Laser Hair Removal: Treatment Methods

 
Laser hair removal broadly uses four different types of laser light. All of these lasers use red or infrared light. The long wavelengths are able to penetrate deep enough through the skin to damage the hair follicles. All hair removal lasers are effective for different combinations of skin and hair color.

1. Alexandrite

Alexandrite uses red light just at the limit of visibility at 755nm. It has a flexible range of spot sizes and can be adapted to take care of hair with various degrees of coarseness. It can also treat people with different types of skin.

It is the fastest and is appropriate for rapid treatment of large body areas. Alexandrite can treat an entire back in less than 30 minutes.

2. Ruby

Ruby produces deep red color at 694nm. It is the optimum solution for candidates with lighter skin. It can be used at a lower power on dark skin people. It has a small spot size and is therefore, good for small areas. It induces selective damage to hair, minimizing damage to the skin.

Ruby is well absorbed by the melanin in hair. This makes it a popular choice for light hair. Bur ruby lasers have been gradually losing popularity in the last few years.

3. Diode

Diode is the simplest of all types of lasers. It emits infrared light at 800nm. It has a longer wavelength and therefore, can treat a wide range of skin types.

The longer wavelength gives safety for darker skin types. Diode has larger spot sizes and this enables fast treatment of large body areas. A key advantage of diode is that its wavelength can be altered by adjusting the current applied to the semiconductor.

4. LP ND Yag

LP ND Yag is the most recent of all lasers. It emits 1064nm infrared light which is poorly absorbed by skin and melanin.

It works fine for all skin types but is highly useful to treat dark skinned people. It also works fine for people with coarse hair.

Its major drawback is discomfort during the treatment process.

Shorter wavelength lasers (Ruby and Alexandrite) are very well absorbed by melanin, and can deliver more vigor to fine hairs. But they involve the risk of blister formation due to high absorption in skin.

Longer wavelength lasers (Diode and LP ND YAG) go deep into the skin, and are less well absorbed by melanin. They are safer and more secure for dark skinned patients.