How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?

If you have struggled with shaving, waxing, plucking, hair removal creams, and any of the other arsenal of techniques used to rid us of wanted hair, you have surely dreamed of an option that is more permanent. Laser hair removal offers a more permanent option than has been previously possible. Here is how it works.

How Laser Hair Removal Works

Laser hair removal is a medical procedure that should generally be conducted in a certified location by a dermatologist. A concentrated beam of light known as a laser is shot onto the skin and absorbed by the melanin in the hair.

This light is changed into heat, which negatively affect the hair follicles in the skin. Since these hair follicles are responsible for creating the hair, damaging them will cause you to produce less hair in the future and immediately remove hair during the treatment.

For some people, future hair growth is permanently inhibited, while for other people it is delayed. Repeat treatments generally reduce hair growth each time, so that after multiple treatments, you may find you grow very little hair back. You will need multiple treatments to get rid of your hair at first. The vast majority of people need maintenance treatments to maintain hair loss.

Limitations of Laser Hair Removal

Because laser hair removal relies on the melanin in the hair to affect its physical composition, the color of the hair and skin are relevant. People who have very dark skin or very light hair may not see as good effects or more be more at risk than others. In general, the people who can use laser hair removal most effectively are people with lighter skin and darker hair.

When there is not much contrast between the color of the hair and the color of the skin, risk of damage to the skin might be greater. However, technology is constantly advancing, and there are now more options for people with even very dark skin. Laser hair removal is still not very effective for hair colors without much melanin like white, blond, red, and gray.

Risks

Some people may find that their skin is irritated, red, and swollen after they have had their hair removed. These symptoms rarely last more than a few hours. Because the laser affects the melanin everywhere that the light reaches, not just the hair follicles, the skin that is affected may be darkened or lightened.

Sometimes these changes will vanish, while other times they may be permanent. Exposure to the sun before and after treatment makes it more likely that you’ll experience skin lightening. It is also more common for darker skinned people.

Is at Home Laser Hair Removal an Option?

Thankfully, you no longer have to go to the dermatologist for a medical treatment to reap the benefits of laser hair removal. Intense pulsed light can offer you high quality laser hair removal in an at-home device that will let you safely and effectively remove hair without having to go outside of your bathroom.

You should always talk to your doctor before beginning any kind of routine, including intense pulsed light therapy. It is especially important that you talk to your doctor if you are taking medication that makes your skin very sensitive to the light.

However, with your doctor’s go-ahead, this is a very safe way to remove hair at home. It’s easy to use and will only emit light if the entire surface of the probe is covered by your skin, so you won’t have to worry about the effects of the light on your eyes. It is not completely painless, and you can expect to experience something like having a rubber band shot against your skin, but it is not nearly as painful as many other hair removal solution such as waxing.

At home intense pulsed light treatments have some of the same limitations as laser hair removal. They don’t work as well on people with the darkest skin or the lightest hair. However, for many people, this can be a very effective hair removal treatment.

You may not see results as quickly as with the more intense laser treatment offered by dermatologists, but most people see results after three to four treatments. After a dozen or so treatments, you can expect to see complete results.

Added Benefits of Intense Pulsed Light

Intense pulsed light isn’t just effective for hair removal. It also has benefits for reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and reducing blemishes from acne. Furthermore, it can increase the collagen in your skin, which will make you look less wrinkled and more youthful overtime.

Consider At-Home Laser Hair Removal

If you have been attracted to the idea of semi-permanent hair removal but you don’t want the expense or inconvenience of having to go to the salon, intense pulsed light treatment may be the right solution for you.