Some women tend to be attracted to hairy men, but unfortunately for the bushier of the male species most women do not like their mates looking like gorillas. For women, the problem of body hair is much more pressing, as it is almost universally disdained in modern society. There are certainly men who do not mind having a hirsute mate, but they are more of the exception than the rule, and as such, women become self-conscious about bodily hair, engaging in a plethora of rituals to strip themselves of these unwanted follicles on a regular basis. The general consensus is that excess hair in varying degrees is not attractive. For ages, the shaggier among the population have employed a variety of ways to get rid of the unwanted natural coating. Shaving the face regularly comes naturally to men, but is not recommended for the whole body. Depilatory creams are painless but do not prevent hair from growing back and can be repeatedly tedious. Waxing is considerably uncomfortable, even painful. In all such cases, the skin eventually becomes damaged from constant irritation and abuse. With the advent of laser technology, a viable alternative solution has presented itself, as hair follicles can now be zapped away with little to no effort.

Laser hair removal began a series of experiments involving the possible cosmetic applications of laser technology. Since the 1970’s, this technique was used in tests until it became commercially available in 1997. Electrolysis used to be the popular procedure but the intense pain forced people seek a better alternative. Laser hair removal or Intense Pulse Light (IPL) epilating was found to be several times faster and less painful than electrolysis.

The IPL process involves the destruction of dark matter or chromophore in the target area. The laser targets the melanin in the hair follicle and heats it without harming the tissue around the area. Melanin remains the main chromophore for current laser hair removal technology. This is the process behind what is known is the selective photothermolysis principle, or in common language, destroying only targeted objects while leaving the surrounding intact. Since the system acts through the laser’s interaction with dark pigments, the primary drawback to this procedure is that the pulsed light will not target lighter colored hair. To this day, only the more uncomfortable electrolysis procedure permanently discards unwanted lighter colored hair.

Another concern with the technology at its inception was that, since the laser targets dark matter, it was harder to remove hair from people with darker skin. Current IPL technology, however, has considerably improved with the introduction of another laser wavelength. Lasers utilizing alexandrite are used today most effectively for lighter skin along with a pulsed diode array for skin of medium or darker tones. Experimentation continues with the development of new lasers that can treat all skin types with equal effectiveness.

The minimum number of treatments for laser hair removal is five to six sessions, spaced three to twelve weeks apart. One may go through as many as 12 or more treatments for higher volumes of hair and lighter hair colors. The spacing of treatments depends on each individual’s response to the procedure. A patient should wait until shedding of the treated hair before returning for more laser hair removal.

Experienced laser operators should be sought if one would like to undergo treatment, as they will know how to use the proper wavelength, energy level, spot size, and repetition rate to effectively and efficiently remove hair without harm to your body. In the hands of a skilled doctor, the patient should not suffer any side effects beyond mild discomfort, redness and pinpoint bleeding, which all disappear after a short period of time.