Laser hair removal. Professional hair removal.
Laser hair removal is the most reliable and modern method of removing excess hair. Waxing, shugaring, and shaving do not destroy the roots of the hair, these procedures are called depilation.
If you already had hair removal by laser, you probably want to know what is the difference between our hair removal and hair removal in other salons and clinics? For you we have prepared a special article: “How we REALLY remove hair on the CANDELA GentleLase Pro”.
If you have never had laser hair removal, this article is for you. How not to get caught in the trap of deceivers and marketing tricks, why not all lasers are the same, and how not to go for waxing for years. we’ll tell you everything.
Both methods are very effective, but only practice will tell which one is more effective for you. In our center you can get a free consultation and then choose a procedure. The specialist will choose for you the most suitable type of hair removal and after the beginning of procedures, on the basis of the results will help to make a personal hair removal program and determine the approximate number of procedures.
How light energy works on hair follicles?
The energy of the directed beam of light through the dark hair, reaches the follicle. Its cells are heated to temperatures above 70 degrees and die. The hair follicle dies off. The effect of laser hair removal is lifelong, but on this particular hair!
In order to understand the problem it is necessary to know an important fact:
The hair you see on your body. It is only 30-60% of all the hair follicles, which are provided by nature (on different parts of the body differently).
And where are the rest?? The curious reader will ask?
Some of the bulbs simply “sleep”, the body does not need them yet. They are awakened, for example, in case of hormonal “explosion”. And the part of hair is in a stage catagen and telogen: these stages of hair life when they do not grow, the hair follicle is renewed inside the skin.
Any hair removal, whether electro- or laser, “kills” only active, growing hair (in a stage of anagen). In response the body starts the processes of restoration, the sleeping follicles wake up, the “telogenic” ones pass to the stage of anagen.
The more active is hormonal background (in other words, the younger is the patient), the more intensively processes of renewal of hair growth pass, but it is not the same hair which was!
Absolutely identical process with both photoepilation and electroepilation! So the principle of these three methods of hair removal is the same, as well as the effectiveness of these methods.
If the laser device is set up correctly, the beautician works properly without skipping areas of treatment, the hair is killed forever!
Types of lasers
There are the following varieties of laser units:
They all differ primarily in wavelength. There are also differences in the power of the apparatus, the frequency of pulses and their duration.
The very first laser was the ruby laser. with an artificial ruby head. Its wavelength is 694 nanometers, and the beam is very well absorbed by melanin, but today this technology is almost never used. When exposed to the ruby laser, not only the hair but also the skin is affected. the procedure is painful, burns are possible. And due to the fact that the pulses are rare. no more than one per second. the session takes a long time.
The gold standard of laser hair removal is considered alexandrite laser with a wavelength of 755 nm. The beam is absorbed by melanin, practically not affecting hemoglobin. Thanks to the power of the equipment and an increased frequency of flashes alexandrite hair removal is very effective, the sessions take a minimum of time, and the skin is immediately smooth. The handpiece, which is manipulated by a doctor, is fitted with a cooling element, which ensures that the hair removal process is painless. Not surprisingly, alexandrite laser treatment is one of the most popular services in clinics.
Diode laser is less powerful, so more sessions are required to achieve the effect.к. Only the thicker hair follicles are damaged, and the fine hairs remain untouched. The wavelength is 800 nm, there is no additional cooling. Despite its low power, it is also a popular treatment option. The hair loss usually happens within a couple of weeks after the treatment.
Neodymium laser wavelength is 1064 nm. The beam is not absorbed by melanin, and acts on hemoglobin, so the hair follicles are not destroyed during treatment. This laser works differently: penetrating the epidermis, it coagulates the vessels feeding the hair follicles, and the nourished hairs fall out within a few weeks. The technique is not very popular because of the unpleasant sensations during treatment, more often neodymium laser is used for removal of tattoos and vascular defects, rejuvenation of epidermis.
Above all, it’s important to take a realistic view of the laser technique. Misinterpretations on this subject are the source of many misunderstandings and disappointments.
The optical ways of struggle with vegetation have many advantages: relative speed, duration of effect and comparative tolerance of sensations, but far from being painless.
But there is one point that is very important to realize both for those who carry out the procedure and for those who are clients: the hair grows and will grow. Just different.
The new generation will look different: weaker, thinner and less frequent. Actually, this is already good, but often a person expects quite a different result. You shouldn’t expect to lose hair for life after a session at all.
What is the behavior of the vegetation after the laser
Our center has many clients after laser hair removal. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you the statistics for diode vs. alexandrite laser separately because my masters don’t ask their customers about the type.
Another interesting thing: many clients who come to the laser with several zones at the same time, for example, it can be armpit and bikini, legs and bikini and so on, face completely different effect. The same laser ok takes one area, and the second practically does not take, and most often does not take a zone of deep bikini.
It’s also interesting that out of 10 of our clients who came in after the laser, only 1-2 say that they didn’t grow any hair for 1-2 years after completing the course.
The other 8 clients find that 60-70 hair growth resumes after completing the laser course 2-4 months later, and after 6 months it returns to almost 100 volume.
We also often ask clients to compare the soreness of the sessions. Only some people say that the laser is less painful. Everyone else confirms that both methods are sensitive and unpleasant, just in different ways.
How long to grow hair after the laser before electro
The principle is the longer the better, but not less than two months.
On the one hand, the follicles are traumatized, there is less hair and it will go away easier. On the other hand. the current has a stimulating effect, the hair will grow back chaotically and unevenly, and no one can make any predictions about the term of the course completion.
In general, it is not recommended to start an electroepilation session right after the laser. If you do not like the result after the laser, you can shave or remove hair with sugar or wax for about 6-12 months to restore as much hair as possible, and then start electroepilation.
If you liked the result and the effect is there, but not quite what you expected, you can grow hair for the same 2 months and start the course, but in this case, even a complete cleansing of the area will not mean that no hairs will never grow on this area again.
Yes, the specimens treated with current will not grow. But after the laser the speed of restoration of follicles is very individual, and after some time additional selections of restored hair by electroepilation will be required.
Paradoxical hypertrichosis as a side effect of hair removal
The laser and its light counterparts continue their thunderous and triumphant march around the world, capturing more and more frontiers in all areas. Aesthetic medicine and cosmetology has long ago and with great excitement included these techniques in its range.
Since 1996, the American Association for Drugs and Products FDA first approved this method to remove unwanted hair, and from that moment began a real fever, consuming almost all beauty salons and clinics.
And it is not surprising at all: the results are achieved quickly and for a long time.
But now, having recovered from the initial euphoria, the scientific universe has begun to receive the first bells. in some patients after treatment the sprouts have changed from downy to stiff and dark. This occurred most commonly in the neck and lateral areas of the face, but other areas were also affected.
What a joke? Promised to remove the covering, but instead got a tenfold problem.
But reports of such cases kept coming in, and it soon became clear that this was no accident. This response of the body has been given a name. paradoxical hypertrichosis.
It is a great stress for anyone when, instead of solving a problem, he is suddenly confronted with a worsening one.
In this case, we touch on a subject that most experts try to avoid at all costs. It is for obvious reasons: it is sad when the side effect is the opposite of what was promised.
The causes and mechanisms of this phenomenon are unknown. The fact is, however, that some people who underwent this treatment complain of thicker, longer and darker cores in and around the area of the treatment.
This symptom is called paradoxical hypertrichosis.
Despite the ambitious assurances of permanent elimination of vegetation, light methods. laser and broad-spectrum photoepilation. can only delay the appearance of new sprouts and change the structure toward thinner specimens.
It happens due to the absorption of light by the dark pigment, which heats up and, in turn, damages the surrounding tissue.
It will take a long time, months and years to fully restore the epidermis and resume the cycle, and a new candidate will not appear for a long time, and will look weak and slimy in appearance.
The complexity of the situation is that melanin is contained not only in the structure we are interested in, but also in the skin.
In order to achieve a good result, it is necessary to establish a sufficient intensity. And that results in side effects like burns, pigmentation and more.
Gentle parameters, according to the existing hypothesis, stimulate tissues, activating growth. Consequently, choosing the right characteristics is not an easy task.
In addition to this, the inevitable trauma causes the birth of new blood vessels. This factor will provide full nutrition to the tissues and aggravate the problem. But there’s still no reliable explanation for this phenomenon.
The scientific world also disagrees on the prevalence of such an outcome. Some sources record 1 probability, while other authors. One in 10 patients has this pattern.
It is important that the hormonal background does not matter in the manifestation of the symptom. All color types, male and female, are affected by paradoxical growth.
But there is a certain pattern: a negative reaction has always appeared in places with thin and light vegetation face, neck, abdomen, back.
Probably the low pigmentation does not allow all the light to be absorbed completely and thus only a small part penetrates, which instead of burning out has the opposite effect.
Electroepilation will help to cope with this complication. The mechanism of action of this method is fully and thoroughly elucidated. It consists in point-by-point destruction of the entire follicle structure together with the stem cells and blood vessels.
At present this method is the only one approved by the American Association for permanent hair removal.
It is also important to consult a dermatologist to rule out other causes of changes in the quality and quantity of sprouts.
Medically written and reviewed by: Julia Nicholson, dermatologist, physiotherapist Published by: Olesya Smagina, associate director of hair removal centers Beauty Universe
What does the success of laser hair removal depend on?
Salons are vying with each other to offer laser hair removal. Assuring that in this case the hair will not grow for several years. Is it really so?? There are some factors that lead to poor results:
- The timing of the epilation was not respected. It usually takes about eight treatments to achieve the desired effect. The time between the first and second is two weeks. Each time this period must be increased by another two weeks. At least six months must pass between the last two treatments. If this schedule is broken, the hair will begin to regrow much faster than promised.
- The hair has inappropriate pigmentation, contains little melanin. If you epilate gray or too light hair, the effect will be minimal. After all, the laser pulse affects only those hairs which are rich in this pigment.
- Hormonal malfunctions resulting in hirsutism (increased hairiness). In this case, the hair is stiff and thick. To get optimal results, an individual epilation regimen should be developed.
- The preparation for the procedure was not done properly. It is recommended to shave the hair before the session, so that too long hair would not damage the skin when heated. Also, you should not pull hairs by hand before waxing.
- Lack of qualification of the specialist. As a result, the laser power may be selected incorrectly, without taking into account the patient’s hair type. It is also necessary to exclude the presence of contraindications.
- What was the phase of hair growth during the procedure?
Sometimes on how long the effect of laser hair removal will last, in the negative side affects the presence of patient’s fresh tan, individual sensitivity, taking some medicines. Therefore, it is worth very carefully re-read the list of recommendations and cautions before deciding to laser hair removal.
Laser hair removal every 2-3 weeks. cheating ?
Unfortunately, there are many cosmetologists and institutions on the market that just discredit laser hair removal. The reason? financial gain. Either cheap laser devices from unknown manufacturers that do not guarantee the result, or shrewd beauticians and salon owners who “underestimate” the parameters of the devices for extra profit.
What to do? The advice is banal: choose a professional clinic where cosmetologists have medical education and professional equipment.
Watch our video where Elena Vashunina explains why it is not necessary to have laser hair removal procedure every 2 weeks.
