hour or longer.

After this series of treatments, any further hair growth can be treated as and when it’s necessary.

Does it hurt and what could go wrong?

Problems after Laser treatment for hair removal vary according to your skin type.

Immediately after the procedure, you may notice some swelling, and the skin may become pink or red and a little sore.

Patients have described it as feeling like mild sunburn, but this is a reaction that usually disappears within a day or so.

Skin pigment may be darkened by bright light. It has the same effect as a light suntan, but because it is only visible at the points at which the laser has landed on your skin, it can look quite peculiar! If it occurs at all, (which is quite rare) it will gradually fade but may take many months to do so.

If the skin pigment absorbs too much laser energy, the pigment can be damaged leaving pale patches on the skin. Again these usually slowly recover.

The same process can cause the skin to overheat, resulting in blistering and possibly scarring. These effects are unlikely on pale skin, but care must be taken with darker skin.

Individuals vary in their sensitivity to light treatment so you may have a test patch done on your skin before going ahead.

Recently tanned skin can be more vulnerable to the side effects or risks described above, and you are advised to be as pale as possible before considering hair removal using light treatment.

There is some evidence that the use of light based systems for hair removal can cause hair to grow in areas adjacent to the treated area in a small proportion of patients.

Who should not have laser hair removal?

This really depends upon your skin and hair colour.

The Cynosure Elite Laser can treat all skin types and hair colour, but your response will vary for the following reasons:

* if you have ginger hair which may respond poorly to the treatment. Blonde or white hairs hardly respond at all;
* Mediterranean, Middle and Far Eastern skin types need to be treated with care;
* darker skin types than the groups listed above, because the skin pigment absorbs too much energy causing unwanted damage. Similarly, patients who have recent sun tans should wait until their tan fades.

General reasons of unsuitability not related to skin and hair type include:

* any history of sensitivity to light based treatments;
* an active infection at the site to be treated;
* patients who have used the drug isotretinoin in the last year.
* pregnancy