Laser Hair Removal
Sunday, February 25th, 2007Laser hair removal has become one of the most popular cosmetic treatments in recent years for women as well as for an increasing number of men.
Many people wonder if such laser hair removal really works. Here’s what we’ve found.
The FDA writes:
‘The popularity of laser hair removal has increasingly grown, prompting many laser manufacturers to conduct research and seek FDA clearance for their lasers for this indication.
The market is growing so quickly that FDA cannot maintain an up-to-date list of all laser manufacturers whose devices have been cleared for hair removal, as this list continues to change.
To learn if a specific manufacturer has received FDA clearance, you can check FDA’s Website at http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/databases.html under the 510(k) database. You will need to know the manufacturer or device name of the laser.’
and ….
‘Several manufacturers received FDA permission to claim, “permanent reduction,” NOT “permanent removal” for their lasers. This means that although laser treatments with these devices will permanently reduce the total number of body hairs, they will not result in a permanent removal of all hair.’
The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery writes:
What Are the Advantages of Laser Hair Removal?
Laser hair removal is a non-invasive method of photoepilation, which does not require needles or messy chemical creams. Since thousands of hairs can be zapped in a single treatment session, large areas like the back, shoulders, arms and legs can be effectively and efficiently treated.
Use this link to find a dermatologic surgeon for laser hair removal.
The Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research says:
‘Laser hair removal may be an option if you seek long-term or permanent results.’
I recommend you visit this link, because they also write about how laser hair removal is done, how to prepare, what to expect, the risks and what the results are of laser hair removal.
In her article ‘Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow’, Marian Segal, member of FDA’s public affairs staff, writes:
‘For do-it-yourselfers, a variety of home-use hair removal products are available over the counter. These include shaving creams, foams, and gels; waxes; chemical depilatories; and electrolysis devices. Professionals at beauty and skin care salons and in dermatologists’ offices provide waxing, electrolysis, and, most recently, laser treatments to remove hair.’
and ….
‘Three-month clinical trials of the ThermoLase process showed at least a 30 percent reduction of hair on treated areas in 60 to 70 percent of people treated.’
In PubMed we found the following abstract:
Laser hair removal.
DiBernardo BE, Perez J, Usal H, Thompson R, Ferraro FJ, Fallek SR.
Department of Surgery, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, USA.
We are in a state of evolution in long-term hair removal. Safe and effective technology is now available. Lasers will always become smaller, faster, and perhaps more effective. For those interested in offering this procedure, evidence indicates that we are beyond the experimental phase. The treating physician should carefully review current available technology and receive proper training specific to that system.
So it looks like laser hair removal really works!