Laser hair removal - the blessings of technology

Many people are stuck with excessive growth of hair in various parts of their body which may become embarrassing for them. Women especially feel this embarrassment very keenly as it may give them an unsightly appearance.

Earlier people did not have much of a choice as hair removal treatments were restricted to shaving, waxing, creams or electrolysis which had to be done on a regular basis and were not really effective against excessive growth of hair. However, advancing technology has now deemed it possible to partake of laser therapy which is a quick, safe and effective form of hair removal on a more or less permanent basis.

Although electrolysis used to be popular choice for removing excessive hairy growth, it is not a painless hair removal process as it destroys hair follicles one at a time and needs treatment for many years regularly. Laser hair removal targets hundreds of hair follicles at the same time thus reducing the time period. It involves a beam of light which passes through the skin to the hair follicle which absorbs it. The energy from the laser is converted into heat which disables the hair follicle and it is by far the most painless hair removal technique.

Although the hair removal technique by laser is very effective certain factors should be borne in mind before going for it. The color of the hair plays an important role in this technique; dark hair which naturally contains a higher percentage of melanin compared to light colored hair is easier to treat as the dark pigment attracts light faster. This helps in more laser energy being absorbed in quicker timethereby reducing the number of sessions required. Blonde and red colored hair require multiple sessions as these are difficult to treat and the results too may vary.

The other factor to be kept in mind is anyone partaking of a high beta-carotene diet (lots of carrots, squash etc) will have to modify his/her diet before using the laser therapy for hair removal. Beta carotene imparts a yellow/orange color to the skin which interferes with the process of the laser energy reaching the hair follicle.

Beta carotene remains in the body for a considerable period of time so anyone wishing to opt for laser treatment may require adjusting their diet much in advance of the treatment. Light-skinned people are easier to treat than dark-skinned people as the melanin in the dark skin absorbs some of the laser energy. The skin of dark-skinned people may get burnt due to the laser and hence a higher level of expertise is required to monitor the energy level of the laser beam.

Hair starts falling out over the next two months after the first session. Laser hair removal works best in the anagen or growth of hair stage and repeated sessions in this stage will yield the most beneficial results. The skin may look pink or red after the treatment but settles down after some time. Along with skin tightening techniques laser hair removal too has become exceedingly popular especially with women.