How many treatment sessions does hair removal need?

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This is a simple post. The number of laser/IPL sessions needed to remove hair follicles permanently depends entirely on the fluence you apply. That’s it – in a nutshell! As I’ve said before, a ‘low’ fluence can only affect follicles down to a certain depth. So this fluence can only kill a relatively small number… Continue reading How many treatment sessions does hair removal need?

Should we wax or pluck before laser/IPL hair removal? The science…

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This is an interesting question. Virtually everyone’s initial response would be a resounding “NO”. “Why should we? We would be removing the target we are trying to destroy!!” Well, yes, of course. That’s obvious. Except, it isn’t… A telogen hair, about to transition into anagen 1. To answer this question properly, we need to look… Continue reading Should we wax or pluck before laser/IPL hair removal? The science…

Professor Bill Reid – The “Father” of Laser Tattoo Removal.

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Prof. William H. Reid, FRCS. It is with some considerable sadness that I announce the death of Prof William (Bill) Reid, Plastic Surgeon. Bill Reid was a plastics and burns surgeon who worked in the Canniesburn Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit, Glasgow up until his retirement in 1996. He was a well-respected surgeon for his… Continue reading Professor Bill Reid – The “Father” of Laser Tattoo Removal.

2nd edition of our Laser/IPL Hair Removal book now available, free, online

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Following an extensive re-write and update, I am very pleased to announce the release of the 2nd edition of our book on laser/IPL hair removal. It is available here – free of charge (in a redacted form!!) – https://online.flipbuilder.com/rbhw/tlkc/mobile/index.html. Or you can open it with the QR code below. In the rewrite, we have added… Continue reading 2nd edition of our Laser/IPL Hair Removal book now available, free, online

Pulsewidths, thermal relaxation times and ‘cooking’ times in photothermal treatments

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After my previous post, several people asked me to explain more about pulsewidths and thermal relaxation times, and how they relate to each other. The truth is, they are all unrelated!! They are intertwined, but not directly related. I thought it might be best to describe them using a bunch of graphs. So, I made… Continue reading Pulsewidths, thermal relaxation times and ‘cooking’ times in photothermal treatments

Fluence, pulsewidths, temperatures and cellular denaturation

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This topic is very poorly understood. How does fluence and pulsewidth relate to cellular denaturation – or, ‘cooking’ of the cells. I’m going to portray this in a series of graphs – I hope this works… When we fire light energy into the skin, we can generate some heating, if there is something in there… Continue reading Fluence, pulsewidths, temperatures and cellular denaturation

Hair removal – how does fluence relate to depth?

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We all know that light energy can kill hair follicles. It has been around since about 1996. But, many people still don’t understand the relationship between fluence and depth in the skin. Let’s begin with fluence – what is it? Simply put, fluence is just the concentration of light energy on the skin surface. If… Continue reading Hair removal – how does fluence relate to depth?

“Synchronised hair growth” – Yes – it is real!

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This issue keeps appearing in online forums. Many laser/IPL operators talk about ‘lots of hair growth’ usually after a few sessions. So, I investigated this with my computer model. I had developed this model a few years ago to look at the ‘best’ time intervals between repeat treatments. Last year, while researching laser/IPL treatment of… Continue reading “Synchronised hair growth” – Yes – it is real!