Unwanted hair is such a pain. You pluck, pull, wax, tweeze, or use napalm-like creams to remove your unwanted hair, and then in a few weeks it’s back, and you start all over again. Wouldn’t it be nice to get rid of the hair permanently?
Laser hair removal at Elite can do just that. And autumn in Michigan is the perfect time to start, as your legs, bikini line, and other areas with unwanted hair can be ready to go when next summer’s lake and beach season comes back around.
A popular thing to do
Getting rid of unwanted hair is a popular thing to do. Year in and year out laser hair removal ranks behind only dermal filler/Botox injections and chemical peels for the number of non-surgical procedures. In 2019, 1,055,456 people had laser hair removal done in the U.S.
How it works
The key to removing hair with laser energy is melanin. Melanin is the substance in our skin and hair that gives it color. Laser hair removal works very well on darker hair, as it contains more melanin. When laser light energy is applied over the targeted hairs, the wavelength is set to match the color of the hair. The hair shaft absorbs the light energy and the energy converts to heat. That heat energy now travels down the shaft into the hair follicle, damaging or destroying the follicle and preventing future hair growth.
Because the laser needs to target the melanin, laser hair removal isn’t as effective on blond or grey hair — those hairs have less melanin.
Timing is key
To be effective, the laser needs to catch the hair in the correct phase of the growth cycle. There are three phases: anagen (active growth), telogen (transition), and catagen (hair ejection and rest). Humans average something around five million hairs on their bodies, and each follicle can be in a different phase of the hair growth cycle. Laser hair removal works on hairs in the anagen cycle; that is when the hair has the most melanin and it is still firmly anchored in the follicle.
That’s why multiple treatments are required for effective hair reduction, as around 20 percent of the hair in a given area will be in the anagen phase. We recommend from 4-6 sessions to effectively treat an area. This should eliminate around 80 percent of the actively growing hairs.
If you want to be rid of that unwanted hair and the hassles of removing it permanently, all in time to hit Lake Michigan next summer, call the team at Elite Plastic Surgery today, (616) 459-1907, and let’s get started.
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