How does laser hair removal work?
Laser Hair Removal is a faster, gentler way to remove unwanted hair, with great results. It applies precisely controlled pulses of energy (electrical and light, with cooling), reaching into the hair follicles that lie beneath the skin. The energy heats the hair, right down to the bottom of the root, destroying it without damaging surrounding tissue or skin.
Laser hair removal, as its name suggests, is using a laser to remove any hair that is unwanted. The majority of the process is done with a thin light beam of laser passing through the area of the skin that is being treated. Within the skin, specifically the dark pigment, also known as the melanin and often found in hairs, is targeted. This process literally hits the hair follicle (the root of where the hair grows). The contact results in the hair follicle being destroyed. Usually, this process results merely in a slow hair growth. However, multiple laser hair removal can successfully extend a hair-free period.
The laser works by a principle called Selective Photothermolysis. The laser is pulsed (turned on) for a millisecond emitting a beam of light on to the skin. The light energy passes harmlessly through the skin, but is absorbed by the pigment in the hair follicle and hair shaft. By absorbing this laser energy, the hair follicles are disabled, impairing their ability to grow. Hair does not actively grow at the same time, and has three stages during the growth cycle. The hair follicles in the first stage of growth are the darkest and absorb the most energy. A patented Chill Tip cooling handpiece protects the outer layer of skin, and has a mild anesthetic property allowing areas to be treated as painlessly as possible.
A. Both hair and skin contain melanin. Melanin is what provides the coloration for hair and the pigmentation for skin. The hair root is surrounded by melanin. The laser hair removal device is designed to target the melanin, which absorbs the laser energy and produces a thermal/heating effect. It is the heating action that damages the hair follicle. After several treatments, the follicle will be debilitated.
