Laser Hair Removal: What You Need to Know

We've all heard, by now, that doctors can use lasers to remove hair from the human body. However, most people don't know very much about laser hair removal. You can probably think of quite a variety of questions about laser hair removal right off the top of your head. For example, you might wonder things such as, "How does laser hair removal work? How long does it take? How much does laser hair removal cost? Is it dangerous? What are the risks of laser hair removal?" Here are the basics of what you need to know about laser hair removal:

How laser hair removal works. Laser hair removal works by sending a pulse of high-energy laser light into the skin. The laser beam targets the melanin pigment that is contained in every hair shaft. Once the laser hits the hair shaft, it tells the hair follicle that it should go into a state known as the telogen, or resting phase. In this phase, hair grows extremely slowly.

* Because laser hair removal sends the message to the hair follicle to go dormant, it doesn't necessarily stop the hair follicle from ever growing again. Routine maintenance laser hair removal treatments are generally necessary to keep the hair from coming back.

* There is a danger of damaging the skin around the hair follicle. The darker a patient's skin is,t he more likely that this damage could occur. There are a variety of different types of lasers, however, that are designed specifically for thicker or thinner hair, and for lighter or darker skin.

* Laser hair removal treatments usually number about three to five. These treatments are generally given at least four but no more than eight weeks apart. The maintenance treatments mentioned previously may occur yearly, or even longer apart depending on the individual.

* If you are considering laser hair removal, try to find a practitioner that is experienced. The process of laser hair removal requires quite a bit of precision and a good eye for what exactly needs to be done, and someone who has been doing it longer will likely be more accurate and run less risk of damaging the skin.