Last week I was contacted by a client, who was in a bit of a panic. She had a laser hair removal client who had reported ‘burns’. She claimed that her skin had been burned in previous treatments, and had been burned again in the most recent treatment – yet she had returned for more… Continue reading A shocking story – a warning to us all…
Eye Safety – A warning! I did it again…
As many of you know, I keep banging on about eye safety when working with lasers. Many of the systems we use in aesthetics/dermatology are Class 4. That means they emit more than 500 milliwatts. With modern diode and Q-switched/picosecond lasers, the power can range from a few thousand watts to millions of watts per… Continue reading Eye Safety – A warning! I did it again…
What are the differences between lasers and IPLs?
I am asked this question often. So, I made a wee video to explain the main differences… I hope this makes things a bit clearer. Mike.
More about laser power – average versus peak!! With videos…
Following my post yesterday re laser power, I thought I’d explain further using the medium of video… The above shows a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser outputting pulses of energy 0.3 Joules in 10 nanoseoncd pulsewidths. These equate to a peak power of 30 million Watts in each pulse (30 MW). However, the ‘peak’ power relates to… Continue reading More about laser power – average versus peak!! With videos…
Laser Power – How important is this?
Average Power vs Peak Power Someone asked me recently “Should I buy a 5000 Watt diode laser or a 3500 Watt laser?” I was a bit puzzled… I‘ve noticed a few laser companies promoting their systems om the basis of the “power”. With quotes like “the most powerful laser on the planet” and similar nonsense,… Continue reading Laser Power – How important is this?
Laser-skin treatments and skin cooling – should we do this?
There appears to be some confusion about the use of skin surface cooling and laser treatments. Why should we use skin-cooling at all? Let’s go back to basics… When we use lasers to remove hair, blood vessels, benign pigmentation, acne and tattoos we want to induce some sort of reaction in those targets using heat.… Continue reading Laser-skin treatments and skin cooling – should we do this?
How much hair is removed after each laser/IPL treatment?
This is an interesting question. It’s tricky to know precisely because it’s hard to ‘count’ the hairs… So, I used my computer model of the anagen-catagen-telogen growth cycle to find out. This is the model I developed last year to figure our how long we should leave between treatments for the best outcomes. To answer… Continue reading How much hair is removed after each laser/IPL treatment?
Why do ‘finer’ and ‘lighter’ hairs appear after laser/IPL hair removal treatments?
All hairs are part of a follicular unit which comprises the hair shaft, melanin (not always!!) and germ/stem cells. [There are other components such as the pilo-sebaceous units – but we’re not interested in those here.] The germ cells are responsible for initiating and growing the hair in the anagen phase. They reside in a… Continue reading Why do ‘finer’ and ‘lighter’ hairs appear after laser/IPL hair removal treatments?
Here is a list of my blog posts covering laser/IPL hair removal, tattoos, blood vessels, physics, MasterClasses and other stuff… (updated June 2023)
Last update – 15.6.23 Below are links to my blog posts… Laser/IPL Manufacturer’s Settings – What is wrong with these? What are the main differences between lasers and IPLs? Laser/IPL Hair Removal Fundamentals of Laser/IPL Hair Removal – online now! Laser Output Powers – How important is this? More About Laser Power Outputs. With… Continue reading Here is a list of my blog posts covering laser/IPL hair removal, tattoos, blood vessels, physics, MasterClasses and other stuff… (updated June 2023)
How to apply the ‘SHR’ and ‘stamping’ technques properly during hair removal – my videos
Laser/IPL operators often use the ‘SHR’ or ‘stamping’ techniques when applying their devices to hair removal on the skin. But I often see people using the wrong approach. This will, inevitably, lead to poor results or an excessive number of treatment sessions. In this video I explain how to apply these technique correctly, to increase… Continue reading How to apply the ‘SHR’ and ‘stamping’ technques properly during hair removal – my videos
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