We would all love the freedom to be hair free especially with the summer months coming up. Wouldn’t it be great not have to worry about shaving awkward or embarrassing areas? But did you ever wonder how we do it? If you’ve wondered how exactly laser hair removal works, then you are in the right place!

What machine is used for Laser Hair Removal?

The machine used at the Slievemore clinic is the Cynosure elite; it is an apogee elite laser- but what is an apogee laser? – basically it is a type of laser that allows us to choose between two different wavelengths for laser hair treatment- wavelengths determine how far into the skin the laser light penetrates. Apogee laser machines allow us to treat different skin types safely. Whether you have pale or dark skin, there is a setting we can use. The cynosure elite is the ‘gold standard’ for laser hair removal. Our staff has completed advanced training to use this laser. You are in safe hands here with us!

But how exactly does laser hair removal work?

We use a hand piece to operate the laser machine; we insert the laser and a cooling device into this hand piece. This hand piece helps us to direct the laser light onto the hair follicles. It works by sending a steady stream of laser light into the hair follicle, this laser light is attracted to the melanin (which is the pigment that in your hair), the laser heats up the hair and disables the hair follicle (where you find the root of the hair)

You are probably wondering why you need to have more than one treatment. This is because our hair grows in a cycle; your hairs are at different stages of the cycle at each session. About 80% of your hair is in the right stage of the growth cycle to be targeted by the laser, and this hair follicle is then disabled. You will need further treatments to ensure that we target the hairs that are in the other stages of the hair growth cycle as they grow out. This typically takes about 6-8 treatments to treat these hairs. You will need to have your treatments about a month apart, so that you can ensure that the hair has grown enough to have a hair in the follicle for the laser to target.

At the end of your treatment the hair will not grow back for up to 9 months and for the lucky few it may not grow back at all! Although with laser hair removal if and when the hair does return it will be finer and more manageable than before. If this happens you will only require a top up treatment.

Will it work on everyone?

Unfortunately there are still some types of hair that we cannot treat. If your hair is fair or blonde this means that there isn’t a lot of melanin in it, melanin is what attracts the laser to the hair. If this is absent then there is nothing for the laser to attract to, and therefore it will not be able to remove the hair. There is currently no effective way to treat these types of hair with laser, and we recommend that you wax or shave these areas.