There is a revolution happening in hair removal and the battle cry is "laser!"  For centuries woman and men have been trying to rid themselves of unwanted hair.  They have waxed and tweezed, shaved with a variety of instruments, used a number of chemicals to dissolve hair and of course, tried electrolysis, thermolysis and the blend.  All of these methods work in one way or another but none has been so successful as to deter laser hair removal.

In the early 1960's, ruby lasers were being used for tattoo removal.  It was noted at that time that hair didn't readily grow back in areas treated.  However, there was significant skin damage with these lasers which caused pigment changes and occasional scaring.  In the early 1990's a distinguished Harvard Dermatologist, Rox Anderson, M.D. began developing a laser to safely remove hair with fewer side effects.  He developed a cooling method to protect the epidermis thus allowing laser light to target the dermis.  One of the first hair removal lasers that he was instrumental in developing was the Epilaser by Palomar.  This laser used a wavelength of 694nm and Dr. Anderson's water-cooled sapphire lens to protect the epidermis.  This early laser was slow, firing only 70mm or 10mm pulse per second.  It was unwieldy and heavy causing a great deal of technical fatigue.  The upper lip could be treated in 10-15 minutes but a man's back needed 3-4 hours for treatment.  These early lasers also commonly caused a variety of side effects, including second degree burns, swelling, redness and pigment changes.  Only skin type 1 to 3 could be safely treated.  In addition to being slow, cumbersome and unfriendly, they were still not effective as electrolysis.  Fortunately, technology evolved quickly and the second generation of lasers proved to be faster, more efficient and more protective of the epidermis.  The second generation of lasers used wavelengths of 755nm and a variety of different cooling methods.

In the last two years, the revolution has spread rapidly.  Fourth generation, long-pulsed lasers are now available.  Just five years after Dr. Anderson developed the early Epilaser which weighted over 600 pounds, lasers portable, more efficient, more easily operated and more skin friendly.

There are numerous similarities between laser hair removal and electrolysis. Both procedures involve a transfer of energy and both procedures require a series of treatments to reach satisfactory results.  Laser hair removal changes light energy into heat energy.  When the laser beam strikes melanin the light energy is transformed into heat.  This causes a miniature explosion in the follicle which damages the follicle.  The follicle then heals which causes the follicle to decrease in diameter.  With sequential treatments the follicle eventually becomes "miniaturized."  At this stage the follicle produces no hair at all and remains as fibrous tract.  Like electrolysis, laser hair removal requires sequential treatments because of the stages of hair growth.  Not all hairs are in the pigmented stage at the same time, thus the laser does not see them.  The number of treatments necessary to achieve permanence varies based upon the individual hair color and skin type.  Theoretically, repeated damage to the follicle would produce permanent results but because of various physiologic factors influencing hair growth results are not totally predictable.  However, it is a fact that most people who undergo laser hair removal with the new generation of lasers experience long-term hair removal.

One way in which laser hair removal differs from electrolysis is that it is not nearly as technician-dependent.  The technician must be cognizant of the medical aspects of the procedure, side effects, skin type, hair cycles, laser tissue interaction, laser safely and other aspects of the procedure but the results are not as variable among technicians.  Statistics show that the success rate for hair removal with electrolysis varies from 15-85 percent among electrologists.  This variability is caused by the necessity of complete accuracy to target one individual follicle.  With a hair removal laser, a 10mm beam at the appropriate wavelength can treat up to 50 hairs at a time.  The laser technician needs to select the appropriate energy level and apply the laser apparatus accurately.  The laser does the mechanical work.  The technician is responsible for the laser setting which are determined by skin type and the area being treated.  The addition of laser removal to an electrologist's practice is natural.  Much of the scientific information is already known , tested and proven.  The demand for laser hair removal has become entrenched in the public's psyche.  Today, the majority of clients are looking for "high tech" solutions to most problems.  Laser hair removal has come of age.  In fact, we are surrounded by and are comfortable with lasers in our everyday lives.  Lasers play our music, program our computers and scan our groceries.  Now they are available to remove unwanted hair.  Electrologists may have been uneasy with this technology when it first emerged.  However, after nearly five years of development and growth in the laser hair removal market most are beginning to see this technology as an economically sound investment in their practices.  Lasers make it possible to realistically and effectively treat a man's back or a woman's full legs.  Laser treatment is fast, efficient and effective.  Clients are excited when they see the decrease in hair growth and experience the freedom from daily shaving or periodic waxing.  The fact that this method is "revolutionary" makes it something to talk about!  Many clients say that laser hair removal is something they "read about a couple of years ago but it was too new."  They are now finding that hair removal lasers are faster and more effective than other means they have experienced.