You may be surprised to learn that almost your entire body is covered with hair. Because most of this hair is fine and pale, it usually is not visible to the naked eye. In fact, the largest number of hair follicles are located on the forehead. As we age, dark, coarse hair begins to appear in unwanted areas. We commonly hear complaints of excessive hair growth on the chest, back, arms, bikini line, nipples, face and various other places. If it is starting to affect your life and you are not taking your shirt off at the beach or wearing your favorite bikini, than it is time to consider permanent hair reduction. Many women complain that they need to shave or pluck their chin, cheeks, jawline, and neck daily. Plucking can leave dark marks and scars leading to further embarrassment. Laser hair removal is your best option to eradicate those unwanted hairs and prevent further scarring.

Laser technology is specifically designed to remove unwanted hair faster, less painfully, and more reliably than electrolysis. The Sciton laser targets the pigment located in the hair follicle. The light from the Sciton laser is absorbed by the pigment in the hair follicle and this energy is converted to heat which results in thermal damage to the hair follicle. This thermal damage causes permanent destruction of the hair follicles. Simply stated, the darker pigmentation of the hair follicle absorbs more energy than the pigment in the surrounding skin. Therefore the laser raises the temperature of the hair follicle safely without damage to the surrounding skin. Unlike electrolysis, which kills one hair follicle at a time, the Sciton laser reaches and treats multiple follicles at a time.

A laser produces a beam of highly concentrated light. Only certain types of lasers produce the kind of energy that will permanently disable the hair follicle. The laser is attracted to the pigment in the hair follicle. The laser pulses for a fraction of a second, just long enough to vaporize the pigment, disabling several hair follicles at the time to permanently eliminate or significantly impede the hair’s growth. Importantly, our lasers utilize a cooling system to minimize discomfort. Additionally, this directs the laser energy to the hair root while protecting and cooling surrounding skin.

Laser hair removal is safe. The Sciton laser beam has been carefully designed for selective destruction of hair follicles with a very low risk of damage to the surrounding skin. For example, a unique component of the Sciton laser system, a laser system that has been used in our office is the actively cooled hand piece, designed to protect the skin by actively cooling it before, during and after each laser light is transmitted.