In the debate about which laser is better for hair removal, many theories have been broken. If we consider all hardware methods of hair removal, i.e. photo-, electro- and laser hair removal, then among cosmetologists the last method is the most in demand. The laser gives the greatest effect. And very easy to work. The article describes three types of laser hair removal, their features. You will learn how often the procedure should be performed, what the cosmetologist and the client should do in order for the procedure to be as effective as possible.
The essence of laser hair removal
Laser hair removal is performed on three types of lasers. Diode, alexandrite and neodymium. Laser hair removal is based on electromagnetic radiation with a certain wavelength, which allows the laser beam to focus strictly on the hair follicle. Unlikephotoradiation, laser is little scattered. And the risk of damage to surrounding tissues is minimized. Consider which laser to do hair removal more efficiently.
Pigmented hair removal
The Alexandrite laser has a wavelength of 755 nanometers (nm). It is ideal for combating dark hair on fair skin where the contrast between skin color and hair color is high. For darker or darker-skinned clients, this type of laser can cause burns.
The wavelength of the diode laser is 808 nm. A diode laser for hair removal of dark hair on light skin is also ideal. Although manufacturers often claim that it will "work" on dark and tanned skin, the degree of tanning is a relative concept. A slightly tanned European with phototype III is not at all the same as an African with phototype V or VI.
Phototype is the division of people by the amount of melanin pigment in the skin, hair and iris. The best alexandrite lasers for hair removal are systems from manufacturers such as Candela, Deka and Quanta System.
Blonde Hair Removal
There is an opinion that gray, red, blond, vellus hair is not amenable to hardware hair removal. There is also an opposite point of view, that modern equipment operates in different modes and, by changing the wavelength, allows you to remove any type of hair.
In fact, advertising misleads consumers. Laser facial hair removal (for example, removal of vellus hair above the upper lip or on the cheeks) is performed using a neodymium laser.
It is also used to combat gray, blond hair on fair skin and dark hair on dark skin, that is, in cases where the contrast between hair and skin color is low. The wavelength of the neodymium laser is 1064 nm.
Rating of lasers for hair removal
It is not entirely correct to compare a neodymium laser with a diode and alexandrite. Since the first is suitable for certain phototypes, and the rest are effective for others. If we evaluate the alexandrite and diode lasers, then the first is one step higher than the second.
The cost of laser hair removal on an alexandrite machine is higher, this is due to higher efficiency. In what way does it manifest itself? Firstly, the power of the alexandrite system is four times higher than that of the diode system.
Secondly, the multi-pulse mode of operation allows you to process twice as much area per unit time. And this means that the procedure time is reduced.
Thirdly, after hair removal with an alexandrite laser, they fall out after a week. When processing with a diode laser, you have to wait up to three weeks.
The cost of laser hair removal depends on a lot of factors, but we will give the average prices for the treatment of the most popular areas. Upper lip - 1800 rubles, armpits - 3000, deep bikini - 6000, lower legs - 10,000, full legs - 20,000.
Epilation efficiency and hair growth stages
Laser hair removal is effective when the hair is in the growth phase. Why is that? At this stagethe connection between the hair follicle and the vessels, nerves, coming to it, is very close. Therefore, the hair is able to absorb the maximum of laser radiation. It is transferred to the vessel, it coagulates, the blood supply stops. And the hair stops growing. In the stage of death or the formation of a new hair, the connection between the follicle and the vessels is broken. When it is a new hair, it is still too small to absorb enough energy to transfer it for coagulation to occur.
Importance of selecting individual parameters
Each professional hair removal laser is set to medium by default, but every client is different. Skin color, hair thickness, bulb thickness, hair color, zone - all this must be taken into account. Whether a woman came to the procedure at the end of the cycle or in the middle - it depends on whether there is fluid stagnation in the hair growth zone. Whether a woman smokes or drinks alcohol - all this affects the condition of the skin, the hair follicles. Finding out which laser is best for hair removal does not make sense if you make a mistake in choosing the parameters. How can a beautician do it right?
First you need to select the parameters recommended by the manufacturer of the device. Make one flash, ask the client if it hurts. If there are no sensations and hyperemia (redness) - this means that there is no reaction, that this parameter is too weak for the client. It is necessary to increase the power or duration of the pulse. It is important here not to overdo it, so that it does not hurt too much, so that the client does not get burned.
When a client says that he feels a slight tingling, and the beauticiansees redness on the skin, this is the right parameter. The selection of parameters is individual not only for each person, but also for his different zones. On the shins, in the armpits, in the bikini zone - everywhere there is a different sensitivity of the skin, hair color, bulbs. Selection is often difficult. And it doesn't always work the first time.
Frequency of procedures
The number of hairs in the growth phase on different parts of the body is different. For example, on the head it is 85%, and on the lower leg - about 20%. Theoretically, it turns out that to get rid of all 100% of the hair on the lower leg, you need five procedures, but in life everything is not so perfect. Firstly, the doctor cannot hold the handpiece strictly perpendicular to the skin. Secondly, the color and thickness of the hair, even on the same part of the body, is different. Thirdly, the vessel is not always sealed.
During neodymium laser epilation, the radiation energy is lost in the vessels of the skin, so it is not enough to coagulate the vessels that feed the hair. Therefore, the number of procedures on a neodymium laser is greater than on other types of lasers.
The correct interval between the first and second treatment is 4-7 weeks. With each subsequent procedure, dormant follicles wake up much more slowly. For someone, the interval between the second and third procedure will be 6 weeks, for someone - 10, all individually. This should be monitored by the doctor and the patient.
Painful epilation
Unfortunately, it is still widely believed that painful hair removal is more effective. This judgment appeared in those years when there was no laser and photoepilation,there was only electrolysis. The fact is that with this type of hair removal, the temperature should destroy not only the bulb, but also the hair growth zone, the place where it originates. For this, the temperature should be 90-120 degrees Celsius. It reaches this limit only in 3-4 seconds, this is a feature of electric epilators. No wonder this procedure is very painful.
The bulb dies even at 80 degrees, but the growth zone does not. After 1-1, 5 months a new hair grows. If both of them die, then the efficiency already at the first procedure reaches 30%. The laser takes only 0.01 seconds to reach such a high operating temperature, unlike an electric epilator. Nerve endings with such a pulse duration simply do not perceive pain. It seems to the client that something pricked a little.
Which laser is better for hair removal, in terms of pain? The task of the cosmetologist is to choose the parameters so that the client has a slight tingling and slight hyperemia. It goes away in 3-5 minutes. To choose these parameters correctly, you need to take into account the color of the skin, the hair growth zone, because in different parts of the body the hair lies at different depths, has different thickness of the bulbs.
Ingrown hairs
Customers after laser hair removal often complain about ingrown hairs. What is the best hair removal laser to avoid this trouble?
The hair grows in the channel into which the sebaceous gland also enters. With inflammation, especially with acne, inflammation of the canal itself occurs. Insideconnective tissue grows in it, and it closes. During electrolysis, if the beautician incorrectly hit the needle and burned the channel, it scars, and the growth zone remains intact, and then the hair grows inward. This is not the case with laser hair removal. If there is already an ingrown hair, then only with the help of laser technology can destroy both the bulb and the hair growth zone.
Preparing the client for the procedure
Before epilation, it is not recommended to shave off the hair, you need to leave stumps 3 mm long. Why is it important? If you leave long hair, then part of the laser energy will be given to them. The hair can curl up, i.e., burn and even cause a burn on the skin. The laser energy will not reach the bulb, especially the hair growth zone. She just won't be enough. Therefore, it is recommended not to shave off the hair, but to cut it. Then the cosmetologist will see the areas in which there is hair, and those in which they are not. Areas without hair, he will not irradiate in vain.
Pay attention. When we shave off the hair, we partially destroy the epidermal layer, then the infection that is on the surface of the skin, and there are about 64 types of such infections, can cause inflammation of the hair follicles. If the client shaved her hair, then she needs to wait 3-4, or even 5 days before the appointment.
It is important for a cosmetologist to see the hair, not only so as not to irradiate the area in which they do not grow, but also in order to count the number of hairs per centimeter. This is necessary for the subsequent control of the effectiveness of epilation. When the client comes in a month, the beautician will compare the number of hairs per centimeter - so hechecks himself whether he has chosen the parameters correctly. Both the diode laser for hair removal and the alexandrite laser will not work if the procedure is performed on completely shaved hair.
How a beautician prepares a client for hair removal
The first step is make-up removal. This term means not only the removal of cosmetics from the face. In fact, the skin is constantly producing both sweat and oil, dust from the air settles on it. During the procedure, all this can enter through enlarged pores and cause inflammation. Therefore, before epilation, the skin is always wiped with antiseptics.
It is impossible to use a colored gel during exposure to the device, because any color absorbs radiation, and the procedure becomes ineffective. It is forbidden to apply the gel, for example, on the lower leg, epilate this area and transfer the used gel to the thigh. In this case, along with the gel, skin particles are also transferred to the new area, which reduces the effectiveness of epilation.
