But you could get rid of 85% of that unwanted hair permanently with laser hair removal from the team at Musick Dermatology. Because it takes a few laser treatments to create the amount of permanent hair reduction that most people seek, winter is the perfect time to come see us in our Swansea offices. That way, by spring and summer you’ll be hair-free and ready for the pool.
How does laser hair removal work?
The key to laser hair removal is the melanin in the hair shaft and the hair follicle. Once we set the wavelength of the laser energy to match your hair and skin color, we deliver the pulse of laser energy. The light energy hits the hair and the melanin absorbs it. That energy converts to heat and it travels down the hair shaft into the follicle beneath. This heat damages or destroys the follicle, precluding it from growing hair in the future.
The key is the phase of the growth cycle that the hair is in. To be truly effective, the hair needs to be in the anagen (growth) phase. When hairs are in this phase, they respond very well to laser energy. The catagen phase is an intermediate phase, moving from growth to rest. Hair in this phase still responds to hair removal energy, but not well toward the end of this phase. The final phase is telogen, which is the resting or shedding stage. Hair in the telogen phase isn’t affected by laser energy, as the body is already in the process of shedding the hair. This doesn’t allow the energy to travel down the shaft and damage the follicle.
Many hairs, all living as loners
You may think of your hair as all being on the same team. Truth is, they’re all a bunch of independent contractors. Every hair on the human body can be in any of the above three phases. And since the average adult human body has around 5 million hair follicles (men a few hundred thousand more, women a few hundred thousand less), that means many hairs aren’t in the right phase. That’s why it takes multiple appointments to really get rid of 80-85% or more of your unwanted hair. At one time only around 20% of your hair may be in the desired anagen phase. To hit more and more of the targeted hair in the right phase, Dr. Musick recommends usually from 4-7 laser hair removal treatments.
Trust our expertise
It seems everyone is offering laser hair removal, but expertise is important. There are two factors that are important in determining the right type of treatment, laser wavelength and pulse duration. Longer wavelengths penetrate deeper under the skin. Pulse durations determine the amount of thermal damage that can be delivered into the follicle. Short pulse durations give more thermal damage, while longer pulse durations are safer for patients with darker skin.
Some people have the place they do their nails perform their laser hair removal. That’s a recipe for skin burns and uneven hair removal. Musick Dermatology is a skin-care expert. It’s all we do. So who do you think will do a better job of removing your unwanted hair, all while keeping you as comfortable as possible? Call Musick at (618) 629-2588 to make your appointment to say adios to that unwanted hair.