A LESSON IN LASER HAIR REMOVAL

As the new school term begins this week, it might be a good idea to learn something yourself about the latest phenomenon, laser hair removal. 

 Subject: Laser Hair Removal 

HISTORY: An 1963 article in an American medical journal entitled ‘the effect of the laser beam on the skin’ marks the first discovery of the ability of laser beams to cause injury to pigmented hair follicles. It wasn’t until 1983 that it was discovered that laser treatment resulted in hair loss. Although effective, these first lasers caused severe damage to the skin. In time the technology developed to the point where the target (the hair follicle) could be destroyed selectively, sparing the surrounding tissue. In 1998 a report published following a 2-year study, demonstrated long-term, permanent hair removal with this laser. 

ANATOMY: Unwanted pigmented hair is a common cosmetic problem for both men and women. Each hair lies approximately 4mm beneath the surface of the skin, where the growth of the hair follicle begins. Hair grows in cycles. Anagen is the active growth phase and because not all of the hairs are in the anagen phase at any one time, laser treatment must be repeated at least six times to capture all the new hairs coming into the anagen phase. 

For the laser to be effective, the hair pigment must be darker than the surrounding skin pigment. If this is not the case, the treatment will not work. With new technologies, most patients can now be treated, though caution must still be exercised. 

STATISTICS: About 4% of young, healthy randomly selected white women feel embarrassed about their facial hair. The percentage is even higher in people of colour and increases with age. This percentage does not reflect the vast number who have unwanted hair in other areas, and it does not account for the huge number of men who feel uncomfortable by unwanted hair (e.g., on the back, chest, shoulders, eyebrows and ears). 

MATHS: Did you know that the average woman will shave 7,718 times in her lifetime? According to research conducted by hair removal brand Remington, women spend up to €10,000 and up to four months over a life time removing unwanted hair! If this doesn’t sound like much fun to you, this can be eliminated with laser hair removal. 

If you’d like to join the hundreds of satisfied clients and know how Laser Hair Removal can benefit you, call in for a Free Consultation at your earliest convenience. Tel: 01-4595313