Laser hair removal: what is it and how does it work?

With laser hair removal you have permanently smooth underarms or legs or a hairless bikini line. Almost every body part can be lasered, so you no longer need to shave, epilate or wax. Laser hair removal is suitable for excessive hair and unwanted hair growth in both men and women. There are different types of lasers that are effective for light or dark hair and skin types. But how is it possible that you can remove the hair on your body with a laser? And doesn't that hurt?

What is laser hair removal?

Laser hair removal is a permanent hair removal method. This method focuses on destroying the hair follicles, so that no hair can grow in the treated area. After the treatment, no more hairs grow, but often after a few years a 'refresher treatment' is necessary to maintain the result. The restorative capacity of the skin ensures that over time some hair follicles start to grow again. This will also cause light hair growth.

A laser is used to remove unwanted body hair. The beautician puts the laser on the skin and then shoots a laser beam at the skin. The melanin (pigment) in the roots of your body hair absorbs the heat from the laser. The hair follicle cannot withstand this heat and is destroyed. The beautician treats the entire area with the laser in this way, so that no more hair can grow in the area.

Because the laser hair removal heats up the skin and hair, the treatment can be sensitive or painful. Most modern laser hair removal systems therefore work with a cooling system. This cools the skin during the laser hair removal, so that you do not experience pain.

Laser hair removal is best for dark hair because it contains a lot of melanin. The lighter the hair, the less effect the treatment had in the past. Blonde, reddish and gray hairs could not even be removed at all, because they do not contain any pigment. However, with the arrival of Alexandrite and Diode lasers, it is also possible to remove these light and fine hairs.

There are of course not only advantages, there are also disadvantages of the laser treatment:

There are different types of lasers that can be used to remove body hair: the Nd: YAG laser, the Alexandrite laser and the Diode laser. Some laser devices combine different techniques to achieve the best result. An IPL device is not officially a laser, but it uses the same principle to remove hair.

Nd: YAG stands for neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet. The laser produces a laser beam with a wavelength of 1,064 nm. The longer wavelength makes this type of laser more suitable for tinted and dark skin.

The short wavelength of the Alexandrite laser makes this device especially suitable for light skin. With 755 nm, this laser removes not only dark, but also lighter hairs that contain less pigment.

The Diode laser has a wavelength between the Nd: YAG laser and the Alexandrite laser: 810 nm. This makes the laser suitable for all hair and skin types, from light to dark.

IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light. This type of treatment does not work with a laser, but it uses a similar technique to stop hair growth. The IPL treatment method has been around since the 1990s. Intensive flashes of light heat the hair and destroy the hair follicle.

You can laser away almost all unwanted hair growth. Only for the thin skin around the eyes it is not recommended to use laser hair removal. This could damage sensitive skin. Women in particular have their body permanently depilated, popular areas are the bikini line, the face and the armpits. However, men can also have their excess hair lasered. Extreme hair on the back, chest and stomach is often experienced as a nuisance and therefore these are popular areas for hair removal.

The treatment takes several months, because the hairs can only be destroyed when they are in the growth phase. In the growth phase, the hair contains melanin. In the transition phase and resting phase, hair contains less melanin, so that the treatment can affect them less well. The hairs are never all in the growth phase at the same time, which means that multiple treatments are required to treat all hairs. In general, laser clinics recommend that you undergo a minimum of five treatments to achieve the desired result.

The price you pay for lasering differs per clinic. That is why it is wise to compare the costs of various clinics before you start treatment. Keep in mind that clinics often quote a price per treatment, but you need several treatments to achieve the desired result.

If you, as a woman, want to have your face hair removed, because you suffer from excess hair on your cheeks, chin or upper lip, you are eligible for reimbursement from your health insurer. Ask the laser hair removal clinic for a referral. Other laser treatments are generally not covered by your health insurance. Note: you need additional health insurance to be reimbursed for the laser hair removal.

Do not expose the area to be treated to sunlight from six to eight weeks before the treatment. This can have a negative effect on the result. Applying self-tanner is also not recommended. Do not use deodorant or skin cream on the day of treatment.

You should not lie in the sun until eight weeks after the treatment. Avoid sunlight or apply a sunscreen with a factor of 50 to prevent pigmentation spots from the laser hair removal.