CosBeauty Magazine #86

FEATURE
Laser
The most permanent method of
de-fuzzing, laser hair removal lends
long-term results in achieving silky,
hair-free pins.
Today, a variety of lasers and lightbased
devices can be used to reduce hair
growth in unwanted areas. Although not
a permanent solution to hair removal,
after a treatment cycle only occasional
maintenance is needed.
The laser designed for hair removal
releases a wavelength of energy which
is absorbed by the pigment in the hair
follicles. By targeting the pigment,
the surrounding skin is not damaged
as the energy is absorbed by the hair
follicle only.
Prior to laser hair removal, it’s
important not to wax or pluck the
treatment area for at least six weeks.
This ensures hair is present, as without
it the laser will not achieve the desired
effect. The hair growth cycle plays an
important role in the success of laser
hair removal, and therefore multiple
treatments will be needed in order to
achieve long-term hair loss.
Hair follicles grow in a cycle, which is
commonly described in three stages. The
fi rst stage is referred to as anagen, or the
growth phase. Around 85 percent of all
hairs are in the growing stage at any one
time and, depending on the individual,
this may last for between two and three
weeks. Anagen is followed by catagen, or
the transitional phase, when the follicle
shrinks, and is partly destroyed. Finally,
the telogen phase describes a period of
rest, when the hair does not grow.
Laser has the greatest effect on growing
hairs. Because not all hairs are growing at
the same time – some are in transition,
and others are resting – it can take a
number of treatments to successfully
reduce the hair in any one area. Multiple
treatments are therefore typically spaced
several weeks apart to ensure the growth
phase of the hair is targeted. CBM
How to
prevent
ingrown
hairs
Ingrown hairs are hairs that have curled around
and grown back into your skin instead of rising
up from it. Sometimes, dead skin can clog up a
hair follicle, forcing the hair inside it to grow
sideways under the skin rather than upward and
outward.
For those pesky red bumps and other
irritations caused by shaving and waxing, daily
application of ingrown hair creams can prevent
them happening. Using an exfoliating scrub or
pumice stone on soapy skin should also help
reduce the occurrence of ingrown hairs.