Removing unwanted body hair is of major importance to most women. Over 80 million women use depilatories, epilators, shaving or waxing kits on a regular basis. Another million utilize electrolysis or undergo salon waxing.
Laser hair removal offers long-term results for the reduction of unwanted hair. The laser gives off a powerful beam of invisible light, which passes through the skin without causing any damage. The light is absorbed by the hair follicle, which impairs its ability to grow hair. Basically, by absorbing the powerful laser/light, the hair follicles are disabled. This method is only effective for dark hair since the laser is attracted to pigment, therefore blonde, red, or grey hair cannot be treated properly.
The effectiveness of laser/light hair removal is determined by how many hairs are in their active growth cycle at the time of treatment, and how much melanin (pigment) is in each hair follicle. Tanning should be avoided prior and after laser/light treatments. Higher melanin content of the skin tends to compete with the hair for the light energy resulting in the potential for damage to the skin, not the follicle.
Since other hairs will cycle into the active growth phase at different times, so additional treatments may be necessary. Over time, re-growth will be finer and lighter than before the treatment.