Laser hair removal

Laser hair rem­oval is a method for the long-term reduc­tion of unwan­ted body and facial hair. The laser light is absor­bed by the pig­ment mela­nin in the hair, con­ver­ted into heat and ther­eby dama­ges the hair root.

Appli­ca­ti­on

Com­mon­ly trea­ted are­as include the under­arms, legs, biki­ni line, upper lip, back and chest. The main devices used are the diode laser, the alex­an­dri­te laser and, for dar­ker skin, the Nd:YAG laser. Sin­ce only hairs in the acti­ve growth pha­se are affec­ted, six to eight ses­si­ons a few weeks apart are usual­ly needed.

Good to know

The method works best on dark hair on light skin; blon­de, red or grey hair responds poor­ly. The Fitz­pa­trick skin type deter­mi­nes the choice of device and set­tings. The skin should not be tan­ned befo­re or after tre­at­ment. Mild red­ness is nor­mal; com­ple­te, per­ma­nent hair rem­oval can­not be gua­ran­teed, and touch-up ses­si­ons are often useful.

Matching tre­at­ment at Swiss Der­ma Cli­nic: Hair rem­oval by laser (laser epilation)