5 Types of Lasers Used for hair removal

There are a number of different machines which fall under the broad category of Laser Hair Removal.

1- Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)
Machines: EpiLight, PhotoDerm, Quantum, Aculight, or Vasculight.

The capabilities of each of these machines vary. EpiLight is the most specific and advanced for hair removal. PhotoDerm is the original machine developed for successfully treating facial Rosacea, facial blood vessels, leg veins, and other blood vessels. EpiLight is a specialized improvement of PhotoDerm developed to specifically treat unwanted hair. Ultimate Light™ pulsed light can safely and effectively treat ALL skin types ranging from white to black. In general though IPL devices will have a more painful experience because there is a broad spectrum of light energy delivered to the skin.


2 - The Diode Laser (800nm or 810 nm wavelength)

In my opinion, the Diode laser is the next most useful hair removal light source.

The Diode laser systems include: SLP 1000, F1 Diode, Light Sheer, MeDioStar, LaserLite, Epistar and Apex 800.

The Diode laser's longer wavelength of light thereby penetrates into the hair follicle without causing as much epidermal injury as the Ruby or the. This Diode laser can be used on darker skin colors than the Ruby or Alexandrite.


3 - Nd: Yag (1064 nm wavelength)

The Nd: Yag laser systems include: Gentle Yag, CoolGlide, Medlite IV, Varia, Athos, Lyra, and Image. This is the first of the true lasers.

The Nd: Yag is capable of treating all six skin colors. It can be more painful on lighter skins, but is more effective on darker skins.


4 - Ruby (694 nm wavelength)

The Ruby laser systems include: RubyStar and Palomar E2000.
Learn More About Ruby. Ruby lasers were some of the original lasers for hair removal but the Alexandrite and ND:Yag are far superior.

5 -Alexandrite (755nm wavelength)

The Alexandrite laser systems include: GentleLASE, Apogee, and EpiTouch Plus.

Alexandrite lasers are very effective for fair to mid skin tones, though some manufactures say they will work for very dark skin the ND:Yag is prefered there. For the lighter skin tones with dark hair this is often your best choice and the Candela GentleLASE, which we use, is considered the best hair removal laser available. It is very effective and its patented colling technology makes for the most comfortable experience.

What is a Glycolic Acid Peel?

As far as chemical peels go, glycolic acid peels are among the mildest and most popular. That's largely because glycolic acid is considered to be natural. It comes from sugar cane and belongs to a family of acids called alpha-hydroxy acids or fruit acids [source: Pollick]. Think of it this way: If the fruit acids formed a football team, glycolic acid would be their star quarterback. It is by far the most popular and well-known acid of the bunch.

Glycolic acid has many uses. In fact, it's used in high concentrations to remove rust from metal, and anything with a glycolic acid concentration of more than 10 percent is considered a hazardous material [source: Pollick]. Keeping that in mind, most glycolic acid peels have a concentration of 50 percent or higher [source: Hilinski]. That means you're actually using a hazardous material on your skin, but considering what you're trying to accomplish, that makes sense.

During a glycolic acid peel, the solution is applied using a sponge and left on the skin for a predetermined amount of time based on concentration. It penetrates the skin and breaks the bonds that hold each layer together. Once the desired number of layers have been separated and removed, the acid can be washed off with water. Immediately after a treatment, the skin will look red and continue to peel for several days. The entire process from treatment to recovery can take a week or more [source: Hilinski].

Glycolic acid peels are mild when compared with some of their more hazardous counterparts, and as a result the outcome might not be as noticeable as you'd like. It's typical that multiple peels will be necessary to achieve the desired result. The upside is that there are very few complications associated with glycolic acid peels.

Bella Pella Laser is now offering peels. Please contact us for more information.