Laser Hair Removal

Laser Hair removal is one of the hot topics that every millennial woman is interested to know more about, whether married or unmarried.

She wants to change the traditional way of hair removal by shaving, waxing or using traditional cream for better convenience

In this blog, you will find answers to questions rolling through your mind 

Here we will cover

• What is Laser hair removal?
• Difference between IPL & Laser Hair removal
• How does Laser Hair Removal work?
• Hyperpigmentation and skin burn may occur with Laser hair removal
• Minor Side effects of Laser hair removal
• Treatment of Minor Side effects of LASER hair removal

What is Laser hair removal?

LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation

A laser is a single wavelength of light that goes in the same direction. It’s incredibly focused and holds a high amount of energy

Types of Lasers used for hair removal

Alexandrite is one of the most commonly used in LASER hair removal.

Difference between IPL & Laser Hair removal

IPL stands for Intense Pulsed light

LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation

IPL is like a giant flash lamp with scattered wavelengths in different directions

Light energy in IPL is not focused

IPL requires more sessions than laser hair removal, and burn irritation and pigmentation are more susceptible.

How Laser Hair Removal Works?

When laser-focused on the skin

1-Dark melanin (responsible for skin color and pigmentation) will absorb the laser beam

2-After that, melanin cells will be heated up and then conducted down the hair shaft, and will affect the matrix cells, which will also be heated up and destroyed

3-Then hair falls out

4-New hair is less able to grow and cannot succeed because the matrix cells are now destroyed

5-Some hairs may grow but tend to increase slower and less thick than before

• Laser hair removal works better on people with pale skin and dark hair because there is a good contrast between the hair we need to remove and the skin we need to leave intact.
• Traditionally it was not good for colored or dark skin to do laser hair removal due to the risk of hyperpigmentation or, worse, the risk of suffering a burn.
• Now newer Laser technology is relatively safe for dark skin types if we choose the suitable Laser and if the qualified personnel can handle it.

Hyperpigmentation and skin burn may occur with Laser hair removal.

Melanocytes are responsible for the production of melanin

Melanin is responsible for skin color and pigmentation in the skin and hair.

When the Laser is focused on the skin, both melanin in the skin and melanin in the hair will compete for this Laser energy; both will absorb the Laser energy and thus will be heated up.

Melanin in the hair is beneficial to absorb the Laser energy needed to remove the hair,

But for melanin in the skin, you do not want that to happen, as it will trigger the melanocytes, which will lead to hyperpigmentation, and if the temperature gets too high, burns may occur.

That is why darker skin types were more suitable for skin pigmentation and burn.

Now newer Laser technology is relatively safe for dark skin types if we choose the suitable Laser and the right person who knows what he is doing.

Hyperpigmentation and skin burn rarely occur after Laser hair removal and depend many on the type of Laser used and, of course, the person operating the Laser.

The best Laser for darker skin types is the Nd-Yag, which emits a wavelength of 1064 nm, penetrating more deeply into the skin than Alexandrite and Diode. 

That kind of Laser is safer for darker skin types because the Nd-Yag Laser bypasses the melanin in the skin and goes directly to melanin in the deep hair follicles.

In conclusion, Laser hair removal is very safe and used very commonly and effectively, but as with all things, there is always a risk of side effects.

Most side effects are minor and temporary and tend to improve over one to two days.

Minor Side effects of Laser hair removal

1-Discomfort while in the laser session:

Most laser hair removal can be considered pain-free, or there is just mild discomfort, and people often describe it as feeling like an elastic or rubber band bouncing on the skin

2-Redness:

A small amount of redness and swelling

If you have dark skin, you may only notice swelling

3-Dry and flaky skin

4-Hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation

Change in skin color of white spots on the skin may happen when the LASER is too high; this may occur, especially if you have darker skin.

Treatment of Minor Side effects of Laser hair removal

1-Discomfort: by using cooling gels or cooling Sprays when doing Laser treatment

2-Redness and swelling: you do not have to do anything about it. It usually gets better by itself, but if it bothers you can apply an ice bag or use over-the-counter hydrocortisone to help with the swelling and redness

3-Dry and flaky skin: you can use a moisturizer that does not contain perfume to enable your skin to recover completely 

4-Hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation

Don’t panic because there is an option of using certain creams that help to clear that pigmentation a bit faster, like that contain tyrosine kinase inhibitors or retinoids.