Recently, I have been looking further into laser/IPL hair removal. I have learned that we need to attack the follicles when they are in “early anagen”. So, what precisely is “early anagen”?
The anagen growth phase in follicles can be broken down into six stages:
Anagen I : chemical signals from the DP trigger stem cell activity in the hair germ, usually a few days before any activity in the bulge stem cells. Melanin cells are generated within the hair germ.
Anagen II – V : Signals now trigger the bulge stem cells inducing rapid proliferation and differentiation. The follicle structure begins to grow in size and the bulb descends to the sub-cutis. It can take between 5 and 20 days to reach the fatty tissue (depending on the dermal thickness), where the DP becomes embedded.
Anagen VI : the hair shaft begins to grow in length and diameter, filling with newly generated melanosomes, giving it colour. After some vertical growth, the hair shaft emerges through the epidermis and becomes visible.
Clinical research shows that most of the growth of the hair shaft itself occurs in anagen VI, which can last months to years. During this stage the hair will emerge through the epidermis and become visible. At the same time, the old hair remains visible during the exogen phase, when it will shed. The exogen phase spreads over late telogen into mid-to-late anagen. In some cases, the newly growing hair will occupy the same location as the older, telogen hair.
It appears that we need to target the melanin in the hair germ, which lives between the stem cell bulge and the dermal papilla. During the telogen phase, this is located around 1 to 1.5 mm deep in the skin – very close to the surface.
Once the follicle goes into anagen II and beyond, the bulb, containing the melanised hair germ and dermal papilla descend towards the sub-cutis layer (fatty tissue). During this time, it become increasingly difficult to target the hair germ as it moves away from the skin surface.
The upshot of all this is that the hairs we actually see on the skin surface are no use to us during laser/IPL hair removal. They are not the targets!! They are all in anagen VI, catagen or telogen. We cannot actually see the real targets because those hairs have not yet emerged through the epidermis.
So, whether there is hair visible on the surface, or not, appears to be irrelevant! (Apart from indicating the melanin content in the follicles).
This may change the way we treat unwanted hair! I’m currently working on a new protocol which may prove better than standard methods.
Watch this space…
Hope this helps,
Mike.
PS Our next MasterClass will be in London in November. I will be discussing all this stuff plus lots more. If you are interested please contact us at DermaLaseMasterClass@gmail.com for details.
Mike Murphy's Blog 
Mike hi, am a big fan of your scientific approach and have discovered an insane amount of new things. In a way you are my bible, only in the field of laser procedures. The extended gaps when removing tattoos still work, now I remove completely. The concept of the carbon peel procedure was also a discovery for me. All that I was taught by the suppliers of equipment, all the notes I just simply threw out and physically and mentally. There’s no place for it in my life. The cooling and power boost is top notch. I’ve been wanting to ask a question for a long time and if you don’t mind, I’d like to hear a more detailed answer. I have some kind of fix idea about combining IPL and waxing. I read about your vision of using wax strips after waxing procedures. You write that in fact we get all new hairs in the anagen stage. I keep wanting to try the following method on a volunteer. Epilation, a break of 10 weeks wax strips waiting 2 weeks, hairs that will begin to appear all will be in the anagen stage and I fry them. If my idea seems absurd to you I apologise and if it’s not too much trouble please explain my misconceptions.
With great admiration Irina!!!