Hair Removal / Reduction
Although most people think they want hair removal, what they are really wishing for is hair reduction. The goal is to reduce the amount of hair that grows there - to zero if we can - so you don't need to shave anymore, or at least not very often!
The principle on which hair reduction is based is simple. We want to destroy the hair follicles so they stop growing hair. In order to destroy hair follicles, they need to be active with a hair in the shaft. However, due to the fact that hair follicles are dormant at sporadic times, multiple treatments are required to destroy as many follicles as possible.
After about three treatments, most of the follicles that were asleep will start to wake up together. Treatments actually work to synchronize them. So we give the first three treatments about two months apart and then we do not treat the fourth time until we see synchronized regrowth, which may take up to five months, depending on the site on the body and the individual person. About four weeks after each treatment, you should notice that you are shedding some of your hair in a patchy distribution. Those are the active follicles that were damaged at your last treatment. Some of them will recover, but then will be targeting again during the next treatment.
It is very common for much of the hair to still actively grow after the first few treatments. It may take more than one treatment to destroy even an active follicle. However, if we retreat too soon, the dormant ones will still be dormant, and you will end up needing many more treatments to get the job done than if we wait.
Results with hair reduction vary from person to person. We do not guarantee results. However, the vast majority of patients are very pleased with the results achieved. The result in some patients is permanent. Others may require a touch-up every 6-12 months.
Hair Reductions works by using a laser to heat up the hair shaft to a point where it destroys the surrounding follicle. However, due to the dark hair shaft, the surrounding skin is not burned as the shaft absorbs most the energy and the follicle gets the rest.
We use ELOS®, from Syneron, Inc. It combines radiofrequency (RF) Electrical energy, with intense pulsed light (IPL) Optical energy, and the Synergy between them means it works better than if they were used separately. ELOS® selectively targets the follicles in two ways. RF is the real follicle killer and as it passes through the tissues it destroys the follicle. But it can't pass through the hair shaft so it is concentrated more in the tissues right around the hair shaft as it deflects around the shaft. The tissue right around the hair shaft is the follicle that we actually want to receive more energy than the rest of the tissues. In addition, the tissues offer resistance to the flow of this energy. The energy flows more easily through warmer tissues because tissues offer less resistance the warmer they are. The IPL fires first and warms the hair shaft - not really hot, but enough to warm the surrounding hair follicle. This lets even more RF flow through the hair follicle. But lighter hairs are still a problem. They don't warm as much with the IPL as the coarse dark hairs do. So the hair follicle doesn't warm as much. Therefore the effect of the RF is not as strong on lighter-haired individuals. The RF will work alone on light hair without the IPL because the deflection around the hair shaft concentrates more RF into the hair follicle. But it works better if the IPL can heat the hair follicle first. With the lighter-haired individuals, it just takes more treatments! Following are examples of what can be achieved with ELOS®
