The new Age Laser Hair Removal Treatment
The level of discomfort varies from individual to individual, and the different areas being treated
Laser hair removal is fast catching up as an essential tool in our daily practice. The increase in the incidence of hirsutism (unwanted male-patterned hair growth in women on face, chest, and back) and growing awareness amongst patients can explain the popularity of this procedure. Regardless of the area which the patient wants to get treated, laser hair removal is always a solution.
The procedure is simple yet effective. During laser hair removal treatment, a laser emits light that is absorbed by the pigment (melanin) in the hair. The light energy produces heat, which damages the hair follicles that produce hairs. This damage prevents or delays future hair growth.
When it comes to full body hair removal, pain and time involved are the prime concerns of the consumer. Though most of the laser machines claim to offer “painless treatment, it is not completely addressed. The problems of pain and discomfort can be divided into two different phases
a) immediate acute pain and
b) the long-term treatment, milder, post-treatment discomfort also associated with erythema.
The level of discomfort varies from individual to individual, and the different areas being treated. Some people feel no pain, some feel a heat sensation, and some describe the sensation as a flicking of a rubber band.
Generally, the coarser or thicker the hair, the greater the sensation. There is usually some form of skin response post-treatment, generally a mild redness.
The immediate acute pain is felt during each treatment pulse and sometimes accumulate to an intolerable sensation after a few shots, resulting in slowing down of the process and/or application of less efficient low-energy densities. The immediate pain is created by the stimulation of sensory nerves located near the basal layer of the epidermis and adjacent to the treated hair follicles. Hence a caveat in Laser Hair removal would be a technology which would significantly reduce acute pain and post-treatment erythema, without the necessity of lowering the energy density or speed of treatments.
Pneumatic skin flattening (PSF) is a new technology which activates tactile and pressure skin receptors to block the transmission of pain to the brain during laser-based aesthetic treatments (gate theory of pain control). Vacuum suction stretches the skin and brings the hair follicle closer to the surface with the intent to damage the hair follicle at a lower surface fluency. Light sheer HS handpiece with a 35 × 22-mm treatment window that uses vacuum technology and has a sapphire tip that has been designed for the diode laser system.
Studies show that the mean immediate treatment response, the mean pain severity, and the mean total treatment time are all lower for the vacuum-assisted handpiece. The treatment is no longer faster but much more comfortable than using a small handpiece. There is no use of gel which further adds to the patient’ comfort. In my experience, the Lightsheer HS handpiece enables more results in a lesser number of sessions and allows us to redefine LHR as traditional 6 to 8 sessions to a lesser number. The HS handpiece allows me to perform full body hair removal in less than half time and with greater efficacy.
I give full marks to the Lightsheer HS handpiece due to its safety, efficacy, and durability and consider it as a useful armamentarium in Laser hair reduction.
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