Reduce Excessive Hair Growth with Laser Hair Removal
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Laser hair removal treatment uses light energy from a laser beam to reduce unwanted hair growth over time with the goal of permanent removal. The laser works by generating heat in the hair shaft using the melanin pigment that gives your hair its color. This heat transfers to the hair follicle, a small capsule beneath the surface of the skin that generates hair growth. The heat inflames the follicle and causes it to go dormant and not produce hair. This dormant period can last from months to years after a series of treatments.
Lasers are medical devices that produce high-energy light of only a single color on the color spectrum. This light can be directed at a highly defined target, such as the melanin in the shaft of a hair. Laser hair removal uses a hand-held laser, and should only be performed by trained medical personnel such as a doctor or nurse. Not all hair removal treatments are done with lasers. Intense pulsed light (IPL) devices are laser-like instruments that send out multi-colored light in very short bursts. Lasers and IPL devices both have pros and cons. Your doctor will decide which type of device to treat you with depending on his assessment of your individual hair removal needs.
The experience level of the medical provider is the single greatest factor in determining whether your laser hair removal experience will be a positive one. The procedure is classified and regulated as medical for a good reason: in the wrong hands, a laser instrument can harm the patient. Skin burns occur only if the light energy escapes the hair shaft and begins to heat the surrounding skin. Properly trained medical personnel know how to carefully monitor the treatment so the laser beam is confined to the hair shaft.
Although some patients experience discomfort during laser hair removal, the difficulty of the procedure depends on many factors:
*the area of the body targeted for laser treatment. The more sensitive the skin, the higher the risk of some pain.
* the color and texture of the hair. Dark, thick hair absorbs more light energy and transmits more heat to the skin.
* how many treatments the patient has had previously. Repeated treatments produce finer, thinner hair growth thats easier to treat.
* whether the patient is sensitive to pain. Most patients opt to continue treatment despite any discomfort they experience.
A minimum of three treatments is usually necessary to get satisfactory results. This is because hair grows in various stages, and not all of the hair in any given area is at the ideal stage to be treated at any one time. Although treatment strategies vary with the individual patient, many doctors recommend a series of four to seven treatments, either monthly or every other month, to achieve 80 percent hair elimination. Rarely, patients are unresponsive to laser hair removal and experience complete regrowth. This is most likely to happen to patients with white or blonde hair.
Most patients need occasional maintenance treatments one or two times a year to keep the treatment effective. Patients with very thick hair or a medical condition may need maintenance more often.
Patients with darker skin present a special challenge in laser hair removal, especially if their hair is lighter than the skin. Hair and skin both contain melanin, the pigment that produces color in live tissue and also transmit heat during laser treatment. Darker skin may have more melanin than the hair to be removed, which means it will heat up before the heat travels down the hair shaft into the follice. A highly trained laser treatment professional with the right equipment may be able to overcome these limitations to some degree.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons lists a price of $429 as the cost of one hair treatment with laser when averaged on a national basis. This price will vary greatly depending on where you live, which clinic you go to, and which area of the body you wish to treat. Clinics are aware of the lack of insurance coverage for this procedure and will work with you to draw up a treatment and payment plan.
Lasers are medical devices that produce high-energy light of only a single color on the color spectrum. This light can be directed at a highly defined target, such as the melanin in the shaft of a hair. Laser hair removal uses a hand-held laser, and should only be performed by trained medical personnel such as a doctor or nurse. Not all hair removal treatments are done with lasers. Intense pulsed light (IPL) devices are laser-like instruments that send out multi-colored light in very short bursts. Lasers and IPL devices both have pros and cons. Your doctor will decide which type of device to treat you with depending on his assessment of your individual hair removal needs.
The experience level of the medical provider is the single greatest factor in determining whether your laser hair removal experience will be a positive one. The procedure is classified and regulated as medical for a good reason: in the wrong hands, a laser instrument can harm the patient. Skin burns occur only if the light energy escapes the hair shaft and begins to heat the surrounding skin. Properly trained medical personnel know how to carefully monitor the treatment so the laser beam is confined to the hair shaft.
Although some patients experience discomfort during laser hair removal, the difficulty of the procedure depends on many factors:
*the area of the body targeted for laser treatment. The more sensitive the skin, the higher the risk of some pain.
* the color and texture of the hair. Dark, thick hair absorbs more light energy and transmits more heat to the skin.
* how many treatments the patient has had previously. Repeated treatments produce finer, thinner hair growth thats easier to treat.
* whether the patient is sensitive to pain. Most patients opt to continue treatment despite any discomfort they experience.
A minimum of three treatments is usually necessary to get satisfactory results. This is because hair grows in various stages, and not all of the hair in any given area is at the ideal stage to be treated at any one time. Although treatment strategies vary with the individual patient, many doctors recommend a series of four to seven treatments, either monthly or every other month, to achieve 80 percent hair elimination. Rarely, patients are unresponsive to laser hair removal and experience complete regrowth. This is most likely to happen to patients with white or blonde hair.
Most patients need occasional maintenance treatments one or two times a year to keep the treatment effective. Patients with very thick hair or a medical condition may need maintenance more often.
Patients with darker skin present a special challenge in laser hair removal, especially if their hair is lighter than the skin. Hair and skin both contain melanin, the pigment that produces color in live tissue and also transmit heat during laser treatment. Darker skin may have more melanin than the hair to be removed, which means it will heat up before the heat travels down the hair shaft into the follice. A highly trained laser treatment professional with the right equipment may be able to overcome these limitations to some degree.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons lists a price of $429 as the cost of one hair treatment with laser when averaged on a national basis. This price will vary greatly depending on where you live, which clinic you go to, and which area of the body you wish to treat. Clinics are aware of the lack of insurance coverage for this procedure and will work with you to draw up a treatment and payment plan.
About the Author:
Jeanna Markos is a researcher and journalist specializing in cosmetic beauty treatment issues. Learn more about body waxing and Laser Hair Treatment.
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