History & Evolution of Laser Hair Treatment

Over the years, many techniques have been used for hair removal but all of them have only helped in temporary removal of hair.

Plucking: It provides an easy way for removing single hairs.
Shaving: Its drawbacks include post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentation, and rapid re-growth of thicker hair.
Waxing: It is used by most women for hair removal of a large area but can cause significant irritant dermatitis.
Electro-surgery: It can help you in permanent hair follicle destruction but the method is quite laborious and painful.

Laser was invented in 1957 by US-based physicist Gordon Gould. It was developed into a working model in 1960, by Dr. Theordore Maiman. During the course of last 45 years, laser has become the foundation stone of a wide range of medical applications, including permanent removal of hair.

A brief timeline of the development of laser technology for hair removal is given below:

1960-69

The first experiment with laser technology for hair removal started in 1960. The device emitted a continuous wave, which was impractical for hair removal. The technicians were unable to control the beam well enough to avoid skin damage.

1969–79

The earlier versions of laser devices beamed light on individual follicles by transferring energy through a wire-thin fiber optic apparatus. These devices were sold illegally until FDA intervened.

1979–95

The 1980’s saw a renewed attempt at producing a device using an argon laser for hair removal. This device was marketed without sufficient testing of its usefulness. Finally, it proved to be unsuccessful for permanent hair removal.

1995–98

FDA passed the first laser device for hair removal in the US, the SoftLight™ Nd:YAG by ThermoLase. The treatment using this device was provided in a chain of clinics called Spa Thira. The method made use of infrared laser light. In 1998-99, several lawsuits against the company led to closing of their spas.

1998 - 2005

The turn of the century saw significant improvements in laser devices, such as ergonomically-designed hand-pieces and epidermal cooling. These developments made laser hair removal less painful and with very little side effects. Regular publication of clinical studies has also helped in achieving more optimized parameters for development of laser technology.

The laser devices for hair removal today can be found in all shapes and sizes. They also use various wavelengths of light. Alexandrite laser based devices are the market leader amongst them.