Laser and IPL Hair Removal In The Valley

Lasers

A laser is a high-energy beam of light that can transfer its energy through the skin to a specific part of the body. These beams of light can vary in terms of their strength and the type of tissue that they can target. In the case of hair removal, pigment contained in the hair shaft can be targeted as can the hair follicle or root with a single specific wavelength (or colour) of light generated by the laser.

This energy heats up the base of the hair follicle, which causes damage to the cells that produce hair growth. If enough damage is done, this will prevent the hair from growing any further (please see diagram below).

The effect is most productive during what is known as the anagen or 'active' phase of hair growth, (other phases include times when the hair is simply resting and no longer growing, or is naturally shedding ready for a new one to form). The anagen phase is when new hairs start to grow. The amount of time that a hair follicle stays in the anagen phase is genetically predetermined and will vary slightly within the population (especially with ethnicity) and on different areas of the body.

During this period of growth, the hair follicle has increased pigmentation and growth of new cells that makes it more open to damage from light treatment.

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)

Intense Pulsed Light systems are different from lasers in that they can deliver hundreds of wavelengths (or colours) in each burst of light. Certain filters are used that target these flashes of light so that they can work in as precise a way as lasers. Simply, the burst of light to the hair causes damage to the follicle in the same way as a laser.

Light, Heat Energy (LHE)

LHE is a variation on the above, this time delivering both controlled levels of low level light and heat that can be used for hair removal.

Your first discussion with a practitioner should clearly set out your expectations of laser or intense pulsed light, IPL treatment and the practitioner should tell you whether or not these results are achievable using this method of hair removal.

Your medical history should be taken, to ensure that there are no reasons why you shouldn’t have the treatment. At this time, you would also normally be asked to read detailed information and sign a consent form which means that you have understood the potential benefits and risks associated with this treatment.

Photographs may also be taken by the practitioner for a "before and after" comparison at a later date.

The procedure

During this treatment, safety eyewear must be worn to protect your eyes from the light generated by the machine for all lasers and IPL machines. This is not required for those using LHE systems.

The practitioner will use a small hand piece to touch your skin with flashes of light. Some machines may also spray your skin with a cooling agent before the treatment begins.

A gel may also be applied to the treated area.

Most patients describe the procedure as a little uncomfortable, with a tingling or stinging sensation during treatment. The discomfort varies with each person, depending on your individual pain threshold and the type of machine used.

If you are having this treatment in a sensitive area, you may require an anaesthetic cream to make the treatment more comfortable. Be sure to discuss this with your practitioner before the treatment.

Repeat procedures

Several treatments are required at the start of hair removal therapy because of the natural growth cycle of hair. This is because each hair follicle goes through growing and resting phases, and the hair follicle is most successfully treated by light early in the growing phase.

The number of active follicles and the length of the growth phase varies, and the first treatment will only damage some of the follicles. After a few weeks, previously resting hair follicles break into growth, which then need to be treated.

The procedure can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the area being treated.

Treatments can be repeated at approximately monthly intervals. In this way, after 2 - 7 treatments, most of the hair follicles in any particular site can be successfully treated.

After this series of treatments, any further hair growth can be treated as and when it’s necessary.

It is very important that you follow the advice of your practitioner carefully following light treatment for hair removal to reduce the risk of complications.

Post-treatment advice may include:

• applying an antiseptic cream after treatment;
• not exposing yourself to the sun without applying a high factor sun block to the treated area;
• contacting your practitioner immediately if you notice any signs of blistering, infection, persistent pain or pigment changes in the treated area.

This really depends upon the type of machine used by a clinic and your skin and hair colour.

There is a wide variety of equipment promoted by around thirty manufacturers and distributors in the U.K..

Some of the newer machines available claim that they can treat all skin types and hair colour, however other pieces of equipment may be more limited. As a result, some clinics may not be able to treat you for the following reasons:

• if you have ginger hair which may respond poorly to the treatment. Blonde or white hairs sometimes hardly respond at all;
• Mediterranean, Middle and Far Eastern skin types may need to be treated with care;
• darker skin types than the groups listed above. They may not be suitable for the IPL systems or of certain wavelengths because the skin pigment absorbs too much energy causing unwanted damage. Similarly, patients who have recent sun tans may be asked to wait until their tan fades.

General reasons of unsuitability not related to skin and hair type include:

• any history of sensitivity to light based treatments;
• an active infection at the site to be treated;
• patients who have used the drug isotretinoin in the last year.
• pregnancy

Any drug can cause photosensitivity, although some are known to cause it more than others, hence the importance of a full medical history. If you are currently taking a particular medication and have not had a problem with summer holiday sunshine since being on these drugs then you should be fine, but an experienced medical practitioner will be able to discuss your specific case.

About 5% of epileptic patients have photosensitive epilepsy. These patients are theoretically more likely to have an attack if they are exposed to strobes or camera flashes. If the epilepsy is non-photosensitive (i.e. 19 out of 20 patients) then IPL/laser hair removal is considered safe. For those with photosensitive epilepsy, so long as the area being treated is well away from the eyes and the patient is wearing blackout goggles (i.e. they cannot see the flash of the IPL), then there should be no problems.

Hair removal using light is a new cosmetic treatment and therefore long-term studies of the permanency and effectiveness of this method do not yet exist.

To the general public permanent means forever. Be aware that in the world of laser/IPL/LHE treatments, permanent means for longer than the normal hair growth cycle on that part of the body.

Remember that a process such as radiotherapy can cause hair loss for longer than the hair growth cycle, yet the hair can recover completely after a period of time.

Hair follicles are not completely destroyed by light treatment, and they have great powers of re-growth. It is therefore difficult to claim that the hair removal is permanent; indeed most people will experience some regrowth within a year.

To give you a more reasonable idea of what to expect, a recent study published in the British Journal of Dermatology found that "3 months after 4 treatments, 95% of patients rated their response as considerably or moderately improved."

They also found that "this degree of patient satisfaction is reflected in the high proportion who requested continued treatment at other sites after the treatment phase of the study was completed."

Some studies also now show that this level of hair removal can be maintained for several years or longer in clinical tests. Experienced clinics who have been running for 10 years or more confirm that many people do appear to maintain the initial hair reduction results that they achieve.