Laser Hair Removal

This is the most popular laser procedure performed in the United States. Some people want just a
small area such as the upper lip or chin treated while others want hair removal over the entire body.
The laser is only able to treat hair that is actively growing. Hair is usually in one of three stages:
Anagen (growing phase), Catagen (intermediate phase), and Telogen (resting phase). In the anagen
phase the hair bulb is intact and near the surface of the skin. Therefore, it is more susceptible to laser
treatment. This time can last from months to years. During the Catagen phase the body absorbs the
lower third of the hair follicle. This phase is much shorter measured in weeks. In the Teleogen phase the
hair bulb is no longer present and the remaining hair will either fall out or be pushed out by a new hair. The
time interval for this phase is usually weeks to months. Because of these stages and the impossibility of
knowing which hairs are actively growing, treatment is usually performed at 4-6 week intervals for 6-12
sessions. The results can be anywhere from 70%-90% successful. Each person responds differently.
Any hair remaining after a course of treatment is usually finer in texture. Hair that is red, blond, white and
gray will not respond because there is not enough melanin for the laser to target. Once a growing hair is
treated with the laser, it is killed and will slough off in about three weeks. It will never grow again. As the
person matures, hairs that were dormant may start growing. These can again be removed with laser treatment.

Spider Veins on Face and Legs

The Nd:YAG 1064nm wavelength is able to target the oxyhemoglobin in the blood vessels. It coagulates the blood and then the blood is absorbed. The remaining blood supply then is diverted to the deeper blood vessels where it should be. Treated blood vessels may take up to two months to disappear depending upon the size of he blood vessel. Many respond within two weeks. Usually one to two treatments are all that is necessary.

Brown Age Spots

The laser is able to target individual brown spots which occur on the face and other parts of the body because of the melanin present. These spots are from sun exposure and usually become evident during middle age; however, people who spend a lot of time outdoors and sun bathing may see them form earlier.

Skin Rejuvenation

Skin rejuvenation is a two step procedure. The Nd:YAG 1064nm wavelength is used to treat the facial skin to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. It also helps to tighten pores and improve the texture of the skin. The skin is first treated with individual pulses and then a feathering technique is used with 8,000 to 12,000 pulses which takes about 45 minutes.

Info on Laser

We use the Cynosure Apogee Elite. It has the Alexandrite 755 nanometer wave length and the Nd:YAG 1064 nanometer wave length. While these lasers are used primarily for hair removal and treatment of facial and leg telangiectasia, they can also be used to treat pigmented lesions and sun damaged skin. The Alexandrite 755nm allows a lighter color of brown hair to be targeted than is available with the Nd:YAG 1064nm. The purpose of laser treatment is to direct light energy at a specific wave length with various power settings to treat a specific chromophore. The chomophores treated are water, melanin, and oxyhemoglobin (blood). The goal is to treat the hair, telangiectasia and veins without damaging surrounding tissue. This is the Selective Photothermolysis principle. Results are achieved by proper selection of wavelength, pulse width, joules (energy), spot size and cooling method. Thus the target chromophore is treated with minimal heating to surrounding tissue.