|
|
| Articles: (Updated Frquently) |
| Laser Hair Removal Unwrapped |
By: Jay B Stockman
|
|
|
The laser has become a precision surgical instrument widely used for a variety of procedures. Most recently, lasers have been utilized for the quick, gentle removal of unwanted hairs. The laser works by sending a pulsating beam of light, of a particular wavelength to precise areas on the skin. The light passes directly through the skin, but is absorbed by the pigment in the hair follicle and shaft. Once absorbed by laser light, the follicles are impaired from future growth, and eventually die off. Laser hair removal has come a long way since the first laser for hair removal received FDA clearance in
|
mid 1998. Older generation normal-mode ruby lasers were very slow, very painful and worked only on individuals with very dark hair and very light skin. Today, lasers can work on all skin colors and some lasers are even safe for treating tanned skin.
Lasers are not for everyone, and their proper use requires great skill, training and expertise. The laser technician at minimum must be a Certified Laser Specialist who has graduated from an accredited school for laser. Generally it is best to have a laser-trained dermatologist, or plastic surgeon perform the procedure, in case of complications. For the laser to be effective, the hair pigment must be darker than the surrounding skin pigment. If this is not the case, the treatment will not work and may have harmful complications. Additionally very darkly pigmented people absorb too much laser energy in their skin and are not ideal candidates. Tanned patients with light hair are not candidates either.
Light skin makes laser hair removal easier to perform. Fewer treatments are required, and better, faster results are obtained. People with darker skin can be treated, but results are slower, more sessions are required, and greater expertise is required on the part of the doctor. Coarse dark hair responds the best to laser treatment, light hair is more difficult to treat. Blonde or red hair is very difficult to treat, multiple treatment sessions are required, and results are variable. Laser hair removal must be individualized for each patient.
Although one laser session can produce impressive hair removal, generally, multiple treatment sessions are necessary to see optimal results. In large part this is due to the fact that laser hair removal is most effective for hair, which is in the growth phase. Since hair grows in cycles, not all of the hairs are in the growth phase at any given time. Additional sessions are necessary to catch all of the hairs when they are in this phase.
Any area, except adjacent to the eye, where there is excess hair can be treated. The most common areas requested are the face, upper lip, neck, chest, breast region, underarms, back, abdomen, bikini line, and legs.
|
|
The costs for a single laser hair removal treatment vary depending on the part of the country, and range from $300.00 to $500.00 per session. Consumers are advised, as with all forms of medical care, to seek the center of highest quality, rather than lowest cost. Laser hair removal requires a great deal of skill, individual attention, experience, and a trained, caring, professional staff.
After treatment, most patients have a mild sunburn-type sensation that fades in 2-3 hours. Moisturizers and/or cool compresses can help during this time. Small blister areas can be treated with topical antibiotic until resolved. Sun block should be used for up to 6 weeks after treatment if sun exposure is anticipated. No waxing, shaving, or dying should be performed for 2 weeks after treatment. Pretreatment restrictions are also applicable to the post treatment period.
It must be remembered that it is impossible to predict the exact result a patient will achieve with laser hair removal, especially with regard to how many sessions a given individual will require. The indication for laser hair removal is mostly subjective. A desire for hair removal is the only criterion for laser hair removal.
About the Author
Jay B Stockman is a contributing editor for Laser Hair Removal New York Resources Visit http://thelaser-hair-removal-new-york.com/ for more information.
Dr. Jay B Stockman is an individual contributor to Google Health Co-op
Dr. Jay B Stockman's public Google Health Co-op profile
|
|
Technorati Tags:
Laser Hair Removal New York, Laser Hair Removal, laser hair removal cost, laser hair removal center
Add to: | Technorati | Digg | del.icio.us | Yahoo | BlinkList | Spurl | reddit | Furl |
|
|
| Shedding Some Light on Laser Hair Graft |
| By: Maggie Kay |
We’ve all heard about laser hair removal but did you know that lasers are used in hair transplant procedures as well?
The Food and Drug Administration approved laser hair grafting in the 1990s and it soon became a popular method of hair transplantation.
Lasers are used to create tiny holes into which hair follicles are transplanted. Healing is faster and there is no scarring at the site of transplant.
Nevertheless, there are some negative aspects to this procedure. For example, lasers reduce blood circulation to new grafts because they seal blood vessels. This causes the hair graft to grow at a slower pace than usual, occasionally resulting in uneven hair growth patterns.
What does the Laser Hair Grafting procedure entail? Laser hair grafting is completed in the following steps:
1. Hair grafts are taken from the back of the head (the donor area).
2. The individual roots of the hair grafts are separated into plugs containing single or double hairs.
3. The plugs are transplanted into evenly spaced holes in the bald area that have been prepared by the laser.
These steps are repeated until the desired area has been covered successfully. The procedure takes about 3-4 hours to complete and is performed under local anesthesia. Depending on the size of the balding area, about 1000-2000 grafts are placed in the scalp during the surgery.
Surgeons inform their patients that the scabs will fall off within 1–2 weeks, after which time they will begin to see results, followed by a growth period of 3-6 months.
It is important to note that laser hair grafting has become somewhat obsolete, as new and improved technological advances have been made in the field of hair restoration.
About the Author
About the Author - Maggie Kay is a freelance writer from Montreal and is the head researcher and content manager of Hair Transplant Costs - a resourceful site about hair transplant doctors. http://www.hairtransplantcosts.com/ |
|
| Keywords: laser hair removal hair, about laser hair, hair grafting, hair transplant, laser, laser hair, laser hair grafting, laser hair removal, lasers |
|
|
|