How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?

Laser hair removal is actually one of the most commonly used methods of removing hair for the long term. It is also one of the most popular cosmetic procedures done this day and age, even more, popular than certain types of plastic surgery! While it is non-invasive for the most part, it is important to understand that it does come with its fair share of risks. Understanding how laser hair removal works are the best way to cut down your risks, and also the best way to decide whether or not it is right for you.

First, it is important to understand the costs associated with laser hair removal. It is one of the costlier hair removal options, at a whopping $300 to $1000 for each session. Compared to the cost of waxing or shaving, this may seem a little outrageous. The good news, however, is that the results last a lot longer than they would with simply waxing or shaving. This has a lot to do with the actual process and how it works.

Unlike common methods of hair removal such as waxing and shaving, the goal of the procedure is to get rid of the hair once and for all so that you won’t have to deal with it in the future. It does this by destroying the hair follicle and the cells that make up the follicle. This inhibits the hair growth, so that you don’t have to deal with hair as much or as often. At best, it will reduce the amount of hairs in the areas treated, but it will not get rid of all of them.

How Laser Hair Removal Actually Works

Laser hair removal picks up on the pigments in our hair. This is known as melanin. Melanin is the pigment that makes up the color of our eyes, hair and skin. It also keeps us protected from the sun. This is what gives us a sun tan when we have been out in the sun, and what causes us to get freckles. This is because melanin absorbs the radiation that comes from the sun’s rays. This is also how it works with laser hair removal.

The laser used to remove the hair puts off tiny amounts of radiation that cling to the hairs in the area treated. It has a single wavelength of light that travels to focus on the area that is being treated, giving a concentrated burst of radiation that is otherwise unharmful, unless you are a hair follicle.

When the melanin in our hair absorbs the radiation given off from the laser, it heats it up and burns the follicle underneath the skin, causing it to become damaged. The good thing about laser hair removal is that it doesn’t have to just target one single hair at a time, unlike electrolysis. It targets a small area, but still will attack several hairs at a time.

We touched on the fact that lighter skin and darker hair makes a better candidate for laser hair removal, so let’s go over why this is the case. Since the laser is attracted to the melanin in your skin and hair, if you have darker skin it may make it more difficult to hone in on the actual hair, rather than the skin. With lighter hair, on the other hand, it is also difficult for the laser to find the hair. This doesn’t mean that it is impossible, as they have developed a lot of different lasers that will work on a combination of skin tones and hair colors. Just be prepared for longer sessions, and more sessions, if you have darker skin or a lighter color hair.