How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?

Laser hair removal has become one of the most popular techniques for removing unwanted body hair. Much of the reason this technique has become popular is that it has the capability to permanently remove unwanted hair, without causing a lot of pain. However the procedure is fairly expensive, and you may have to visit a clinic multiple times to get the results you desire. Also, laser hair removal will not work for everyone as its effectiveness is highly dependant on skin pigmentation.

Laser hair removal works by shining a laser onto the skin where it gets absorbed by the melanin pigment in the hair follicles. Ironically, nobody is exactly certain what causes this hair removal process to work. But it is believed that the heat generated at the hair follicle by the laser breaks down that follicle so that it will no longer grow hair. In some cases it is possible that the follicle may be damaged but not permanently destroyed. Since hair grows in cycles in some cases people have had hair come back after undergoing laser hair removal. The laser can be modulated so that it goes through the skin and directly to the hair follicle without causing significant pain or discomfort.

Laser hair removal does not work for everyone. Results will depend on your skin type. Generally speaking, the results are best with people who have fair skin. However if your skin is too light colored it still might not work. For people with lighter hair, or people with little melanin in their hair it might not be as effective. Be sure to fully understand the benefits to your skin type before paying the money to try laser hair removal.

The laser hair removal procedure is quite simple. A practitioner will guide the laser over the body areas to be treated. Typically this will take about one hour for an entire set of legs.

In order to prevent the skin from getting burned various gels and cooling sprays are rubbed onto the area to be treated prior to the laser beam directed towards the hair follicles. When you have the procedure done you?ll wear protective goggles to prevent any possibility of the laser impacting your eyes. This removes one of the potential dangers that could exist by having a laser used on your body in this fashion.

Laser hair removal is effective at removing hair all wide range of body parts. Effective areas that are treated include the legs, chest, back, under arms, and facial hair. The chin and the upper lip are the most commonly treated areas.

Laser hair removal can be quite expensive, especially if you have a large area to be treated. In many cases it will take four or five treatments to get the results you are looking for. However, laser hair removal offers a superior alternative to other more painful or less permanent techniques of removing unwanted body hair.

If you are considering trying this technique to remove unwanted body hair, be sure to research practitioners in your area and ask for references. Laser hair removal might be the right solution for some people. But for others laser hair removal will not be as effective. For those who are not good candidates for laser hair removal, or anyone else who is concerned that the procedure might not yield permanent results, electrolysis might be a better alternative.

Rex Ryan maintains a website answering questions about laser hair removal