Laser Hair Removal

The primary principle behind laser hair removal is selective photothermolysis. Lasers can cause localized damage by selectively heating dark target matter in the area that causes hair growth while not heating the rest of the skin. Light is absorbed by dark objects, so laser energy can be absorbed by dark material in the skin (but with much more speed and intensity). This dark target matter, or chromophore, can be naturally-occurring or artificially introduced.

Hair removal lasers selectively target one of three chromophores:

• Carbon, which is introduced into the hair follicle by rubbing a carbon-based lotion into the skin following waxing (this lotion is an "exogenous chromophore"). When irradiated by a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, the carbon causes a shock wave capable of mechanically damaging nearby cells. This method has been abandoned since it does not cause permanent loss. (It has been replaced with the long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser which targets endogenous melanin in the follicle.)
• Hemoglobin, which occurs naturally in blood (it gives blood its red color). It preferentially absorbs wavelengths from argons, and to a lesser extent from rubies, alexandrites, and diodes. It minimally absorbs the Nd:YAG laser wavelength. Hemoglobin is not a primary target for laser hair removal.
• Melanin is considered the primary chromophore for all hair removal lasers currently on the market. Melanin occurs naturally in the skin (it gives skin and hair its color). There are two types of melanin in hair: eumelanin (which gives hair brown or black color) and pheomelanin (which gives hair blonde or red color). Because of the selective absorption of photons of laser light, only black or brown hair can be removed.

Both men and women seek laser hair removal services to have superfluous or unwanted hair removed. Hair removal is commonly done on lip, chin, ear lobe, shoulders, back, underarm, abdomen, buttocks, pubic area, bikini lines, thighs, face, neck, chest, arms, legs, hands, and toes.

Laser is attracted to dark pigment and therefore works best on pale skin and dark coarse hair. The closer you are to this combination (i.e. the lighter the skin and the more coarse and dark the hair), the better the results will generally be after proper treatments.

Hair removal lasers have been in use since 1997 and the Food and Drug Administration approved it for “permanent reduction.” They permanently disable hair follicles, however you have to remember that laser hair removal doesn’t work in the same way on everyone and doesn’t remove 100% of the hair in an area. Generally, this means that you shouldn’t expect to remove every single hair from an area, although you can remove the majority of it (given you are a good candidate with light/medium skin and dark at least somewhat coarse hair). Most people need to follow up with electrolysis treatments for any remaining hairs to achieve complete clearance, if desired, as the remaining hairs become too sparse and fine for laser to target. Some will also need touch-up treatments about once a year, especially on large areas, after the initial set of 6-8 treatments for any new growth your body may develop with age on certain areas. It has also been observed that some people seem to be non-responders – this is not confirmed and reasons are not known, and may in fact be due to lack of skill on the part of many laser operators and/or the type of machine and settings they are using. Keep in mind that it's hard to judge whether someone’s lack of results is due to a potential underlying medical condition that causes continuous growth and makes it seem like laser isn’t working, if the treatment wasn't performed properly, or whether for some people it just doesn't work for currently unknown reasons. In essence, you can’t determine what your personal results would be like unless you try it. Results depend on many variables involved, including the tech's experience, type of laser used, how settings are set, etc. It is recommended to start with one smaller area and see how your hair reacts before committing to an expensive set of treatments on many areas at once.

Electrolysis is an alternative permanent hair removal method that has been used for over 125 years. It involves treating one hair at a time and is a good option for smaller areas (like eyebrows or upper lip) where precision is necessary. It does take considerably more treatments compared to laser to complete a large area, but is an option as well. At this time, it is as the only permanent option for very fine and light-colored hair.

source: wikipedia.org

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Laser Hair Removal Facts

HAIR REMOVAL

The popularity of laser hair removal has increasingly grown, prompting many laser manufacturers to conduct research and seek FDA clearance for their lasers for this indication. The market is growing so quickly that FDA cannot maintain an up-to-date list of all laser manufacturers whose devices have been cleared for hair removal, as this list continues to change. To learn if a specific manufacturer has received FDA clearance, you can check FDA's Website at http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/databases.html under the 510(k) database. You will need to know the manufacturer or device name of the laser. You can also call FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Consumer Staff, at 1-888-INFO-FDA or 301-827-3990, fax your request to 301-443-9535 or send an e-mail to: DSMICA@cdrh.fda.gov.

Manufacturers should be aware that receiving an FDA clearance for general permission to market their devices does not permit them to advertise the lasers for either hair removal or wrinkle treatment, even though hair removal or wrinkle treatment may be a by-product of any cleared laser procedure. Further, manufacturers may not claim that laser hair removal is either painless or permanent unless the FDA determines that there are sufficient data to demonstrate such results. Several manufacturers received FDA permission to claim, "permanent reduction," NOT "permanent removal" for their lasers. This means that although laser treatments with these devices will permanently reduce the total number of body hairs, they will not result in a permanent removal of all hair. The specific claim granted is "intended to effect stable, long-term, or permanent reduction" through selective targeting of melanin in hair follicles. Permanent hair reduction is defined as the long-term, stable reduction in the number of hairs re-growing after a treatment regime, which may include several sessions. The number of hairs regrowing must be stable over time greater than the duration of the complete growth cycle of hair follicles, which varies from four to twelve months according to body location. Permanent hair reduction does not necessarily imply the elimination of all hairs in the treatment area.

FDA does not make comparisons between systems or how well or safely they work compared to another company's system. FDA does not recommend one laser system over another.

Lasers cleared for body hair removal are also cleared for facial hair removal.

source: http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/laserfacts.html