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…
Last update – 29.1.23 Below are links to my blog posts… Laser/IPL Hair Removal Fundamentals of Laser/IPL Hair Removal – online now! Hair Removal – Why is it painful? Why are laser/IPL hair removal treatments painful? And how do we minimise it? “I’ve burnt my patient!!” With IPL treatments, that is precisely what we are tying to do… What… Continue reading Here is a list of my blog posts covering laser/IPL hair removal, tattoos, blood vessels, physics, MasterClasses and other stuff…
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
Hair removal using Diode lasers vs Nd:YAG, Alex lasers & IPLs
Hair Removal Systems These days there are a number of different systems available for hair removal, which can make it a bit tricky when deciding which to purchase. In particular, diode lasers are a different type of laser when compared to the other systems (and IPL). Here I outline some of the differences between these… Continue reading Hair removal using Diode lasers vs Nd:YAG, Alex lasers & IPLs
Applying the SHR technique properly to remove hair…
I’ve seen a lot of videos, recently, where laser operators are showing their prowess with laser hair removal, usualy with a diode laser. However, most of them are doing it wrong!! They are usually seen ‘scanning’ up and down an area, relatively slowly, firing off a whole bunch of pulses of laser energy. Unfortunately, this… Continue reading Applying the SHR technique properly to remove hair…
Tattoo ink colours, absorptions and fluences…
An excellent clinical report by Scheibner (SCHEIBNER, A., KENNY, G., WHITE, W. and WHEELAND, R.G. (1990), A Superior Method of Tattoo Removal Using the Q-Switched Ruby Laser.) found that the minimum fluence required to induce a good reaction from black tattoo ink, using a Q-switched ruby laser, was 2 Joules/cm2. This threshold fluence was for… Continue reading Tattoo ink colours, absorptions and fluences…
What are the three most important factors in laser/IPL hair removal?
Laser/IPL hair removal has a wide range of outcomes! Sometimes the results are great, sometimes, not so good. Why is this? The treatment requires that the germ/stem cells are irreversibly denatured – ‘cooked’ – sufficiently so that they cannot regrow the follicle. This can only be done with the correct level of fluence, which depends… Continue reading What are the three most important factors in laser/IPL hair removal?
Hair Removal – Why is it painful?
We all know that the choice of fluence and wavelength is important when treating hair with light energy. However, many believe that the fluence should be reduced when treating darker skin colours. This is fundamentally wrong!! The pain felt during laser/IPL hair treatments is principally due to the epidermal heating. As a direct consequence, darker… Continue reading Hair Removal – Why is it painful?
Fundamentals of Laser/IPL Hair Removal – online now!
The latest chapter of our eBook is now available online for your perusal. We have ‘hidden’ some pages – the ‘best’ ones, in our opinion, because we don’t want to give away all the good stuff too cheaply… This is the online pdf version which is outlines most of the contents. It will give you… Continue reading Fundamentals of Laser/IPL Hair Removal – online now!
Purchasing our book chapters
If you wish to purchase our book chapters, please click here to go to the purchase page. Thanks, Mike.