NuSkinnovation’s laser hair removal Pretoria branches have seen rapid growth in recent years. In the past, the negative stigma around laser hair removal treatments prevented many from enjoying the benefits of this safe process. The new growth in this market can be partially attributed to customers better educating themselves about the treatments, options and procedures that form part of laser hair removal.
At NuSkinnovation, we champion education as one of our greatest marketing tools. In this way, we not only make our customers feel at ease when joining a session but also show off the many benefits our laser hair removal Pretoria branches are famous for, which you may not get with traditional treatment methods. Furthermore, by learning about the science behind our services, you can better understand the significant technological innovations in this field, leading to a safer and painless experience.
This article will explore some basic science behind laser hair removal treatment. From investigating the process which allows for laser hair treatments to be effective to how it impacts the body and even the different types of lasers used, this article will help provide you with crucial information regarding the treatment process in the hope that it might encourage you to give it a go and experience the benefits too.
Targeting Hair Follicles Using Photothermolysis
Before investigating how the treatment works, it is essential to understand the scientific principle that allows laser hair treatment to be so effective. Some traditional methods like waxing and shaving have been shown to be both ineffective and sometimes even painful. (Ineffective because the hair grows back – in some situations, even thicker than before. And painful because methods like waxing require the hair to be ripped from its roots.)
The goal of our laser hair removal Pretoria branches is to circumnavigate these issues, providing customers with a more permanent hair removal solution that is not as painful and far more effective.
The trick to laser hair removal is through the process of photothermolysis. Let us investigate what this process entails and how it interacts with the body to allow for a more technologically advanced and permanent solution to hair removal.
What Is Photothermolysis
In layman’s terms, photothermolysis is simply the destruction of tissue through a combination of light and heat sources. Although it has found prominent use in laser hair removal and other cosmetic procedures, it has also been known to have been used for various medical applications.
But as we discuss the science behind this process, it is not enough to understand only the definition. Instead, let us investigate how the process of photothermolysis works step by step, providing us with a more educated stance on how laser hair removal actually works:
Targeted Light Waves: The key to the whole process is how light moves. As you may or may not know, light moves as waves, and the wavelength can be changed by altering the frequency of light. When you combine this with the biological fact that the different types of human tissue absorb light at different wavelengths, you can begin to understand how one may be able to target specific tissues with specific light waves set to the correct frequency.
Converting Light To Heat: The tissue absorbs the light as you target specific tissue with the correct light wavelengths. When the tissues absorb enough light, the temperature in that area will begin to rise. Understanding to what level you can raise the temperature can lead to a positive thermal reaction. However, one must carefully control the heat because excessive heat can lead to widespread tissue damage.
Cellular Destruction Caused By Heat: The positive thermal reaction mentioned above is controlled cellular destruction. This cellular destruction can be caused through either coagulation or vaporisation, which can cause the tissue to disappear completely. Therefore by heating specific tissue through controlled light wavelengths, you can target particular areas to destroy the cells in that area.
Hair Removal And Photothermolysis
Now that we better understand how the process of photothermolysis works, we can begin to piece together how it could be used for cosmetic treatments like laser hair removal. You can stop hair growth outright by destroying the tissue responsible for hair growth without damaging or harming the surrounding tissue.
The laser hair removal Pretoria branches of NuSkinnovation use the process of photothermolysis both effectively and safely.
The Role Of Melanin
As we understand photothermolysis better, we must focus on how it interacts with the body. Above, we mentioned that you can target specific tissues related to hair growth to halt the process. But as we better educate ourselves on the whole laser hair removal process, we should investigate what tissue in the body is actually being targeted by photothermolysis.
Our laser hair removal Pretoria branches focus on targeting melanin, utilising lasers to cause that thermal reaction. But what is melanin?
What Is Melanin
Melanin refers to a broad group of natural pigments found in most living organisms. The pigment melanin is formed in cells called melanocytes and has a variety of functions within the body. For humans, the primary tasks of melanin pigments are found in skin and hair.
Skin: Melanin is an essential factor in the proper functioning of your skin. This is because melanin pigment is the primary factor in determining skin colour. The higher the level of melanin in your body, the darker your skin colour will be. As you will see later in this article, skin colour is essential when it comes to laser treatment because skin colour can impact the effectiveness of treatments.
Hair: As with skin, the melanin pigment also plays a vital role in determining the colour of your hair. During your hair’s growth phase, melanin is transported to the hair follicle, which will colour the hair as it grows.
Melanin And Laser Treatment
For our purposes, the role of melanin in hair is essential. Now that we better understand both the process of photothermolysis and melanin, we can discuss the interaction between these two factors, which allows laser hair removal Pretoria branches use to be so effective.
As mentioned above, melanin is transferred to the hair follicle during its growth phase (later in this article, we will discuss these growth phases in greater detail). With photothermolysis, the goal is to target specific tissue utilising light wavelengths.
Technicians have been able to attune the light wavelengths in lasers to interact with melanin specifically. Because melanin can be found in the hair roots or hair follicles all around the body, targeting the melanin can effectively stop hair growth in any part of the body using the thermal reactions discussed above without harming the surrounding tissue.
A Variety Of Light Sources
Above, we discussed the science behind how laser hair removal works. But simply understanding the science is not enough. We also want to cover how we, at NuSkinnovation, apply that science practically. To do that, we must look at the light sources used, which are our beauty technicians’ primary tools for effectively applying photothermolysis.
Light Source Options
At NuSkinnovation, we use one of two light sources when conducting our hair laser removal treatments. These include a laser or an IPL, which stands for intense pulsing light. Our light sources are designed specifically to work on the skin and are incredibly safe. But how do they differ?
Laser: The laser mentioned several times in this article already is only a singular wavelength of light. This makes the laser much more focused and therefore is used in situations requiring direct and intricate work.
IPL: The intense pulsing light, on the other hand, is not only a singular light wavelength but instead contains a broad spectrum of light options. This makes IPL more versatile by filtering the light option you need; you can target melanin and other tissues too.
Tailoring Options For Hair And Skin Types
When discussing melanin, we mentioned that its role in determining skin colour is critical in laser hair removal. In the past, it was even believed that laser treatments did not work on those with skin tones that were either too light or too dark. However, as we have made technological innovations, we better understand that different skin tones require a tailored light source to be effective.
When conducting laser hair removal, Pretoria branch technicians have the experience to work with every skin tone. How do they do this? Well, there are a few factors they consider, which include:
Adjusting the wavelength of the light source. For darker skin tones, longer wavelengths have proved to be more effective. While the opposite is true for those with lighter pigmentations.
If necessary, our technicians may even change the laser used, switching to an alexandrite for lighter skin tones or an Nd: YAG laser for those with darker skin tones.
If our technicians use an IPL device, they will also seek to change the pulse duration. A longer pulse duration is required for darker skin tones, whereas those with lighter skin tones will need a quicker pulse.
Timing Treatment With Hair Growth
With laser hair removal, Pretoria branches know that it is essential to time your session with your hair growth cycles for treatments to be especially effective. When it comes to hair growth, there are three primary phases. These include:
Anagen: This is the growth cycle when the melanin is transferred to the hair follicles.
Catagen: Also known as the transition period. It is a transition period because the hair follicles begin to shrink during it, and hair growth begins to slow down.
Telogen: The rest period. As the name suggests, hair growth has wholly stopped within this period. It is also during this period that some hair may even fall out. It is estimated that losing around a hundred inches a day is normal.
When going for laser hair removal, Pretoria technicians will try to perform the treatment during the anagen or growth phase. From both experience and scientific experimentation, conducting it during this period allows for the most effective results.
After Care
NuSkinnovation is proud to state that our services are safe and relatively painless. However, we also go the further step because we are working with light and heat, which sometimes causes skin redness and, in rare cases, some skin irritation. We perform an aftercare routine utilising cooling to combat this before it affects you.
The cooling can be done either before, during or after the laser treatment, depending on the method of cooling used. But it has several essential functions, and we at NuSkinnovation always utilise a cooling system. These functions include:
- Cooling helps reduce redness and any discomfort you may feel.
- Cooling systems can help protect the skin from any thermo-damage, which may lead to inflammation if not treated correctly.
- Cooling can even make the laser treatment more effective before the treatment begins. This is because it improves the contrast between light and dark hairs, which makes it easier for the light source to target the correct hair follicles.
NuSkinnovation: Your Trusted Laser Hair Removal Service
In this article, we attempted to better educate our readers on the science behind laser hair removal. If you have read through everything, it may all sound very complicated. Although hopefully, this article has also shown you that the process is safe and effective. However secure the process may be, allowing professionals to do it will help you keep safe and ensure the process happens effectively.
We, at NuSkinnovation, pride ourselves on being a leader in this field in South Africa, with branches nationwide. So if you are more interested in trying out laser treatment or even just learning more about the process, don’t hesitate to contact our helpful sales staff at NuSkinnovation, and see how we can help you today!