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Hair Removal

Introduction:

There are several ways to remove hair but some are more effective or have a more permanent effect than others. Obviously people who seek a method to remove their hair want to go one time - and it is gone. This is not always possible even with the best methods of hair removal. It is often not predictable how many sessions a patient needs. Everyone is different. Of the several methods of hair removal, laser hair removal seems to require the least sessions or may even be the only method that can result in permanent hair removal.

Anatomy of the Hair Follicle:

How does hair grow? Hair forms in a pouch-like structure below the skin called a hair follicle. What we see as hair is actually the hair shaft, which is the keratinized, hardened tissue that grows from this follicle.

Humans have more hair follicles per square inch of skin than most higher primates, including chimpanzees and gorillas. Because most of this hair is fine and pale , it usually is not visible to the naked eye. Consider this: the forehead has more hair follicles than any other part of the body. The thicker, fully pigmented hair most people consider "real hair" is called terminal hair. This hair is found on scalp, eyebrows, legs, backs, underarms.

Everyone's hair grows differently, depending on age, weight, metabolism, hormones, ethnicity, medications, and other factors. But all hair goes through three distinct growth phases:

	1) Active growth phase (called the anagen phase), which lasts up to several years. At any given time, the majority (85%) of our body hair is in this phase. During anagen, the hair has an abundance of melanin.
	2) Regressive phase (catagen phase), which lasts about two weeks, during which the hair stops growing but is not yet shed. About 3 - 4% of our body hair is in this phase at any given time.
	3) Resting phase (telogen phase), which lasts 5 - 6 weeks, at the end of which the hair falls out and a new hair begins to form. Approximately 10-13% of our body hair is in this phase at any one time.

The laser most effectively disables hair that is in the active growth (anagen) phase. Because all the hair in a treated area may not be in the anagen phase, more than one laser treatment may be necessary to remove the hair that subsequently enters the growth phase.

Common Procedures:

What is the difference between all the hair removal methods available? There are multiple common methods of hair removal other than laser (shaving, depilatories, (creams), epilation-tweezing, waxing or sugaring, threading, electrolysis and light hair removal).

Shaving: Is fast and affordable. It can cause cuts, irritation and ingrown hairs. It only lasts a few days at best.

Depilatories: Are a cream made of chemicals that dissolve the hair. They are fast and affordable. They can cause irritation, and smell bad. The results only last a few days.

Epilation-Tweezing: Is affordable. It can be painful, is slow, and can cause ingrown hairs and changes in pigment. You need to wait until there is outgrowth to pluck. Results may last from a few days to a few weeks.

Waxing and Sugaring: Is fast. It can be costly, is painful, can cause ingrown hairs, and can cause irritation including pimples. You need to have considerable outgrowth of hair to wax. Results can last from a week to one and a half months.

Threading: Is when a thread is twisted in a way to catch hairs and pull them out. It is fast. It can be costly, painful, and can cause ingrown hairs, folliculitis, irritation, and changes in pigmentation.

Electrolysis: An electric current travels down a needle which is inserted in the skin next to the hair shaft. As a result the root is (hopefully) destroyed and is then tweezed. The process can be extremely time consuming, (since each hair has to be "electrocuted"), painful and expensive. It can also cause hyper/hypo-pigmentation.

Light Hair Removal: Also known as laser assisted hair removal is a method of hair removal using pulsed light to disable the root of the hair. It can result in long term hair removal. In the hands of a skilled technician, light hair removal can be as effective as laser hair removal. As permanent as other lasers, it is known to allow for more treatment options for clients that may not be good candidates for laser hair removal.

Laser Hair Removal:

How does laser hair removal work? Laser hair removal works by sending a beam of laser light to a group of hair follicles with enough power to disable or destroy the root, but not enough power to harm the surrounding skin. This process is called selective photothermolysis. It is selective because it targets only the hair and not the skin. Photo means light and thermolysis means destroying with heat. The surrounding skin is usually cooled. Some methods include a gel, a spray, or a cooling tip.

The Laser beam finds the hair follicles by targeting the substance that gives skin and hair dark color - melanin. Therefore, the ideal candidate for laser has dark hair and light skin. The laser will not work on people with red, white, gray or true blond hair. The hot laser light will also be attracted to the melanin in the skin, so people with suntans, or dark skin types are at more of a risk for discoloration of pigment and other side effects.

Hair Removal by Laser is NOT ELECTROLYSIS. Electrolysis is a method of removing individual hairs one-at-a-time by directing an electric current into each hair follicle. This is the high tech/modern day method of destroying massive amounts of hair follicles with a simple trigger pull.

Laser only destroys hair in its active growth phase, the anagen phase. This phase lasts several years, and up to 85% of our hair is in that phase at any given time. The good thing is that during this phase, the hair has an abundance of melanin and the hair follicle is easily targeted.

What types of machines are used for laser hair removal?

There are four different kinds of laser light that are commonly used for hair removal:

Alexandrite- such as the Candela GentleLase Plus.
Ruby- such as the EpiTouch or the Epilaser.
Diode- such as the Coherent Light Sheer.
ND, and LP ND Yag- such as the Candela GentleYag and the Altus Cool Glide.

These are all effective, fast, comfortable and safe for permanent hair removal.

There are several factors that a laser technician can often control to customize a treatment for efficacy, safety and comfort:

Pulse length- long pulsed lasers are considered safest.
Fluence- Selection of energy levels can be varied for skin type.
Delay- The time in between pulses of light affects how much the skin and hair follicle are allowed to cool off
Spot Size – Affects the speed and penetration of the laser. A larger spot penetrates deeper. A good selection of spot sizes helps the technician reach the hair at the depth at which it grows.
Cooling- The surrounding skin may be protected by a gel, spray or cooled tip pressed against the skin.

Will laser hair removal hurt? The level of pain from laser hair removal depends on the patient and that person's skin and hair type. Typically, the treatment tends to hurt less for people with lighter skin tones and finer hair. Most people however, tolerate laser hair removal very well.

In case the patient is uncomfortable, the laser technician offers topical anesthetic that numbs the skin or ice packs. Depending on the type of laser being used, a cool laser tip, gel, or spray is always used to increase comfort of the laser hair removal treatment. The laser's cooling system provides an additional anesthetic effect.

Patients have described the sensation from laser hair removal as discomfort rather than pain; similar to the feeling of a rubber band being snapped against your skin with an awareness of heat. After the laser hair removal treatment, patients can expect the treated area to be red and feel similar to a sunburn.

Laser hair removal clinics usually offer free-consultations and will perform spot tests so you can see how laser hair removal feels.

How many treatments will I need? Everyone will need at least three treatments for good results, because while all hair is temporarily disabled during each treatment, not all hair is destroyed. A series of treatments is necessary to allow results to accumulate. Most people do not need to continue beyond six treatments.

People with hormonal imbalances or people who have waxed or plucked a lot may need more than average. After the treatment regimen is completed, hair may grow very sparsely. If this occurs, may be a good idea for the remaining hair.

How fast is laser hair removal? The greatest advantage of laser is speed of treatment in conjunction with long lasting results. So it is especially great for large areas such as backs, or legs when compared to electrolysis, which is permanent, but excruciatingly slow for large areas.

A back with laser only takes one hour, while a full back with electrolysis usually takes 125 hours. Another advantage of laser is that if hairs that do grow back, they are typically finer in texture.

What can I expect at my appointment? During a treatment you and the technician will wear special glasses to filter out harmful light. The technician will evaluate you to determine your skin type and decide how to set the laser appropriately. The technician may do some test spots before beginning actual treatment.

An experienced technician is able to adjust the laser according to your skin and hair type. The adjustments on the laser include 1) power - joules, 2) spot size - the area that can be treated in one pulse of light, and 3) frequency: the time in between pulses and/or amount of cooling. These variables can often be adjusted to customize treatment for the client.

What are the pre/post treatment instructions?
Pre Treatment
1. Do not get laser when you have a suntan or sunburn
2. If you have a darker skin tone, you should begin a bleaching regimen at least two weeks before treatment.
3. It is not necessary to shave, but it will quicken treatment time. A shadow or stubble should be visible.
4. Stop bleaching or plucking for a couple of weeks before treatment.
5. If you get cold sores or have genital herpes, start taking Acyclovir, or similar medicine before treatment
Post Treatment
1. After the treatment, you may have redness or bumps. This is normal. You may use a cold compress if needed.
2. Makeup may be used. Moisturizer is good to use.
3. Use sun block of SPF 25 or more for a couple of weeks after your treatment.
4. The only other acceptable hair removal method during your treatment regimen is shaving if needed.
5. Hair will shed up to three weeks after treatment. It may seem like new hair growth, but it is just the hair coming out. You can help the hairs out by using a loofah or washcloth.

How much does laser hair removal cost? The price of laser hair removal varies greatly according the uniqueness of each person. All patterns of hair growth are unique. Therefore the results of laser hair removal and the cost of laser hair removal will also be unique. That is why some clinics want you to come in for a consultation before they quote laser hair removal pricing.

Some male back hair may grow in densely and evenly with thick hair shafts while other back hair may grow in sparsely and in patches of fine hair. Of course there are all variables of hair growth in between. All women have some facial hair. Some women have facial hair that is noticeable only because it is thicker and darker than someone who has fine, light hair. Other women have facial hair because of hormonal factors.

Laser hair removal pricing structures can vary from clinic to clinic, but often the various quotes for laser hair removal pricing will be the same or similar in the end. Here are some ways that laser hair removal clinics decide on the cost of laser hair removal:

Flat Fee
Laser hair removal prices are sometimes made on a flat fee basis. The flat fee might be on a per treatment basis or a package of treatments basis. It could mean that all men's backs are $500 per treatment all of the time no matter how much hair you have on your back, or it that per treatment flat fee could be based on your particular back hair growth patterns. The clinic might charge for a flat fee package of treatments which may or may not vary according to the individual's body hair growth patterns.

Time
Similar to the common pricing structure of electrolysis some laser clinics charge per 15 minute segment for laser hair removal. Let's say a clinic charges $100 per 15 minute segment of laser hair removal. If a man's back takes about an hour, it would cost $400 per treatment. Of course the cost of hair removal will be affected by the amount of hair to be removed, and the speed of the laser technician and the speed of the laser hair removal machine.

Fee per pulse
Laser hair removal pricing can be based on the number of pulses that it takes to complete an area of body hair. Each time the laser fires, it is called "a pulse." One pulse takes about one second and can remove more or less than a hundred hairs and can range from the area of a dime to the area of a quarter. Some laser clinics charge by the pulse. For example, a laser clinic might charge a dollar per pulse with a minimum fee per area. A bikini might cost $300 based on a minimum charge of $150 which includes the first 150 pulses and a dollar per pulse thereafter. You only get charged for actual pulses unless you have fewer pulses than the minimum. As you progress in your series of laser hair removal treatments, your price per treatment may decline as you have less hair to be removed. Different lasers have different spot sizes and will therefore have different prices per pulse.

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