Excess hair can be a source of psychological or emotional stress. While plucking, waxing, shaving, electrolysis, and depilatories can be effective for small areas and short term control of hair growth, they are often impractical for removing hair from large areas. Laser hair removal has been used successfully for several decades to achieve long term reduction of unwanted hair. The devices available today offer a high degree of safety, efficacy, and comfort. All lasers emit lights of different wavelengths and laser hair removal works by emitting light that selectively targets the pigment within hairs. The light energy is converted to heat which is transferred to the hair follicle thereby destroying it. Since pigmented (brown or black) hair is essential as a target for the laser light, individuals with blond, white, grey, and red hair aren’t good candidates for this treatment.
While all skin types with appropriately colored hair can be treated, the best candidates are those with lighter skin color. The reason for this is that the skin also becomes a target for the laser light when greater skin pigment is present. Darker skinned individuals must be treated at lower energies requiring more treatments for hair reduction. Regardless of skin type, multiple treatments are required because only a certain percentage of hairs are destroyed during a given treatment. This has to do with the percentage of hairs that are in an active growth phase at the time of treatment.
If you’d like to schedule a consultation or learn more about laser hair removal, please call 310-626-4631.
