Excessive hair removal on the face, but also in other parts of the body, especially in women, can be temperamental, that is, “normal”, or be the result of hormonal disorders, mainly related to menstruation (polycystic ovaries) or other diseases of the endocrine glands. That is why it is necessary for the hair removal candidate to be examined by a dermatologist prior to any hair removal treatment. The dermatologist will diagnose any possible diseases leading to excessive face and body hair and will advise how they can be treated therapeutically. In this way and order we can ensure that the hair removal method chosen later on will have positive results. In the past, various methods were used, such as waxing, electrolysis, etc. These methods were slow, painful, impractical and with poor long-term results. Today, the safest and most effective hair removal method is considered to be the use of different types of light, mainly lasers.
Laser hair removal
Laser hair removal is a medical procedure in which a laser beam of light is sent to the hair follicles, without affecting the skin above them at all. The characteristics of light are such that it is absorbed by the melanin present in the hair follicles and converted into heat, which destroys the hair follicle. This process is called selective photothermolysis because it selectively affects the hair follicle and not the surrounding skin. It is not accompanied by pain, because the skin cools, usually by providing cold air, during hair removal.
The hair grows in circular stages. During the regenerative stage it grows continuously, then it passes to the catagen and then to the telogen stage during which it regresses, falls off and the growth of the new hair begins. The laser is effective only during the regenerative stage of hair growth, because then the hair follicle is larger and has a lot of melanin and, thus, becomes an easier target. In humans, each hair is at a different stage of development compared to its neighboring one, so we must apply several laser sessions with a time interval of 1 to 1.5 months between them. No repetitive hair removal sessions are required in between.
Because the main target of the laser is melanin, this is why the best results are observed in people with dark hair and white skin, so that light can not be absorbed by the melanin of the skin even if we increase its intensity to destroy more effectively the hair follicles. Therefore, for dark-skinned people or those tanned by the solarium or by the summer sun, special lasers must be used or specific operating parameters must be adjusted during their use. Otherwise, the light can be absorbed by the melanin of the skin, which will discolor in places with an unpleasant aesthetic effect. The same care and the corresponding conditions and manipulations must be observed when the color of the hair is not dark, but blonde, red or even white.
Thus, different types of lasers are used such as Alexandrite lasers (755 nm), Nd: YAG (1064) nm, diodes (800 nm), and even IPL (pulsed light) or radio frequencies. Depending on the quality of the hair, its thickness, its particular color and its location, one of the above is used or the combination of their use is chosen. The age of the person, the gender and the expectations that have been developed for the results from the application of the method also influence the choice of the machine and the adjustment parameters.
The adjustment parameters are the wavelength and the output power of the light, which regulate its penetration depth, the pulse duration, the time between two pulses and the diameter of the light beam.
It is understood that hair removal using various light sources and lasers is not a procedure that can be applied by any operator, to which the seller of the laser will “explain how the machine works”. Knowledge of skin histology and physiology, exclusion of diseases that increase hair growth and complete understanding of the regulatory interventions in each machine that will be used, is required, in order to achieve the maximum result in each person, who is, of course, different from the other. The approach should definitely be individualized.
Our staff has developed extensive experience for over 25 years and we have the appropriate infrastructure to achieve the best possible aesthetic result quickly, painlessly and without side effects. Besides, we participate as teachers for dermatology specialists and other dermatologists in continuous education seminars and conferences, a fact that keeps us at a high level of knowledge and understanding of any new method presented.
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Agias Sofias 28, Thessaloniki
info@dermaesthetichair.gr
(+30) 2310 282.292 & 2310 250.300