Best Laser for Depilation

The clinics near me offer a number of different laser machines. names like Light Sheer, IPL, Yag, Duet, Cool Glide. What do the medical expert here think works best in laser hair removal? --Julie


Answer:Older generation lasers were slow, very painful and worked only on individuals with very dark hair and very light skin. Today, lasers can work on all skin colors and some lasers are even safe for treating tanned skinned. Lasers for hair removal can be performed on any (yes, any) area of the body
There are several lasers for hair removal available differing in wavelength used to target the hair follicle as well as the manufacturer. No one laser is ideal for every individual. Depending on your skin color and hair color, some lasers will be more effective than others. The effectiveness of any laser hair removal treatment depends on the patient's skin color, hair color and on the abilities of the person providing the treatment. Choose a practitioner with a lot of experience. Know that hair must have pigment to be well treated, grey and blond hair is not sensitive to the laser. Electrolysis may be your best bet for permanent hair reduction in this case. Darker skin is more safely treated with an ndYag laser

The Ruby Laser: This is the "original " hair removal laser. Its deep red color at 694nm is very well absorbed by the melanin pigment in hair, making it an excellent choice for fine and light hair. However, because melanin is present in the skin as well, the Ruby laser cannot be used on patients with skin that is not very light, including tanned skin. Because of this limitation, slow repetition rate, and relatively small spot size, Ruby lasers have become less popular for laser hair removal in recent years.

The Alexandrite Laser:This laser produces reddish light. With its large (up to 18mm) spot size and high repetition rate, the Alexandrite laser is the fastest hair removal laser, and is suitable for rapid treatment of large body areas in patient with light to olive complexion. An entire back can be treated in less than 30 minutes. The absorption of light by melanin (which is the pigment found in hair) is closest to the wavelength of the Alexandrite laser. This laser is by far the best for people with fair skin. since it has the greatest pigment absorption with sufficient depth of penetration to treat hair. Because of its excellent absorption by pigment, darker skin types should be treated more cautiously and I do not treat darker Hispanic, Middle-Eastern, or Asian, or any African-American skin with this laser The NdYag laser is better for darker skin individuals and is also the deepest penetrating laser. since it has the greatest pigment absorption with sufficient depth of penetration to treat hair.

The Diode Laser: This laser, consists of a high power laser diode emitting infrared (invisible) light at ~800-808nm. The longer wavelength allows deep penetration into the skin and safety for darker skin types, but with less efficacy for lighter and finer hair. A smaller spot size means a longer treatment. That may mean a more expensive treatment. A longer treatment may also increase discomfort and a need for topical numbing. The Diode laser doesn't penetrate deep enough to kill all of the hair follicles and may just damage them causing them to fall out, but they will probably grow back again


The long pulse Nd:YAG: This laser can be used on all skin types, including tanned skin. Large spot sizes and fast repetition rates allow large areas to be treated quickly. Then disadvantage is less effective clearance for fine and light hairs than some other hair removal lasers. For darker skin types, the safest, most effective laser is the Long-Pulsed Nd:Yag laser. As it does not pick up pigment as well-- finer hairs may not respond as well as the Alexandrite, but it is very safe in all skin types. The Nd:YAG laser delivers laser in the 1064 wavelength which is absorbed by the pigment in the hair follicle. The other major categories of hair removal lasers are either of the 800nm wavelength (diode) or 755nm wavelengths However, they are not safe for use in darker or tanned skin tones. An attempt to treat darker toned skins by reducing the energy would lead to less effectiveness. Conversely, increasing the energy levels would cause burns.GentleYAG laser hair removal is used for any area of the skin which has unwanted hair, including the face, neck, chest, back, bikini area, underarms, arms and legs.

IPL devices are not lasers, because they emit non-coherent light of many different wavelengths. However, because most of the light energy is in the shorter wavelengths, treatment of darker skin types is less effective than with the appropriate laser. The light based technologies are not as specific as their laser counterparts however. They generally have broad applications (eg facial rejuvenation, leg vein treatment and hair removal) without being particularly great in any one specific indication
A larger spot size offers not only the advantage of faster treatment, but also additional safety and efficacy. As spot size increases, a lower percentage of the delivered light energy scatters outside of the treatment area, increasing the depth of pentration, and allowing a lower energy setting to be used for treatment.
It is important that a laser have consistent cooling in order to ensure patient safety and comfort. Although complications with new lasers for hair removal are rare, in the event of a complication, you need to know who will provide medical attention.
Because every person will respond at a slightly different rate, and some individuals will require more treatments than others for complete clearance


Final: Light sheer laser Not only is it five times faster but the comfort level is significantly better. Not a single patient has complained of pain or discomfort with this laser. The results have been excellent on all skin types and many patients who were reluctant to treat large areas, such as the legs, chest and back, have gone ahead with this laser mainly because it is so tolerable and fast. Like other lasers, however, it does not work on blonde or white hair. it is the fastest and most comfortable way of getting rid of unwanted hair.
Cutera CoolGlide Yag Laser uses a sophisticated light energy source for permanent hair reduction. The light is absorbed by the pigment in your hair, which effectively disables the hair follicle. The CoolGlide technology is considered the gold standard in the laser industry because of its long history of safety and effectiveness on all skin types—even on tanned skin, which is a nice benefit to patients in the summer months. It can treat not only coarse hair but fine hair as well. It is permanent, safe and effective. The CoolGlide can remove hair from the face or body; for example, the arms, underarms, legs, backs, and even particularly sensitive areas like the upper lip.
It is sometimes hard to tell how many treatments you might need in advance. Hair develops in phases and we can only treat hair in its active, visible stage. Therefore, the number of treatments depends on how quickly the untreated hairs appear. For significant clearance, most patients require a course of four to six treatments, which are spaced at least six to eight weeks apart.
Patients will feel a series of short snaps, somewhat like a rubber band snapping, but no local anesthesia or pain medication is necessary. Sensitivity varies from person to person, and we have a topical blocker that works quite well. Treatment times vary depending, of course, on the size of the area, but it typically takes 60 minutes to treat the upper and lower legs and 45 minutes for a man’s back. Underarms for women are fast. it effectively destroys the hair itself without harming the surrounding skin. You may be a little red afterward, but that typically goes away in a matter of hours. Unlike with waxing, you should shave beforehand since the treatment is targeting the hair follicle itself – not just hair.
No laser or light-based system can treat blonde, white, red or gray hair since there is no melanin in it to absorb the light, but with our CoolGlide system people with any other color hair, any skin type, and even tanned skin can receive treatment.