Unwanted hair is a problem that both men and women have had to endure for centuries.   Temporary removal with shaving, plucking, or waxing has been the method used by most to deal with their unwanted hair. Until recently Electrolysis was the only effective method for permanent hair removal. However electrolysis is painful and can result in permanent scarring of the skin in some cases. When Laser hair removal was first introduced it was a dream come true. For the first time in history one could remove hair permanently and without pain.

Many individuals interested in laser hair removal have been skeptical about the long-term results of this procedure. Until recently few lasers were able to claim permanent hair removal. The fact remains that not all hair removal lasers are able to permanently eliminate the hair growth and some can do actual harm in the process of trying. The question is which laser is most effective yet has the least possibility of injuring the patient.

In the first place, no hair removal system is truly complete. Some hair return is unavoidable. However with repeat sessions of laser treatment the hair growth is reduced. Tough, dark, rapidly growing hair is replaced by softer, lighter, slower growing hair. Areas of dense hair growth become sparser. Secondly, a single treatment of laser will have little long-term affect. At least 5 or 6 treatments will be necessary through the course of a year. Treatments are generally spaced 2 months apart. Hair has to be in a susceptible phase of its growth cycle for the treatment to be successful.   After each treatment episode a certain percentage of hair follicles will be permanently stunned by the laser light. The hair follicle is injured but the other skin elements and tissues are little affected. In addition to individuals with normal hair growth, laser hair removal is useful for those individuals who suffer from hirsuitism and parafolliculitis barbae.

Several generations of lasers have been introduced in the past several years. Selective ablation of tissue is the mechanism of inducing injury in most lasers. Different target cells are affected by different wavelengths. The range of wavelengths extends from 500 nm lasers that primarily affect vascular structures to the 1064nm wavelengths that affect water and melanin. Long Pulsed Nd; Yag lasers are 1064nm and are targeting melanin present in the hair follicles. Dark colored hair with a lot of melanin is most affectively targeted.   White hair having little melanin is least affected. Blond hair falls somewhere in the middle of this spectrum.

The long pulsed Nd; Yag laser can treat all skin types and has been approved by the FDA for permanent hair removal. The safety track record is very high since you can control the intensity of laser light according to the amount of melanin in the skin and the color of the hair. The best results are seen with darker hair against lighter skin. Permanent hair reduction is possible with virtually no adverse affect. The patients have no pain during or after the procedure. There is no down time associated with this procedure.

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