Hair removal has become one of the most popular skin treatments in recent times; for both men and women.

Caucasians, who tend to have more hair than their Asian counterparts, are avidly seeking this treatment as smooth and hairless skin is a becoming more and more of a trend.

There are many ways you can remove hair; shaving, plucking, waxing are a few of these methods. If you’re tired of doing these things, laser or light based devices which can give long term results may be an option you'd like to consider.

None of laser hair removal systems can permanently remove hair. These terms are used for advertising, but effectively give patients the wrong idea. After sessions of laser, hair will be gone for between 1-5 years. It will come back afterwards but thinner, and reduced. It would be perhaps better to call it permanent hair reduction (if you really want to use the word “permanent” for this treatment).

This is really important for everyone who wants this treatment to understand.

How does hair grow?

Hair forms in a pouch-like structure below the skin called a hair follicle.

What we see as hair is actually the hair shaft, which is the keratinized, hardened tissue that grows from this follicle.

Humans have more hair follicles per square inch of skin than most higher primates, including chimpanzees and gorillas. Because most of this hair is fine and pale (called vellus hair), it usually is not visible to the naked eye.

Consider this: the forehead has more hair follicles than any other part of the body. The thicker, fully pigmented hair most people consider "real hair" is called terminal hair. Everyone's hair grows differently, depending on age, weight, metabolism, hormones, ethnicity, medications and other factors.

But all hair goes through three distinct growth phases :



Phase 1 – Anagen
The anagen phase is the growing, or the ‘on’ phase. In humans, this lasts for approximately 1,000 days, but can range from 2 to 6 years. The length of this phase determines the maximum length of your hair. So, the longer your anagen phase, the longer your hair will grow.

Phase 2 – Catagen
The catagen phase only lasts for one to two weeks. It is the transitional or regressive phase. Essentially, it is when the hair stops growing. During this period, the hair follicle shrinks and part of it starts to die.

Phase 3 – Telogen
The telogen phase is the final resting stage, or ‘off’ phase.
When the old hair is in this phase, the hair follicle becomes active again and a new hair in the anagen phase develops, forcing the old telogen hair out. This is when you might notice hairs in the bath or in your brush or comb.
At any one time, around 90% of most people's hair follicles are in the ‘growing’ anagen phase and approximately 10% are in the ‘resting’, or telogen, phase.

How does laser work?
The primary principle behind laser hair removal is selective photothermolysis.
Lasers can cause localized damage by selectively heating dark target matter in the area that causes hair growth while not heating the rest of the skin.
Light is absorbed by dark objects, so laser energy can be absorbed by dark material in the skin (but with much more speed and intensity). Laser is attracted to dark pigment and therefore works best on pale skin and dark coarse hair.
The closer you are to this combination (i.e. the lighter the skin and the more coarse and dark the hair), the better the results will generally be after proper treatments.
They permanently disable hair follicles, however you have to remember that laser hair removal doesn’t work in the same way on everyone and doesn’t remove 100% of the hair in an area.
Generally, this means that you shouldn’t expect to remove every single hair from an area, although you can remove the majority of it. During the procedure, you wear goggles to prevent accidental exposure of your eyes to laser light.
When the laser is activated, you feel a stinging sensation. Often, a topical local anesthetic is applied 45 minutes before the procedure to reduce discomfort. The procedure causes a slight charring of stubble. You may notice a strong odor of singed hair, which is normal.
How many times and how often?
The number of sessions depends on various parameters, including the area of the body treated, skin color, coarseness of hair, and gender. In addition, since hair grows in several phases and laser can only affect the currently actively growing follicles, several sessions are needed to kill hair in all phases of growth.
Before the initial session, avoid plucking or waxing for at least 2 weeks. Normally, a series of three to five treatments are administered at four to eight week intervals depending upon the location of the hair.
Following the initial series of treatments, subsequent treatments are administered, usually at longer and longer intervals. Some number of maintenance of yearly treatments may be needed to keep all the hair away in a given area.
Remember that between each session, you’re not allowed to pull or wax or pluck your hair. Also It's important to note that laser does not work on light hair and very fine and vellus hair. Electrolysis is the only permanent solution for those types of hair.


What about post treatment care?
After the laser hair removal, no medications or bandages are necessary. You may notice some redness and swelling for the first few hours. Also, stinging may occur for the first 24 to 48 hours. Some people experience a slight crusting of the skin. If crusting occurs, keep the area moist with petroleum jelly (Vaseline).Perspiration from exertion may increase irritation caused by the laser.
- Avoid exposure to strong sunlight for a week after treatment. And make sure you apply sunscreen whenever you're in the sun. Avoid tanning booths (the ultraviolet light damages the skin).
- Don't wax or pluck hairs between treatments.
- Don't pick at or manipulate the skin in treated areas.
- Don't rub or scrub the treated area. You may wash the area with soap and water.
What are the risks?
Complications from laser hair removal are rare. Side effects from laser hair removal include, but are not limited to:
- Darkening of the skin (hyperpigmentation). This is usually a temporary condition, but in rare instances, is long lasting or permanent.
- Lightening of the skin (hypopigmentation). This is of special concern with people who have darker skin. Laser hair treatment is more successful on fair skin, but darker skin can also be treated.
- Blistering and scarring. These rarely occur.
- Crusting or scabbing. If this occurs, it's temporary.
- Hair changes. New hair growth may be finer and lighter in color. In some cases, new hair may grow in areas adjacent to the treated areas. This can be successfully treated with additional laser treatments.
There are many systems for laser hair removal including flash light systems. Each system has advantages and disadvantages. You should discuss with your doctor to decide if your hair colour and your skin type work well with their system, to achieve the best result.
For more information please contact dr.thanaruch@phuketlaser.com or call 076-341-689