Choosing Technology - Lasers & IPL's
06-27-2005 Laser Hair Removal. Finding The Best Laser For Safe, Effective, Affordable Hair Removal.
Laser Hair Removal: A Guide to finding effective, safe fast and affordable laser hair removal treatments. Raleigh Laser Hair Removal and medical spa expert Kile Law Provides guidelines for choosing the appropriate Laser Hair Removal system.
Laser hair removal has come a long way since the first laser for hair removal received FDA clearance in the mid 1990’s. Older generation lasers were very 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.
Which laser to choose?
-Spot size
The spot size of a laser determines how much skin area can be covered per laser pulse. Lasers with larger spot sizes (18 mm)can cover more area much more quickly. For example, a laser hair removal treatment of the back or full legs could take as long as 2 hours with older lasers. Today, these areas can be completely treated in less than 20 minutes. The spot size not only determines the speed and comfort of the treatment, but the efficacy as well. In the April 2004 issue of Derm Surgery, a peer reviewed medical study showed that lasers with an 18 mm spot size (exclusive to the Candela GentleLase ) was more effective at removing hair than lasers with smaller spot sizes.
-Cooling systems
Each laser has a different way of cooling the skin. Some lasers use a topical cooling gel, others use a chilled tip. The most consistent, comfortable and safest way to cool the skin is with a Dynamic Cooling Device or DCD. Lasers equipped with a DCD cooling system are so effective in providing cooling to the skin that no topical numbing creams are necessary.
-Light Sources
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Systems are not lasers. They can remove hair, but recent peer reviewed medical studies show that most lasers are much more effective in treating unwanted hair than IPL systems
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