Does Laser Hair Removal Really Work??

Hello! …and welcome to The Philadelphia Med Spa Blog! I’d like to start off this Month’s Blog topic regarding Laser Hair Removal; with an answer to that “burning” question… (No pun intended)

Does Laser Hair Removal work?
Well yes; and sometimes no. By understanding how cosmetic lasers work and actually affect the skin, hair, and follicle, one must first get slightly scientific. There are many different types of cosmetic lasers used for hair removal, from IPL or Intense Pulsed Light devices, (which are not technically a laser), to actual laser light- based devices which utilize different wavelengths, in turn providing safer but more effective laser hair removal treatments on a myriad of different skin types, skin color, etc.

The general idea behind laser hair removal is selective photothermolysis, or rather what the laser light targets: water, hemoglobin, or mostly, melanin, which is what gives our skin its color and pigment. Most of the cosmetic lasers in the U.S. are designed to target our melanin.

The light or laser basically targets anything dark, if we are speaking laser hair removal. So right about now you are asking, “But what if I have dark skin? Can it damage my actual skin?”
Good question! That is when a laser’s specific wavelength comes in. A wavelength is described as being light waves or infrared heat waves which make characteristic patterns as they travel through space, or the distance between repeating waves of light.

Pretty far out there so far, right?? It gets a bit simpler after this: There are a variety of lasers out there with different wavelengths which are used for, and target different things in or on the skin. For the purpose of explaining mainly hair removal lasers, the normal wavelengths are generally between 755 nm and 1064nm. These lasers are named after their wavelengths: a 755nm wavelength is called an Alexandrite laser, an 800-810 wavelength laser is a Diode laser, and a 1064nm laser is normally an ND Yag laser. I won’t bore you with why and what these laser wavelength names stand for right now…..

In simpler terms, the shorter the wavelength, say a 400, 532, 755, and 810 is generally more effective and safe for lighter skin tones, as the light source doesn’t have much melanin to target, except for the actual dark hair and its follicle.

Remember how I said it targets darker things?
The longer wavelengths, such as a 1064nm Yag laser is much safer for darker skin types, such as Hispanic,Middle Eastern, Indian, and African American skin tones, as it is much gentler on the surrounding skin and tissue, yet still targets the dark hairs and their follicles.

Whew! A lot of information overload, I’m sure. But in conclusion, the answer to our ever- important question, does laser hair removal work?
ANSWER: YES!, if the right light-based device or laser is used; with the appropriate wavelengths for a specific skin type and color, the appropriate power settings are used; laser hair removal or reduction is VERY effective. Now the NO part of this answer comes into play when you take into account the actual color of the hair one wishes to eliminate…..white, blonde, red and grey hair is NOT affected by many laser devices as the melanin or pigment in that hair is non-existent.

The darker the hair, the better job the laser or device will do at reducing and eliminating that hair from the follicle.

I sincerely hope that this information enlightens you a bit more on the treatment of laser and light-induced hair reduction! Until we speak again…
Peace, Love, and Healthy Skin

The Laser Techs @ The Philadelphia Med Spa
834 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 278-7806
contact@thelasertechs.com
http://thelasertechs.com