Permenant Laser Hair Removal in Vancouver
Skin Types
In general, patients with light skin and dark hair are the ideal candidates for laser hair removal. However, the use of longer wavelength lasers and skin cooling devices have increased the safety of lasers used to treat patients with darker skin types that, until now, have not been candidates for laser hair removal. These skin cooling devices protect the upper layer of skin in darker skinned patients from absorbing too much laser energy, thereby reducing the risk of blistering and pigment change.
Yet while laser treatments for darker skinned patients have improved, patients with tanned skin are still not candidates and must wait until their tan fades before they can be treated. Patients are instructed not to suntan or use sunless tanning products prior to laser treatment, since tanning alters skin pigment and can affect how the skin absorbs the laser energy. This could lead to increased side effects such as blistering or discoloration following treatment.
In addition to a patient's skin color, their hair color can also determine the number of treatments of laser hair removal.
The pigment in dark hair readily absorbs laser energy, more readily making black or brown hair very easy to treat (from the American Academy of Demotology www.aad.org). However, laser hair removal can now work well with blonde, brunette and red hair.
Fitzpatrick Chart for Skin Types
| TYPE I | Always burns, never tans |
| TYPE II | Usually burns, tans less than average (with difficulty) |
| TYPE III | Sometimes mild burn, tans average |
| TYPE IV | Rarely burns, tans more than average (with ease) |
| TYPE V | Heavily pigmented skin |
What is Laser Hair Removal
In the past, usual remedies for unwanted hair included shaving, waxing, tweezing, electrolysis and depilatory use. Some were painful, others were messy, and all were temporary answers to a never ending battle.
Treatment Areas:
Anywhere on the body
Description of Procedure
Our laser gently cools the surface of the skin as pulses of light are selectively absorbed by the pigment in the hair follicles. The absorbed light damages the existing hair folicles and destroys the re-growth potential of the follicle, all while protecting the surrounding tissue. The end result is significant, and permanent, hair removal, The laser treatment itself may last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the area being treated. Because the laser tends to treat hair follicles that are in an active growth phase, more than one treatment may be required to disable hair follicles that subsequently enter this growth phase.
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PHYSIOLOGY OF HAIR GROWTH | CROSS SECTION OF FOLLICLE © 1991 ANATOMICAL CHART CO., SKOKIE, ILLINOIS Laser hair removal is most effective when hair is in the active growth or anagen phase when melanin, the target of the laser light, is abundant. |
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LASER HAIR REMOVAL | RESULTS BEFORE TREATMENT (left); AFTER TREATMENT (right) |