A discussion of Laser Hair Removal by John Keller M.D. Ph.D., Board Certified Laser Physician of Toronto Ontario.

Patients often wonder if laser hair removal is a painful process. Generally it is not. Some lasers, like the Yag or Diode, penetrate a little deeper, and can cause some discomfort. The vast majortiy of patients tolerate laser hair removal without any form of anesthetic. At our clinic, we use an alexandrite laser, and we find perhaps 5% of patients require some topical freezing gel. Certain areas require freezing more than others, just as male backs or faces, and occasionaly bikini lines in females. But overall it is very unusual for a patient not to continue treatment becasue of discomfort.

Can laser hair removal work on blond or white hairs? The answer is that, while certain companies claim that their intense pulsed light or radio frequency devices can do this, it is simply to early to tell. There is no real hard evidence, or at least not enough of it, in my opinion, to be sure that these claims are accurate. True lasers operate by being absorbed by the dark pigment in the hair shaft and bulb, and then burning and destroying it. There is not enough pigment in blond hair or white hair to allow the laser to do its work, and so, only patients with moderate brown and darker hair are generally good candidates for laser hair removal.

Patients often ask whether laser hair removal is permanent. It is important to understand the distinction between "permanent" hair removal and "total" hair removal. "Permanent" removal is usually defined as the destruction of a hair follicle, and its not regrowing for a period of one year. This means that the hair will not re-grow and is gone forever, because it is passed the time when a new cycle would occur. Powerful laser systems, like the Gentlease or diode lasers, achieve this - they permanently destroy the hair. "Total" removal means 100% of all the patients hairs are destroyed. Unfortunately this is not always achievable, because some hair bulbs do lie below the penetration of the laser. But a properly done treatment, with the right laser can come close to achieving this "total" removal in many cases, though some areas are more difficult than others.