Since ancient Egypt people have sought ways to remove unwanted hair. Modern medical lasers, at last, offer a nearly permanent, painless way of eliminating unsightly hair growth

DENVER, CO – Many people, men and women alike, experience unwanted hair growth on their bodies and look to various methods of reducing or removing the hair. Shaving, waxing and chemical hair-removal creams are the most rudimentary forms of removal as they are each temporary and need regular application to keep unwanted hair growth at bay.

Breakthroughs in medical lasers over the last 13 years, however, now offer many patients the opportunity to secure long-term or even permanent hair removal, and recent advances in these lasers make the procedure a relatively painless therapy that can solve the problem is as little as a few sessions with minimal healing downtime.

Medical lasers for unwanted hair removal are used under the guidance of a physician and highly trained technicians. These experts report that the most common requests for hair removal come from women experiencing hair growth on their faces, and men who seek to remove excess hair on their backs and torsos.

There are essentially two types of hair removal, depilation and epilation. Depilation refers to removing the hair above the skin line, and in its most common forms involves shaving, trimming and the chemical creams, called depilatories, which have been on the market for decades under such brand names as Neet and Nair. Depilation has been around for centuries, with historical records dating back to ancient Egypt describing the reasons for and the methods through which unwanted hair was removed.

Epilation involves removing the entire hair, including growth under the skin, where such methods as waxing and electrolysis, although the former is temporary at best, and the latter involves treatments that can take as much as two years to complete with satisfaction.

Laser hair removal, on the other hand, has taken hold in recent years as a highly effective hair-removal therapy featuring lasting results and minimal lifestyle changes during treatment.

Using modern medical lasers, hair can be removed from practically any area of the body, including the face, legs, back, arms and even underarms. The type of hair removal that is ideal for each patient depends on a number of factors, including hair color, hair texture, skin color and what is causing the superfluous hair to grow.

Superfluous or excessive hair, sometimes called hirsutism, can be a result of congenital or systemic conditions or even medications that cause abnormal hair growth like steroids and birth control pills. Congenital conditions — the patient’s genetic blueprint — determines the amount, location and timing of hair growth, and treatment schedules and results vary with hair and skin color, ancestry, the location of the unwanted hair, and the size of the hair-removal area.

The latest medical lasers on the market for hair removal are the Cynosure Laser with TKS and the Apogee Elite.

With the Cynosure Laser, a gentle beam of laser light can reduce unwanted hair on men and women in as few as three or four sessions. This relatively quick and painless treatment uses a laser that emits a gentle beam of energy that passes through the skin to the hair follicle. The energy is then transformed into heat which damages the follicle. The scientific principle called Thermokinetic Selectivity (TKS) makes this method of hair removal particularly effective.

The only untreatable areas are those adjacent to the eyes. Fair-skinned patients with dark hair are the ideal candidates, although patients with darker complexions can be treated after a successful test patch. Also, blonde hair does not respond well to laser treatment. Patients with a tan are advised to wait until the tan subsides before receiving laser treatment.

Depending on how large an area is being treated, this procedure can last from a few minutes to more than one hour. The hair is treated with a beam of concentrated laser light that selectively absorbs the melanin in the hair shaft as well as the surrounding hair follicles. Laser procedures can treat hundreds of hair follicles at a time, unlike electrolysis which kills one hair follicle at a time.

For best results, treatments are performed approximately 4 to 6 weeks apart. Lasers tend to treat hair follicles that are in an active growth phase, therefore more than one treatment is generally required to disable hair follicles still growing. After each treatment patients may return to work immediately, and experience some swelling or a burning sensation that typically lasts no more than 24 hours. Blisters and burns are extremely rare but do occur, particularly to patients with dark skin. Although some hair may still be present, shaving is not recommended; less and less hair will be evident over the course of treatments.

With the Apogee Elite Laser, a beam of light is emitted that heats the target area or hair follicle and the light energy damages the target while sparing the surrounding skin. In addition to treating unwanted hair, the Apogee Elite treats small facial veins, bluish-purple leg veins and spider veins. And it works on all skin types including dark and tanned skin.

The number of sessions needed to treat unwanted hair using the Apogee Elite laser depends on the selected treatments and the skin and hair type. Sessions are usually 10 to 15 minutes long, although larger areas, like full leg, may take longer.

After treatment, exfoliation will occur naturally in 7 to 14 days and during this time, patients may shave, but plucking is discouraged. Immediately after treatment with the Apogee Elite laser, normal activities may resume, although a sunscreen may be recommended.

The type of laser used for unwanted hair removal depends on a wide range of factors – hair color, skin color and type, the area being treated, etc. – and the determination is generally made by the physician in consultation with the patient before the treatments begin.

Lasers have become very commonplace in almost every aspect of modern life over the last 40 years a or more, however effective laser hair removal treatments with medical lasers were first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1997. Since that time advancements in laser technology have taken quantum leaps and today the procedure is highly effective and in wide-spread use.

Q. I’ve heard electrolysis has been around for a couple of decades. Is it more effective now than it used to be?
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