How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?

Laser hair removal works by beaming an invisible, high concentration beam of light directly into the skin. The constant heat of the laser means that the light can penetrate deep into the layers of the skin where the hair follicle, or the hair root is situated.

There are four types of lasers which can be used for laser hair removal. This includes the

• Ruby Laser
• Alexandrite
• Diode
• Nd: YAG

Different lasers or wavelength are used for different skin types and tones. The Alexandrite 755nm wavelength is used on lighter skin tones where the Nd:YAG 1064nm is used on darker skin tone. The Ruby laser is fairly old and not used as much these days as the technology has improved since the early day of laser hair removal.

Top of the range lasers like the Candela Genltemax Pro operate on the 755nm and 1064nm wavelength so can treat a wide range of skin types and tones.

The beam of light can then cauterise or destroy the hair follicle so that the strand of hair is safely killed without damaging surrounding tissue or skin. This is a very safe procedure which is also virtually painless. Some people report a mild discomfort during the treatment, like an elastic band snapping on the skin.

The skin may be left slightly red afterwards, but this returns back to normal within a few hours. This makes it one of the most effective and efficient method of hair removal to date.

In order for the laser hair removal to be fully successful, a series of treatments is advisable. This is because laser hair removal works when the hair is in the active growth phase, which 90% of hair usually is.

However, to be sure that the full area of skin remains hair free, the remaining 10% also needs to be treated. This means that some people book in for a series of five, six, seven, or even eight sessions to be completely thorough.