Hair removal with laser treatments is done with a laser beam that emits light energy to reduce excessive hair growth and with the aim of eventually eliminating it completely. The laser’s single-spectrum light produces heat in the melanin pigment in the hair shaft. Melanin is the substance that gives your hair and skin their color. The heat travels through the melanin to the hair follicle, a tiny sac inside the skin that grows hair. As the follicle inflames from the laser, it goes dormant and stops hair growth. Laser hair removal can last months or it can last years, as long as a series of treatments are performed.

A laser is a medical device that emits high-energy light directed at a specific target”in this case, the pigment in the hair shaft. Laser treatment of hair growth is performed by a doctor or a nurse with special training. The lasers used in this procedure are hand-held. There are several different types of hair removal devices that use light. In addition to lasers, there are intense pulsed light (IPL) devices. IPL isnt technically laser because it uses multicolored light in microsecond bursts, while laser emits light of a single color on the spectrum. Both types of devices have advantages and disadvantages. The choice of device to use for treatment depends on the doctors assessment of the individual patient.

To be successful, the laser treatment must target the hair shaft while not heating the melanin in the surrounding skin area. An experienced treatment professional is well aware of this risk and will closely monitor the laser beam to avoid harming the patient. The precision needed for a successful treatment is the reason that laser hair removal is classified as a medical procedure.

Although some patients experience discomfort during laser hair removal, the difficulty of the procedure depends on many factors:

* the body region where treatment occurs. Sensitive skin is more likely to react to laser treatment.

* the thickness and color of the hair to be treated. Darker hair increases the risk of skin reaction, particularly if the skin is also dark.

*the number of previous treatments that the patient has had. With each treatment, the process gets easier.

* the individual’s physical and mental tolerance for discomfort. Doctors have remarked that that patients seldom abandon treatment due to discomfort.

Most doctors recommend a minimum of three laser hair removal treatments, and four to seven sessions over a period of four months to a year is considered the norm for eliminating 80 percent of the hair from the target area. These numbers are highly dependent on the individual patient’s needs and physiology. On rare occasions, a patient may not respond to hair removal treatments at all.

Follow-up appointments for maintenance are the norm if you want the hair reduction to last. These may take place once or twice a year, although the frequency varies depending on the patient’s individual characteristics. If hirsutism or a medical condition is an issue, maintenance may be needed more frequently.

Patients with darker skin are more challenging to treat than those with light skin. This is because both the skin and hair get their color from a pigment called melanin. Laser hair removal works by heating the melanin in the hair shaft without heating the melanin in the skin, so if the skin is darker than the hair, it will heat up more quickly. Patients with darker skin may still be candidates for laser treatment, and as the technology progresses, these patients will become easier to treat. Selection of an experienced treatment professional is especially important in these cases.

The cost of laser hair removal is high, but so is patient satisfaction. Most laser clinics offer payment plan options to cover this cosmetic procedure. Prices for a single treatment run in the neighborhood of $429 according to nationally averaged figures from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Depending on the area of the body being treated, the clinic’s own price schedule, and whether you live in a rural or urban area will produce widely varying price figures.