How Does Laser Hair Removal Work

For those who have the means to go for it, laser hair removal is one of the most popular ways of getting rid of hair growing where it is not wanted.

Mechanism

The main ‘substance’ – if we may call it that – used in laser removal of hair is light. For this reason, laser removal of hair is considered safer than most other hair removal methods, which more often than not involve the use of chemical agents. In other words, in laser hair removal, no chemical is used, but only natural light. What is done to the light, in order to make it work as a removal of hair mechanism is that it is intensified; and then pulsed, to produce the laser beams, which are then applied to the skin to get rid of the unwanted hair.

The beauty of laser hair removal

The beauty of laser hair removal is that it deals with the problem of unwanted hair right from its root, quite literally. The idea behind it is not to get rid of formed hair strands as such, but rather to prevent the formation of the unwanted hair strands in the first place. This is achieved by heating melanin, an important component for the formation of hair, in the areas where the person using the laser removal of hair doesn’t want the hair to grow. Deprived of melanin in those spots, there is absolutely no way for hair to grow there – and in this way, laser hair removal deals with the unwanted hair problem right at its root.

The process

Mention of ‘heating’ might sound scary to some of us. One could wonder, for instance, whether it isn’t possible that laser removal of hair could burn the skin as well! As it turns out, though, is that it has been observed that only melanin is heated in laser hair removal, and not the rest of the skin. The process is selective. This is because of the simple fact that what is being used here for the heating is intense light (of a specific intensity) which only dark material like melanin can absorb.

Benefits

It is worth noting, however, that with traditional laser removal of hair, only certain groups of people could benefit. For the most part, if one’s hair was that of the dark and coarse variety, their chances of success with laser hair removal are better than if one’s hair is lighter and ‘softer’ in texture. With advances in the technology behind it, people with other hair types are also starting to benefit from it.

It is worth noting that laser removal of hair is not something to do in one session, ‘and get done with.’ People using it have to go for regular sessions of it, which could be as frequent as monthly, and as far apart as quarterly. Frequency varies from person to person, and also depends on the type and location of hair one is looking to get rid of.

Laser hair removal is not a very new invention. Research into it goes as far back as the 70s, though its commercial availability is more recent: it only having started to find widespread acceptability in dermatology in the 90s. Today though, it is a mainstream removal of hair treatment, used by numerous people all over the world successfully.