In response to the ever-increasing demand to remove unwanted hair on virtually any area of the body, the ability to offer superior results to the widest variety of patients is critical. At Med Cure, we use the LightSheer Diode Laser System, the recognized “gold standard” for hair removal, which offers high powers and both short and very long pulses to safely and effectively treat all skin types, including tanned skin and the broadest range of hair colors, diameters and depths. The LightSheer system treats the full face, neck, chest or hands, rather than addressing a single isolated area or imperfection. With a series of treatments, we can help you restore a more youthful appearance without downtime or a prolonged recovery.
The LightSheer Diode Laser System emits near-infrared laser light that is absorbed by the pigment located in the hair follicle. The laser is pulsed, or turned on, for only a fraction of a second. The duration of each pulse is just long enough to damage the follicle, while the system’s unique, patented contact-cooling hand piece, the ChillTip, helps protect the skin by conductive cooling during the laser energy delivery. Once damaged, the follicle’s ability to re-grow is eliminated.
The length of a laser treatment may last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or more, depending on the size of the area being treated. Since the system uses a unique cooling hand piece, it minimizes skin irritation that other hair removal methods may create. Since it is non-invasive (no needles to penetrate the skin), the risk of introducing bacteria into the skin is reduced. Because the system is fast, it allows for larger areas to be treated, considerably increasing the efficiency of the hair removal process, which allows more patients to be treated during a typical day. Finally, the LightSheer Diode Laser is a precise instrument that can be adjusted to damage only the hair follicle while minimally affecting the surrounding skin.
Q. What has changed about hair removal procedures over the past decade?
A.Not too long ago, shaving, plucking, waxing and electrolysis were the only methods of removing unwanted hair. Since the mid-1990s, however, laser hair removal has become the preferred method of hair removal.
Q. Is there more than one type of laser hair removal system available?
A. Yes. There are several laser hair removal systems on the market today, but they all work by using the principle of selective photothermolysis, in which a carefully timed pulse of laser energy passes through the skin and is absorbed and converted to heat energy at the hair follicle. Because longer wavelength laser light penetrates deepest, the most common lasers used are the Ruby, Alexandrite, Diode and YAG lasers.
Q. Is it easier to remove hair on certain colors of skin?
A. Yes. Laser hair removal works best in lighter skinned, darker haired patients. Because the target chromophore in hair follicles is melanin pigment, less laser energy is absorbed in the skin and more by the hair follicle. Tanned skin “robs” laser energy as it passes through the skin to the hair follicle. That said, however, the YAG and Diode lasers are less dependent on skin color than the Ruby and Alexandrite lasers.
Q. What type of laser hair removal system do you use at Med-Cure?
A. At Med Cure, we use the LightSheer Diode Laser System, the recognized “gold standard” for hair removal, which offers high powers and both short and very long pulses to safely and effectively treat all skin types, including tanned skin and the broadest range of hair colors, diameters and depths. The LightSheer system treats the full face, neck, chest or hands, rather than addressing a single isolated area or imperfection. With a series of treatments, we can help you restore a more youthful appearance without downtime or a prolonged recovery.
Q. How does the LightSheer System work?
A. The LightSheer Diode Laser System emits near-infrared laser light that is absorbed by the pigment located in the hair follicle. The laser is pulsed, or turned on, for only a fraction of a second. The duration of each pulse is just long enough to damage the follicle, while the system’s unique, patented contact-cooling handpiece, the ChillTip, helps protect the skin by conductive cooling during the laser energy delivery. Once damaged, the follicle’s ability to re-grow is eliminated.
Q. How long does the treatment take to perform?
A. The length of a laser treatment may last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or more, depending on the size of the area being treated. Since the system uses a unique cooling handpiece, it minimizes skin irritation that other hair removal methods may create. Since it is non-invasive (no needles to penetrate the skin), the risk of introducing bacteria into the skin is reduced. Because the system is fast, it allows for larger areas to be treated, considerably increasing the efficiency of the hair removal process, which allows more patients to be treated during a typical day. Finally, the LightSheer Diode Laser is a precise instrument that can be adjusted to damage only the hair follicle while minimally affecting the surrounding skin.
Q. Can gray or white hair be removed by lasers?
A. No, unfortunately it cannot. Because the pigment in the hair is the target for the laser energy, gray or white hair, which lacks pigment, cannot be effectively treated with any laser or light-based device.
Do you have questions?