Too Much Facial Hair?
Unwanted Facial Hair Is Nothing New
Facial hair removal is an ancient art practiced since the Egyptian civilization. In more recent times, electrolysis or waxing was the only answer. Then the lasers got better and now the Gold Standard is the Alexandrite laser, which we will discuss in later in this post. In the last few years, our practice seen a dramatic growth (bad pun) in not only laser facial hair treatments but unwanted hair procedures on various parts of the anatomy with this new technology.
Mankind’s hair removal progression has been fairly predictable:
- Plucking
- Waxing
- Depillatories
- Shaving
- Electrolysis
- IPL (Intense Pulsed Light)
- Laser
There always have been gimmicks and products that want to combine or ”improve” each step. One example would be Nair®, which is quite effective but unfortunately has caused some incredible skin irritations. Another is the famous Epilady®, sold by the millions on infomercials. You could almost hear the screams in the night as these poor people endured the pain of having their hair ripped out by its evil spring.
Light Frequency And Laser Hair Removers
IPL was one of the first light technologies for unwanted hair. Unfortunately, IPL frequencies are too broad for predictable success on hair. Alexandrite lasers dramatically improved on the IPL capability and have become the Gold Standard. By the way, Alexandrite is not a trade name. It is actually the name of the synthetic gem used inside the laser to focus their frequency at a 755 nanometer wave length. This frequency is the best frequency for hair reduction. Many manufacturers make Alexandrite lasers. Since they are attracted to pigment (the chromophore), they work best on lighter skin with dark hair.
For light colored hair on your upper lip or other facial areas, there’s are a few things we can do. A YAG laser operates on 1064 nanometer frequency and will probably reduce it by better than 50% . The YAG frequency laser is basically color blind. There’s also a prescription product known as Vaniqa®. It’s a prescription medication that inhibits hair growth. By the way, if you have lighter hair and darker skin, which is kind of uncommon, you’re also going to want to use a YAG. As a last resort, there’s always electrolysis. It can be slow and painful but it does over time help to reduce the amount of unwanted hair.
Get The Latest Technology
When talking to a practitioner about unwanted hair, know the basics we talked about above. Unfortunately, lasers are very expensive and if the practitioner’s office has old technology, or still only has IPL machines, you are not getting the advantage of the technology available. Find out first, before you have any treatments.
From Dr. Bonnie:
When first meeting, my patients tell me they want to look younger, and we talk about their concerns. For most its a sense of not looking as “fresh” as they used to. As we continue to talk, I find many are under incredible stress, and it’s aging them beyond their real years. They’re aware of the pressure, and maybe even of the toll it’s taking. Unfortunately, its not easy to figure out how to get off this energy draining treadmill that’s sabotaging their chance to look great.
I ‘ve discovered three common problems that almost all of these patients share, and even went so far as to prepare three separate videos, which have become my “prescriptions”. Each deals with a different problem and shows step-by-step how to eliminate them from your life.
I would love to share them with you, and there is no charge. The first is titled “The Dirty Little Secret of Multi-Tasking” and as the title may hint, Multi-Tasking is not helping us save time nor get things done faster.
You will also begin receiving My Beauty Tip of The Week every Friday. In it I discuss things just like in the article above and can answer your questions, should you want to ask. It’s also free and you can unsubscribe at any time.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Dr. Bonnie