Laser Hair Removal Treatment

By: Param

Heredity and ethnic background are factors for unwanted hair. In women, hormonal causes such as pregnancy, menopause, hormonal problems, and taking certain male hormonal supplements, for birth control, weight loss/muscle firming, or at menopause are common.
Traditional methods such as shaving, plucking, depilatories, waxing, and electrolysis and more recent advances such as Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and Laser treatment are using to be free from unwanted hair.
Laser Treatment:
The process takes from several minutes to several hours, depending on the area of the body involved. Laser hair removal uses a low-energy laser. The laser energy passes through the patient's skin, being absorbed by the pigment in the hair follicle. A percentage of the follicles are instantaneously and permanently disabled with each treatment. In most cases, no anesthesia is necessary.
Intense Pulsed Light and Lasers heat the area at the base of the hair where hair is formed, and the resultant damage reduces hair regrowth. Treatment feels like the snap of a hot rubber band, lasting only a few seconds. Surface anesthetic cream can be used before the procedure.

What kind of results can I expect?
Most patients receive well to excellent results with long lasting reduction in the amount and coarseness of hair growth. Some patients, may have less satisfactory results because of hormonal factors, skin or hair type, or because an optimal treatment series was not completed.
How many treatments will I need?
Hair must be treated during a specific phase in its growth cycle, the active or anagen phase. Because hair grows in staggered growth cycles, multiple treatments are required so that all the hairs are treated during their growing phase. The number and frequency of treatments vary by body site and for each individual.
Does it hurt?
Results:
These methods should be considered long lasting rather than permanent hair removal. The length of time that the hair is gone and the completeness of removal vary. The hair that re-grows may be lighter in color and finer in texture.
Immediately after the procedure:
Redness or bruising may occur either around the hair follicle or in larger areas, lasting for a few hours to a few days. The hair may be bleached or singed.
Side effects of IPL or laser hair removal:
Intense Pulsed Light and Laser hair removal are most effective and safest for dark hair on light skin. For that reason it's important to avoid intentional sun or tanning bed exposure to the area to be treated for one month before each treatment, and to use a broad spectrum sunscreen to areas not covered by clothing. Certain medications increase light sensitivity and need to be discontinued briefly before treatment. Always check with the prescribing physician before discontinuing any medication. Side effects of treatments can include discoloration, temporary redness or swelling, and rarely scarring in the surrounding skin.
Benefits:
• A non-invasive, gentle technique that eliminates undesirable hair from all parts of the body.
• Leaves skin looking smoother and silkier.
• Treats larger areas effectively because it removes more than one hair at a time.
• Minimal discomfort.
• Replaces waxing, electrolysis and razors.
• Immediate return to normal activities.
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Laser Hair Removal May Increase Hair Density for Some Men

By: Steve Buchanan

About 55 million American men have some degree of hair loss, thus creating a potentially big market for an effective at-home treatment.

The HairMax LaserComb may be an option for men who don't want to pay for hair restoration surgery but who also don't have high expectations. It delivers a specific wavelength of light that stimulates the hair follicle, says its manufacturer, Lexington International.

In studies by the manufacturer, the device increased the number of thick hairs in 93 percent of 120 users. The average increase in hair density was 19 hairs per square centimeter — roughly a 20 percent improvement in someone with thinning hair.

The device costs $545 and must be used 10 to 15 minutes a day, three times a week to maintain the effect.

In contrast, laser hood treatments, which are available in clinics and cover the entire scalp, can cost hundreds of dollars per treatment and need to be repeated at least twice a week.

Hair transplants provide a more permanent solution but typically cost thousands of dollars.

Topical medications, such as Rogaine, run about $10 per bottle for the generic but produce only modest results for some users.

The laser hair comb is not backed by randomized, controlled studies done by independent researchers, says Dr. Paul Cotterill, president of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery.

The device may be best suited for men who are serious about hair regrowth, such as those who undergo hair transplantation and want to augment the result at home, he says.

"This new laser comb won't hurt, and it may help at maintaining hair," Cotterill says. "But I want to see third-party studies — studies that have not been done by the people who produced it."

Other laser hair regrowth devices are on the market but haven't received FDA clearance to make claims of effectiveness. Sunetics, which sells the Laser Hair Brush, is applying for FDA clearance, says John Carullo, the company's marketing director.

What Hair Removal Laser Is Right For Me?

By: Eric Bernstein M.D.

First of all, what is a laser?

A laser is a device that produces light of a single color or wavelength. In dermatology, these lasers produce pulses of high-energy light that is taken up by the desired target. In the case of hair removal, the target is the melanin pigment contained within the hair shaft. The tricky part of laser hair removal is targeting the hair shaft without damaging the melanin pigment in the surface of the skin. Thus the laser light has to be on long enough to heat the hair, but not too long to allow that heat to spread to the surrounding skin causing damage.

What laser is right for me?

The right laser for an individual patient depends upon the thickness of the hair and the patient's skin type. Some lasers are faster than others, so for treating very large surface areas one may choose a laser that is able to treat large areas in a reasonable period of time.

In addition, if the hair on an individual patient becomes thinner and less dense following laser treatments, I often switch lasers to accommodate the change in the hair type and texture. There are a number of parameters that can be selected on a given laser. While each laser gives a unique color, or wavelength of light, other settings such as the energy, and how long the light stays on (the pulse duration) can be selected by the user. Because there are a number of settings which can be chosen during a treatment session, it is very important to have an experienced laser operater who understands how lasers work and the risks and benefits of various settings.

Is laser different for people with darker or tanned skin?

In my opinion, very dark skinned patients often do better with the Nd:YAG laser, while lighter skinned patients may respond better to the diode or alexandrite lasers.

Lasering people with dark skin is much more tricky than lasering people with light skin. However, the hair must be dark in order to be 'seen' by the laser. Lasers are absorbed by the pigmentation in the hair shaft which produces heat that then results in inflammation which sends a signal to the hair to go into a long-term resting period. The ideal laser patient that would be easiest to treat and respond best would be someone with very light skin and dark hair. However, people have all different degrees of skin and hair pigmentation. The trick with laser hair removal is to avoid injuring the surface of the skin where the melanin pigment lives, while effecting the pigmentation in the hair shaft. The problem is, your skin and hair don't know whether they are supposed to absorb the laser light or not. Therefore, any dark pigmentation will absorb most forms of laser light. Certain lasers are somewhat less 'noticed' by epidermal melanin pigment. The laser that is most commonly used on very dark skin would be the Nd:YAG laser. This laser has the longest wavelength of any of the hair removal lasers, and thus is less absorbed by melanin pigmentation over-all. Because is it less absorbed by the melanin pigment in the surface of the skin, it runs less of a risk of injuring the surface of the skin.

It's important that before any cosmetic procedure you contact your personal physician to discuss whether a particular treatment may be right for you. Make sure you consult your physician first prior to treatment.

Ways to Get Rid of Those Manly Hairs

By: Sashi

If you are a hirsute women and looking for treatment of excessive and facial body hair here you are at the threshold of experiencing a new phenomenon. Today, when people are looking for cure for baldness or hair removal, hirsutism has been causing stress for many women across the globe. Growth of long coarse hair on the face and body of women in a pattern similar to that found in men is termed as hirsutism. Hirsutism is the growth of excessive hair in women on parts of the body where hair is usually not found.

The exact cause of Hirsutism cannot be specified but dermatologists have concluded that it is primarily a result of hormonal imbalance. Abnormally high levels of androgens or male hormones are found in the blood of hirsute women. Androgens are present in both men and women, but men have much higher levels. These hormones cause hairs to change from vellus to terminal. Once a vellus hair has been transformed to the coarser terminal hair, it usually does not change back. Androgens also cause terminal hairs to grow faster and thicker. Both the ovaries and the adrenals produce androgens. To some degree, estrogens and progesterone, female hormones, prevent the effect of androgens. Hirsutism is sometimes an indication of a serious medical problem. It can also have cosmetic effects that may be very hard to manage psychologically. If you have hirsutism, you may feel very self-conscious, and this is a perfectly normal reaction.
It has been revealed that small quantities of androgens are normally made by both the ovaries and the adrenal glands in women. The adrenal glands are located above the kidneys. Adrenal androgens cause normal growth of pubic and axillary hair that comes before the onset of menstruation. It has generally been seen by that hirsutism usually occurs at puberty, that is, at the time of sexual development. If there is an abnormality in either your ovaries or adrenal glands, you may secrete excessive quantities of androgens and develop hirsutism before puberty. Pre-pubertal hirsutism may be the result of an inherited defect in hormone synthesis (the production of hormones) or an adrenal or ovarian malignancy (cancerous growth).

The treatment of hirsutism is carried out with an aim of correcting the root cause of the problem. If the problem of hirsutism is due to anovulation due to polycystic ovarian syndrome or infertility, the primary goal will be to induce ovulation. Steroids like dexamethasone or prednisone may also be prescribed in low doses if the adrenal gland is overactive. This medicine is usually taken at bedtime and serves to suppress production of the ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) hormone which stimulates the adrenal gland.
The effect of treatment is evident only after a period of six months and if the results are found to be effective it may be continued indefinitely with patience. However, terminal hairs that are already present will not fall out or disappear with hormonal therapy and must be removed by other hair removal means. Many women with mild hirsutism often opt for various hair removal methods such as shaving, depilatories, electrolysis and even laser hair removal.

If you are a hirsute woman, do undergo a thorough investigation for your androgen levels under the guidance of a qualified expert and then follow the given treatment in the prescribed manner to attain desired results.

Bikini Area Hair Removal - Is Laser The Best Option?

By: C.D. Mohatta

You can remove unwanted hair using different methods. When it comes to bikini area, it becomes tricky for many reasons. The site is sensitive. Self-shaving becomes difficult. Waxing may be very painful. Electrolysis may be time consuming? Laser may be costly. What should a girl do? Let us discuss.

Shaving-

With shaving, there are possibilities of bikini bumps. Shaving has to be repeated frequently and the stubble that grows after shaving may be irritating. There are also chances of cutting yourself with shaving.

Electrolysis-

With electrolysis the removal is practically permanent. But some people find it painful. It is also quite time taking. You have to expose yourself unlike shaving but that also applies to waxing and laser.

Waxing-

Waxing can be very painful. If you are taking Vitamin A derivatives or using them your skin can become very sensitive and tear. Waxing is also not permanent and it is reported that some parlors reuse the wax.

Laser-

This is a permanent method of removal. The hair may grow again but will be finer and less. Except cost, everything goes in favor of laser hair removal from bikini area. To know more about laser hair removal please click here- Laser Hair Removal

This article is only for informative purposes. This article is not intended to be a medical advice and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor for all your medical concerns. Please follow any information given in this article only after consulting your doctor or qualified medical professional. The author is not liable for any outcome or damage resulting from any information obtained from this article.