About Face:
The Blog of Arthur N. Falk, MD
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Laser Hair Removal
I still find that in the course of consultations at the Center for Facial Plastic Surgery and Laser Skin Care, there is a lot of confusion about who is a good candidate for laser hair removal. To clarify this question lets review the laser hair removal process.
There must be pigment in the hair in order for laser hair removal to be effective. This is because the way the process works is by the selective absorption of the laser light by the hair shaft which gets hot and this heat then in tern destroys the germinating cells which line the shaft and bulb through the dissipation of heat. Those cells are more vulnerable only when they are actually turned on in the growth phase, and about a third of all hair cells fall in this category at any given time.
So, darker hair is going to absorb the laser energy better and blond hair and gray hair are difficult if not impossible to treat by the laser hair removal method. Naturally coarse hair is going to be easier to treat than fine hair. Dark skin can be a problem too, because the natural pigment in the skin will absorb to some degree the laser light and can cause bad side effects if not careful. I would recommend a physician directed program with on site supervision, such as the Center for Facial Plastic Surgery, as your best assurance for a safe and effective treatment.
There must be pigment in the hair in order for laser hair removal to be effective. This is because the way the process works is by the selective absorption of the laser light by the hair shaft which gets hot and this heat then in tern destroys the germinating cells which line the shaft and bulb through the dissipation of heat. Those cells are more vulnerable only when they are actually turned on in the growth phase, and about a third of all hair cells fall in this category at any given time.
So, darker hair is going to absorb the laser energy better and blond hair and gray hair are difficult if not impossible to treat by the laser hair removal method. Naturally coarse hair is going to be easier to treat than fine hair. Dark skin can be a problem too, because the natural pigment in the skin will absorb to some degree the laser light and can cause bad side effects if not careful. I would recommend a physician directed program with on site supervision, such as the Center for Facial Plastic Surgery, as your best assurance for a safe and effective treatment.
posted by
Dr. Arthur Falk
at
8:42 PM
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