Light and Laser Hair Removal

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The evolution of the use of light and laser for hair removal continues a year after Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the first laser for these applications. This overview describes the various light and laser hair removal devices in use, current data, and potential advantages and complications of hair removal.

It has been well known for more than 30 years that reactions between laser energy and hair follicles can produce permanent changes in the follicle. The end result causes leaching of hair color, growth retardation, and occasionally elimination of hair. A concerted effort to define laser hair removal began several years ago with the ruby wavelength of 694 nanometers. Currently, four classes of devices designed to remove hair with light are available: the Nd:YAG lasers with a carbon cream agent, the ruby lasers, the alexandrite lasers, and the polychromie broad band light source of flashlamp technology (Table).

Nd:YAG Lasers