Thanks to the remarkable advances in laser technology you can now forget the painful, expensive and time-consuming practices of waxing, shaving, tweezing and even electrolysis!
How It Works
In order to achieve permanent hair removal, we must thermally destroy the hair follicle so that it will no longer produce hairs. The basic mechanism of Laser Hair Removal is to generate enough heat in the hair follicle to kill it, while at the same time sparing the surrounding skin. This process is known as selective photothermolysis. The laser shines a beam of highly concentrated light over the area to be treated and the heat is generated only selectively in the hair follicle because of color differences between it and the surrounding skin.
The pigment of the hair in the follicle will absorb the light and convert it to heat. The heat, in turn, destroys the follicle. Skin and hair color need to be clinically assessed to determine laser settings. Candela’s unique and patented Dynamic Cooling Device™ (DCD™) of the GentleMax® laser provides consistent epidermal cooling, which helps to preserve the surrounding skin. The DCD™ sprays the upper layer of the skin with a cooling burst of cryogen, milliseconds before the laser pulse. This spray of cryogen cools the skin’s temperature so that the laser light can pass through it and be absorbed selectively by the hair.
By cooling the epidermis, it is possible to use higher energy settings and provide a more effective treatment. The cooling not only helps prevent damage, it also reduces the discomfort of the treatment and minimizes side effects.
How Many Sessions
Hair goes through three phases in its growth cycle: anagen, catagen and telogen. The anagen phase of hair growth is the active, growth stage, during which the hair contains an abundance of melanin. The catagen phase is the regression phase, in which the hair follicle shrinks. And the telogen phase is the resting phase, in which the hair follicle falls out. Laser treatment will only work effectively on hair follicles that are in their active, growth phase. In otherwords, the heat generated from the laser light can only destroy a hair follicle when it is in its anagen phase. Hairs in the catagen and telogen phases can survive laser treatment.
Each hair follicle maintains an independent growth cycle. All the hair follicles in any one area are not in the same phase of the growth cycle at the same time. Since all hairs are not in the growth phase at the same time, multiple treatments over several growth cycles will be necessary. To ensure complete hair removal, most clients will need an average of 6 – 8 treatment sessions, spaced anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks apart, depending on the area to be treated. Each treatment session will result in a reduction of hair growth. Hair will also grow progressively slower, lighter and finer with each treatment.
Even though most people achieve satisfactory results after six treatments, individual results may vary depending on medical and genetic factors. For instance, dark brown and black hairs contain the greatest pigment and thus respond the best. Lighter brunettes, red heads and dark blondes may need more treatment sessions. Hairs that are completely void to color, grays, whites and white blondes, will not respond to laser hair removal.