Nd YAG Laser

The Neodymium: Yttrium Aluminum Garnet laser is also commonly known as the Nd YAG Laser and is one of the newer forms of laser hair removal.

Nd YAG lasers are not only used for hair removal but in some cases are also used for tattoo and pigmented lesion treatment.

Perhaps the biggest advantage that the Nd YAG laser has is that it generally works on all skin types and in particular, people with darker skin tones which is something that other lasers cannot always do.

Nd YAG has a long wavelength compared to other laser hair removal options. Longer wavelengths such as the one provided by the Nd YAG laser means it is safer for darker skin because less energy is absorbed by the skin than with other laser options.

Here are some things to think about if you're considering the Nd YAG hair removal laser option.

Nd YAG Benefits

• Generally works on most skin types.
• Unlike some other laser options, can successfully treat darker skin tones.
• Has the ability to reach deeper layers of skin than other lasers due its high wavelength.
• Tends to allow rapid treatment of larger body areas.
• Utilizes a carbon lotion that is spread on the skin to be treated to absorb most of the laser energy (as opposed to the energy being absorbed by the skin).

Nd YAG Considerations

• If the carbon lotion doesn't penetrate the skin properly, it can negatively affect the effectiveness of the treatment.
• Like other lasers, doesn't work with light or white hair.
• Tends to be less effective on fine hair than other laser options.
• Uses high power which can be painful.
• Side effects could include scars, burns, skin discoloration, redness and swelling.

Long term success and possible side effects of the hair removal will also vary by patient.

source: www.permanenthairremovaltips.com

Diode Laser Hair Removal

Diode laser hair removal is the one of newer forms of laser hair removal on the market but is currently the most popular of all laser hair removal options.

As with other newer laser hair removal options, the Diode laser has limited research showing evidence of long term results.

The Diode utilizes a longer wavelength than both the Ruby and Alexandrite lasers enabling it to achieve deeper penetration of the skin which allows it to treat darker skinned patients than either of these two lasers.

Still, the Diode generally doesn't treat darker skinned patients as well as the Nd: YAG laser system.

Having said that, Diode laser hair removal tends to work well on dark, coarse hair. With its ability to treat relatively large spot sizes, it is also an option for large body areas like the back.

Here are some things to think about if you're considering the Diode hair removal laser option.

Diode Laser Hair Removal: Benefits

• Compared to most other lasers, has a longer wavelength which might offer better results for people with darker skin.
• Works well with dark (ie. black and brown) hair.
• Tends to allow rapid treatment of larger body areas.
• Has a long pulse width that can be adjusted by the practitioner doing the treatment.
• Has a longer wavelength which offers deeper skin penetration and safer treatment of darker skin.

Diode Laser Hair Removal: Considerations

• Like other lasers, doesn't work with light or white hair.
• Generally not as successful as treating darker skin types as the Nd: YAG laser.
• Side effects could include scars, burns, skin discoloration, redness and swelling.

Long term success and possible side effects of the hair removal will also vary by patient.

source: www.permanenthairremovaltips.com

Alexandrite Laser Hair Removal

The Alexandrite laser works in a similar fashion to the Ruby laser but has a slightly longer wavelength than the Ruby.

It's one of the newer forms of laser hair removal on the market and is also one of the most widely used laser hair removal technologies being used currently.

It can cover a relatively large spot size and unlike the Ruby laser, can treat people with olive complexions but like the Ruby, is still limited to treating people with relatively light skin tones.

As a relatively new hair removal option, the Alexandrite laser doesn't have as much research available as the Ruby.

Having said that, a light-skinned, dark haired person generally sees the best results.

People with light or grey hair are not considered "ideal" candidates since these two types of hair are very difficult to treat.

Here are some things to think about if you're considering the Alexandrite hair removal laser option.

Alexandrite Laser: Benefits

• Works best on light colored skin and dark hair.
• Tends to allow rapid treatment of larger body areas.
• Has a slightly longer wavelength than Ruby lasers which means it can treat slightly darker skin tones ie. olive skin.
• A very widely used laser hair removal laser.

Alexandrite Laser: Considerations

• Tends to be expensive and requires multiple treatments.
• Tends to have difficulty successfully treating darker skin types.
• Like other lasers, doesn't work with light or white hair.
• Side effects could include scars, burns, skin discoloration, redness and swelling.

Long term success and possible side effects of the hair removal will also vary by patient.

Ruby Laser Hair Removal

The Ruby laser is an infrared laser and was the first laser hair removal system on the market. As such, it has a longer track record than other laser hair removal options but is also an older technology.

Ruby lasers tend to be ideal for people who have light-colored skin and dark hair because the laser it emits is highly absorbed by the skin's melanin.

It has a shorter wavelength when compared to newer laser technologies so it uses more energy in order to properly penetrate the skin to effectively treat the hair.

A Ruby laser works by emitting a pulse of light from a handheld device that is held up against the area of skin to be treated. Once the pulse has been delivered, the practitioner moves to the next area of skin and the process is repeated until the entire area has been covered.

Since it's an older technology, there are other newer laser hair removal options that are becoming more readily available than the Ruby laser and that might be more effective, too.

Here are some things to think about if you're considering the Ruby hair removal laser option.

Ruby Laser: Benefits

• Offers good results for people with light skin and dark hair
• Tends to offer long term hair removal
• Works well on small areas
• Hair that grows back tends to be finer and sparser and therefore less noticeable

Ruby Laser: Considerations

• Tends to be expensive and requires multiple treatments
• Tends to have difficulty successfully treating darker skin types
• Can only cover a relatively small area of hair at a time
• Has a slow repetition rate (ie. every two seconds) which increases the treatment time involved
• Side effects could include scars, burns, skin discoloration, redness and swelling
• Like other lasers, doesn't work with light or white hair

From a laser practitioner's point of view, Ruby lasers also use a high amount of power to operate so combined with the other considerations, they might look at offering other newer laser hair removal options instead.

Still, the Ruby laser has a long track record that generally shows that it can offer long-term hair reduction when operated by a skilled and trained professional. The amount of pain felt by the patient tends to vary on a case by case basis.

Long term success and possible side effects of the hair removal will also vary by patient.

source: www.permanenthairremovaltips.com

Number of sessions needed for Laser Hair Removal

Multiple treatments, usually 5-7, but as many as 12, depending on the type of hair and skin color have been shown in practice to provide long-term reduction of hair. Current parameters suggest a series of treatments spaced at 4–6 weeks apart for most areas, although the timing of treatments has still not been standardized.

The number of sessions depends on various parameters, including the area of the body treated, skin color, coarseness of hair, and sex. Coarse dark hair on light skin is easiest to treat. Finer hair and hair on darker skin is harder to treat and may require more treatments. Certain areas (notably men's and women's faces) may require considerably more treatments to achieve desired results. In addition, since hair grows in several phases, (anagen, telogen, catagen), and laser can only affect the currently active growing follicles, (anagen), several sessions are needed to kill hair in all phases of growth.

It's important to note that laser does not work on light hair and very fine and vellus hair . Laser hair removal is NOT permanent but it is long term and can be patchy. Electrolysis is the only permanent solution for those types of hair but has shortcomings such as possible scarring, expense, and discomfort, as noted above.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Laser Hair Removal

Laser is widely used in removing unwanted hair, but only one procedure wouldn’t rid you of them forever. In order to make your skin smooth and silky for a long time, you need 5 to 10 procedures made with one month interval.

Laser ray destroys only actively growing hair bulbs, but there are lots of other hair bulbs under the skin. This is why you need to wait until all of them grow and only then remove them. In the end, you may need 6 to 10 months to remove all these hairs. Laser epilation is used for removing hairs from all body areas, even face and neck. It’s also possible to correct the brow shape using laser. There’s a drawback though: laser epilation can’t remove grey and light hairs.

Contraindications for Laser Epilation

• skin diseases,
• varicose veins,
• severe ischemic heart disease,
• severe hypertension,
• acute herpes forms,
• various infections.

Short history of laser hair removal

Epilation by laser was performed experimentally for about 20 years before it became commercially available in the mid 1990s.

How it works? Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) epilators, though technically not a laser, use xenon flash lamps that emit full spectrum light. Laser and light-based methods, sometimes called phototricholysis or photoepilation, are now most commonly referred to collectively as "laser hair removal".

One of the first published articles describing laser hair removal was authored by the group at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1998.

Below you can see a representation for hair growing, the IPL epilators using methods to stop the activity in one of the steps.

What is the efficacy of using laser hair removal ?

The efficacy of laser hair removal is now generally accepted in the dermatology community, and laser hair removal is widely practiced. Many reviews of laser hair removal methods, safety, and efficacy have been published in the dermatology literature.