Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal exploits selective photothermolysis — the absorption of laser light by the melanin pigment in the hair shaft and follicle. As the laser pulse fires, the melanin converts the light to heat, which diffuses to the walls of the follicle and the stem cells in the bulge region that would otherwise regenerate the hair. With sufficient energy the follicle is thermally damaged beyond its ability to produce a new hair in that growth cycle.…

At Klinika preventivní dermatologie a diode-wavelength laser provides the penetration depth to reach the dermal papilla while a contact-cooling system protects the overlying epidermis during each pulse. Before starting a course the physician assesses skin phototype (Fitzpatrick I–VI), hair colour and coarseness, and the area to be treated, then selects parameters accordingly. A test patch is performed on the body zone in the first session and reviewed at…

Hair grows in three phases — anagen (active), catagen (transition) and telogen (resting) — and the laser is most effective on follicles in the anagen phase, during which the hair shaft is still connected to the papilla. Only a fraction of any area's follicles are in anagen at any given time, which is why multiple sessions are needed: typically five to eight sessions for most body areas, spaced four to six weeks apart on the face and six to ten weeks on…