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Hair removal/ laser hair removal

Dsecription:
Hair removal, methods of hair removal, temporary hair removal and permanent hair removal, surface hair removal, deep hair removal, laser hair removal, side effects of laser hair removal, what to expect when you have a laser hair removal session, what are the results of laser hair removal.


There are many ways of removing unwanted body hair. Hair removing methods can be classified in to two sections:
1. Depilation affects the part of the hair above the surface of the skin. The most common form of depilation is shaving. Another popular option is the use of chemical depilatories, which work by breaking the disulfide bonds that link the protein chains that give hair its strength, making the hair disintegrate.

2.Epilation is removal of the entire hair, including the part below the skin, and is therefore longer-lasting. Methods include waxing, sugaring, epilation devices, lasers, threading, intense pulsed light or electrology. Hair is also sometimes removed by plucking with tweezers.

What are the reasons for removing hair?
The reason of removing hair can be one of the following:
1.Hair removal for medical reasons
2. Hair removal for Social, cultural, or sexual reasons
3. Hair removal for Male-to-female gender reassignment
4. Hair removal for Religious reasons
5. Hair removal for In military institutions
In addition to the above there are many other reasons.

What are the body areas where hair is removed?
The body areas where hair is often removed differs according to gender, culture, or the reason for which the hair should be removed (medical, cultural ...etc.

Hair can be removed either temporarely or permenantly.

Temporar hair removal:
"Depilation", or removal of hair to the level of the skin, lasts several hours to several days and can be achieved by


Shaving or trimming (manually or with electric shavers)
Depilatories (creams or "shaving powders" which chemically dissolve hair)
Friction (rough surfaces used to buff away hair)
"Epilation", or removal of the entire hair from the root, lasts several days to several weeks and may be achieved by
Plucking (hairs are plucked, or pulled out, with tweezers or with fingers)
Waxing (a hot or cold layer is applied and then removed with porous strips)
Sugaring (similar to waxing, but with a sticky paste)
Threading (also called fatlah or khite, in which a twisted thread catches hairs as it is rolled across the skin)
Burning off with hot wax can damage the cells and prevent hair from ever growing in the unwanted spot again.
Use of Turmeric along with other ingredients like besan powder and milk
Epilators (mechanical devices that rapidly grasp hairs and pull them out)
Prescription oral medications
Enzymes (fx. the Epiladerm-Complex) that inhibit the development of new hair cells. Hair growth will become less and less until it finally stops; normal depilation/epilation will be performed until that time. Hair growth will return to normal if use of product discontinued. Products include the prescription drug Vaniqa (active ingredient eflornithine hydrochloride inhibiting the enzyme ornithine decarboxylase).

Permanent hair removal

Permanent hair removal involves several imperfect options. A number of methods have been developed that use chemicals, energy of varying types, or a combination to target the areas that regulate hair growth. Permanently destroying these areas while sparing surrounding tissue is a difficult challenge. Methods include:

Electrolysis (electrology)
Laser Hair Removal (Laser Hair Removal)

Laser hair removal is the most common way of permanent hair removal. Here is some information about laser hair removal: what is laser hair removal, how is laser hair removal appllied, who many sessions of hair removal should be done and what are the risks or side effects of laser hair removal ...

Several wavelengths of laser energy have been used for hair removal, from visible light to near-infrared radiation. These lasers are usually defined by the lasing medium used to create the wavelength (measured in nanometers (nm)):


Argon: 488 or 514.5 nm (no longer used for hair removal)

Ruby: 694 nm (no longer used for hair removal; not safe on most skin types as it frequently produces side effects such as pigmentary changes (lightening or darkening of the skin) or worse for patients of all but white skin.[citation needed]

Alexandrite: 755 nm (most effective, but safest on light skin)

Pulsed diode array: 810 nm (for light to medium type skin)

Nd:YAG: 1064 nm (for darker skin; Yag is capable of treating all six skin colors. However, there is not sufficient evidence that this laser can produce effective long-term hair removal)

Pulsewidth is an important consideration. It has been observed in some published studies that longer pulse widths may be safer for darker skin. Shorter wavelengths may be more effective in removing hair.

Spot size, or the width of the laser beam, affects treatment. Theoretically, the width of the ideal beam is about four times as wide as the target is deep. Hair removal lasers have a round spot about the size of your finger (8-18 mm). Larger spot sizes help make treatments faster and more effective.

Fluence or energy level is another important consideration. Fluence is measured in joules per square centimeter (J/cm²). It's important to get treated at high enough settings to cause permanent damage to the hair follicles.

Repetition rate is believed to have a cumulative effect, based on the concept of thermal relaxation time. Shooting two or three pulses at the same target with a specific delay between pulses can cause a slight improvement in the heating of an area. This may increase the "kill rate" for each treatment slightly.

Epidermal cooling has been determined to allow higher fluences and reduce pain and side effects, especially in darker skin. Four types of cooling have been developed:
Clear gel: usually chilled
Contact cooling: through a window cooled by circulating water or internal cryogen.
Cryogen spray: immediately before/after the laser pulse
Air cooling: forced cold air at -34 degrees C (Zimmer Cryo 5 unit)

Number of sessions of laser hair removal

Multiple treatments, usually 5-7, but as many as 12, depending on the type of hair and skin color have been shown in practice to provide long-term reduction of hair. Current parameters suggest a series of treatments spaced at 4–6 weeks apart for most areas, although the timing of treatments has still not been standardized.

How many sessions of laser hair removal are required?

The number of sessions depends on various parameters, including the area of the body treated, skin color, coarseness of hair, and sex. Coarse dark hair on light skin is easiest to treat. Finer hair and hair on darker skin is harder to treat and may require more treatments. Certain areas (notably men's and women's faces) may require considerably more treatments to achieve desired results. In addition, since hair grows in several phases, (anagen, telogen, catagen), and laser can only affect the currently active growing follicles, (anagen), several sessions are needed to kill hair in all phases of growth.

It's important to note that laser does not work on light hair and very fine and vellus hair ("peachfuzz"). Laser hair removal is not permanent but it is long term and can be patchy. Electrolysis is the only permanent solution for those types of hair but has shortcomings such as possible scarring, expense, and discomfort, as noted above.

 Intervals between sessions
Usually, treatments are spaced 3–12 weeks apart to start, although the spacing depends upon individual response to treatment. Instead of following an arbitrary schedule, you should wait until you have experienced shedding of the treated hairs, which should complete within 2-3.5 weeks, and see enough hair come in after the hair-free period to have another treatment. Treatment spacing also depends on area treated as hair cycles vary based on the body part. For example, women’s faces usually require more frequent treatments, whereas backs and legs require less frequent treatments.

 Other uses

Hair removal lasers are effective treatment for pseudofolliculitis barbae (commonly called ingrown hairs or "shaving bumps"). For darker skin patients with black hair, the long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser with a cooling tip can be safe and effective when used by an experienced practitioner.

They have recently been reported as helpful treatment for pilonidal cysts, since they eliminate the ingrown hairs that produce the troublesome foreign body reactions in this congenital malady.

Side Effects & Risks

As laser hair removal is done while causing localized damage to the skin around the follicle of the hair, it is absolutely normal that the treatment comes with some unwanted side effects. Normal side effects are itching, redness and swelling around the treatment area. Some level of pain, tingling and numbness is considered to be expected as well. These side effects caused by the hair removal treatment should not last more than three days.

Risks include the chance of burning the skin or discoloring dark skin with the laser, hypopigmentation (white spots), flare of acne, swelling around the follicle, scab forming, and purpura. Another serious risk of laser hair removal is infection.


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