How Does Laser Hair Removal Work

The concept behind laser hair removal is actually fairly simple. An intense beam of light is flashed over the skin and absorbed by the melanin in hairs that are darker than the skin. The absorbed laser then kills the hair at the follicle. Shortly after treatment the hair will be shed, leaving the skin smooth.

Hair actually grows in phases, making multiple treatments necessary. At the time of treatment a number of hairs will be in a dormant phase and will be unaffected by the laser treatment. After several weeks some of the dormant hairs will begin to grow again and can be treated as well.

There are actually four different types of lasers used for hair removal, Alexandrite (Candela GentleLase Plus), Ruby (EpiTouch or Epilaser), Diode (Coherent Light Sheer), and ND Yag (Candela GentleYag or Altus Cool Glide). The Alexandrite laser has a longer pause between pulses in order to make the client more comfortable. The Ruby laser has a similar lag time and was the first laser used for hair removal. The Diode laser is known for short treatment times and few side effects. The ND Yag laser is the newest form of laser hair removal and can be used on darker skin, since the laser targets a carbon lotion that is absorbed by the hairs prior to treatment. However, it is reported to be more uncomfortable than other lasers.

The different types of lasers are actually quite similar, and you will probably not experience much of a difference in different treatments. In addition, the cost of laser hair removal should not change particularly from one method to the other. You may want to ask your provider which kind of laser they us and why they chose it. Many of the articles from research on these lasers are available online if you would like more information.