Laser Hair Removal For Black Women and Other Skin Types 

If you're looking for a more effective and permanent hair removal method because you are tired of shaving your legs and dislike the bristly feel and unsightly look of your shaved underarms, laser hair removal is what you want.

Lasers have revolutionised the field of aesthetic surgery, treating many things from pigmentation to deep wrinkles to disfiguring birth marks and leg veins. Now, specially engineered lasers are combating unwanted hair - and doing it much faster, more reliably and more comfortably than other standard methods like electrolysis and electrothermolysis.

Here is how it works

The laser technology uses light beams or pulses that target the pigment located in hair follicles. The laser pulses for only a fraction of a second, just long enough to vaporise the pigment, thus destroying or significantly impairing the hair's ability to regrow. The surrounding skin is not affected. No anaesthesia is required for the procedure, as the pain is slight - more like a pinch or the sting of a rubber band. For those who can't even stand slight pain, numbing creams would be used.

There are quite a few different types of laser technology currently in use, but generally treatment is customised according to the patient's hair colour and texture. A word of advice: when you opt for a laser hair removal method, don't select the salon based on price alone. You also need to pick an expert with many years' experience in laser treatment to prevent potential problems such as skin burns.

As a matter of fact, lasers are not for everyone. Consumers contemplating laser hair removal should read through the following to properly evaluate if they are a suitable candidate. Answers to pertinent questions are also provided.

Am I a candidate for laser hair removal?

First, can you afford it? The costs for laser hair removal, although much less expensive than electrolysis, requires multiple treatments, and the total can be quite prohibitive (read the article " Laser hair removal prices " for an estimate) for some anatomic areas. The absolute requirement though is that one's hair must be darker than the surrounding skin.

Influence of skin colour on treatment cost

The more treatments you require, the more it will cost. Dark-skinned individuals would require more treatments, thus incurring a higher cost. Treatment costs also vary with the size of the area treated and costs is dependent on the number of pulse of light used. Each pulse treats an area about the width of 1.2cm. The lighter the skin, the less treatment required, and better and faster results are obtained. People with darker skin require more sessions and great expertise on the part of the cosmetic surgeon.

Influence of hair colour on laser hair removal

Dark hair absorbs more laser energy and is easier to treat. Coarse dark hair on light skin responds best to laser treatment. Light hair is more difficult to treat. Blond or red hair is very difficult to treat: multiple treatment sessions are required, and results are variable.

Laser hair removal requires multiple treatments 

Although one laser session can produce long-term hair removal, as a rule multiple treatment sessions are necessary to obtain optimal results. This is because laser hair removal is most effective for hair which is in the anagen (or growth) phase. Since hair grows in cycles, not all of the hairs are in anagen at any given time. Additional sessions are necessary to catch all of the hairs when they are in anagen. So the number of sessions will vary for each individual, but usually sessions are scheduled between four to six weeks apart. The average number of sessions to achieve over 80 percent permanent hair removal in 80-90 percent of patients is about 3 to 8 sessions. In between these monthly sessions some of the hair will regrow as hairs cycle (as mentioned earlier). Multiple sessions ensures that all the hairs are subjected to the treatment. These hairs may be shaved by the patient between sessions if desired. The number of sessions also depend on various parameters, including the area of the body treated, skin color, coarseness of hair, and gender.

What areas can be treated?

Any area, except adjacent to the eye, where there is excess hair. The most common areas requested are: hair removal on bikini area (refer to as bikini line), chest hair removal in men, upper lip facial hair removal, underarm laser hair removal, the face, neck, periareolar, back, abdomen, and legs.

Are results guaranteed in laser hair removal?

Generally, established cosmetic surgeons will not guarantee results. But some surgeons in the United States do promise free treatments if there is no permanent hair loss after 10 treatments.

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