Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal is the newest hair removal technique and it is rapidly improving. It provides an extremely fast treatment time with very little discomfort and less pain than electrolysis. It provides long-lasting effects but as with electrolysis, follow-up treatments are often necessary. Unlike electrolysis, which sends an electric current through a fine needle to kill the root, lasers are a comparatively painless way to remove hair. And while electrolysis removes one hair at a time, the laser can work on multiple follicles at once. However, laser hair removal is more expensive than other methods.

Excellent results are reported for the face, neck, and underarms with between 60 and 80% hair removal in 2 to 3 treatments. Most people have about 50% less hair in 4 months after just one session. When the hair grows back, it tends to be finer and sparser. The average patient needs a repeat treatment every 6 to 12 months.

Laser Treatment Procedure

Different hair lasers work in somewhat different ways, although in principle, they are very similar. One of the first to be approved is marketed by San Diego's ThermoLase Corporation and is a Nd:YAG laser. It requires that the skin be waxed first, to help remove hair and open the follicles, so the laser light can effectively reach the follicles. Then, a carbon-based, light-absorbing lotion is massaged into the skin. When the laser passes over the skin, it selectively heats the carbon left in the hair follicles, damaging them but leaving the skin components unharmed.

Newer hair removal lasers use long-pulse ruby or alexandrite lasers that don't require waxing or a carbon-based lotion. Instead, these lasers are being designed to preferentially heat the follicle and not the surrounding skin. For example, the red light emitted by the EpilaserTM is absorbed mainly by the pigment located in the hair follicle. The laser is pulsed, or "turned on", for only a fraction of a second. The duration of each pulse is just so long that enough light and energy is absorbed by the follicle to destroy it, but not long enough that excess heat is transferred to the skin surrounding the hair follicle. The result is more selective hair follicle damage but with less skin damage.

Expect to spend 1 to 3 hours from the moment you arrive for your treatment. First, the skin is cleansed and unwanted hair is trimmed. Then a dermatologist or nurse scans the area with the Yag, alexandrite, or ruby laser, depending on the hair type, color, and skin color. After the treatment, the treated area is covered to prevent infection during the healing period, and then kept covered with a moist solution for a specific period of time. Sunlight should be avoided during the healing period.

Lasers are Relatively Painless

One of the primary attractions of the new, longer-pulse lasers used for hair removal is the relative lack of pain when compared to other hair removal methods. Also, many new lasers automatically scan an area, giving a more uniform and faster hair removal.

Costs of Laser Treatments

A series of treatments to remove facial hair, for example, costs $800 to $1,200. Hair removal for legs or men's backs is more expensive and costs about $3,000.

Hair Electrolysis (Electrical Epilators)

Hair electrolysis is also called electrology, and various machine use somewhat different techniques. Some current electrical techniques require 3-5 minutes per hair and are done with multiple-needle machines. Other machines use a combination of electricity and heat (thermolysis) to disable the hair follicle. The object is to permanantly prevent the hair follicle from being able to grow hair.

Electrolysis is the only proven method of permanent hair removal and if you use a pain-reducing gel 30-60 minutes in advance, the pain is reduced or even eliminated. In 1875, Charles E. Michel, M.D., used a fine wire and an electric current to permanently remove ingrown eyelashes, a painful and recurring condition. Since then, his hair removal method has became known as "electrolysis".

Hair on the face that is coarse and bristly and not very abundant can often be removed permanently by electrolysis. There is a controversy over two types of devices using electric current to remove hair: (1) the needle epilator, which has been used for hair removal for more than a hundred years, and (2) the tweezers epilator, a comparatively new method used for about 20 years. Because a needle is not used, this latter method is supposed to be less painful and safer.

Needle epilators push a very fine sterile wire alongside the hair and into the hair follicle, and an electric current destroys the hair root at the bottom of the follicle. The loosened hair is removed with tweezers, and each hair is treated individually. Because this technique destroys the hair follicle, it is the most permanent hair removal method. When the procedure is properly done, the hair-producing dermal papilla, the source of the germination of the hair, is destroyed about 2/3 of the time, and one-third of the time the hair grows back. However, if the needle misses the follicle, some hair roots survive. Also, because hair grows in cycles, some hair follicles are in a dormant phase and so are not treated. If you have electrolysis done on your chin, any hairs which appears within the next 5-6 weeks are untreated hairs. Also, hormonal changes may stimulate new hair growth.

Needle electrolysis requires a series of treatments over time. For example, clearing the hair from a forearm takes a series of 15 to 60 minute appointments once a week, for about one year. In the first two months, a series of eight treatments will clear both forearms, but after that, hair on a different cycle of growth must be removed. Needle electrolysis can be expensive, costing about $60 to $100 an hour, and may cost $1,000 to $3,000 per year. Also, it can be painful. Success depends on the skill of the electrologist. Tweezers epilators, like needle epilators, use electric current to remove hair.

Tweezers are used to grasp the hair shaft close to the skin, and an applied electric current travels down the hair shaft to the root. Like needle epilators, an electric shock is possible if the tweezers touch the skin instead of the hair shaft. Tweezers epilator manufacturers must submit data to the U.S. FDA showing their devices are effective. Tweezers epilator manufacturers can claim permanent hair removal if they can provide supporting data.

Possibly, there is less skin irritation using tweezers epilators because the hair is held with the tweezer, hence, there is less chance of the electricity missing the follicle than with the needle method.

Finding Qualified Electrolysis Experts

Electrolysis should be performed by a qualified professional. The risks of electrolysis are electrical shock if the needles are not properly insulated, infection from unsterile needles, and scarring resulting from improper technique.

While 31 states require licensing of electrologists, there are no national standards regulating the practice of hair electrolysis. Training requirements range from 120 hours to 1,100 hours in licensing states.

The American Electrology Association and the Society of Clinical and Medical Electrologists have certification programs based on written examinations. A list of licensed and certified electrologists may be obtained from:

The International Guild of Professional Electrologists 202 Boulevard St. Suite B High Point, NC 27262 Telephone: (800) 830-3247.

Do-It-Yourself Electrolysis

Hair Removal Methods

Types of Hair Removal

Waxing

Laser Hair Removal and Electrolysis

Pharmaceuticals to Reduce Hair

Repairing Skin After Hair Removal

How to Prevent Ingrown Hairs