I finally received the printed copies of my new edition of the “hairy” chapter. This edition has nearly 100 more pages than the 1st edition. (305 pages in this edition compared with ‘only’ 219 in the first!!) More info on… the timings between treatment sessions; the details on the various stages of the anagen growth… Continue reading New edition of my book chapter on laser/IPL hair removal – available now!
Tag: Laser/IPL
Fitzpatrick Type – what does this really mean and how does it affect our laser/IPL skin treatments?
Here we go again! Fitzpatrick – the most mis-understood concept in laser/IPL therapies. Everyone who does laser/IPL treatments on the skin talks about the “Fitzpatrick”. Yet most people don’t really know what it means! Here is my take: There are two things you MUST understand: Dr Fitzpatrick was an American dermatologist who devised a scale… Continue reading Fitzpatrick Type – what does this really mean and how does it affect our laser/IPL skin treatments?
Leaving longer intervals between laser tattoo removal sessions results in more ink clearance – a new publication
Many of you probably already know that leaving longer intervals between laser tattoo removal sessions usually means that more ink disappears. I first noticed this in 2019, after treating my son-in-law. But it was confirmed after the Covid lockdowns, when many treatments stopped across the world. Many laser operators posted up photos of quite unexpected… Continue reading Leaving longer intervals between laser tattoo removal sessions results in more ink clearance – a new publication
Comparing laser light with IPL light energy in the skin
I often see comments online claiming things like ‘IPL doesn’t penetrate as deeply as laser’ or ‘IPL is ineffective in treating hair/blood/potatoes/whatever…’ These comments are usually never based on the science. So, here’s the science… Light is light! Hope this helps, Mike. Our next MasterClass will be held in Liverpool in June of this year.… Continue reading Comparing laser light with IPL light energy in the skin
Why does spot size affect penetration depth?
This is a little tricky because it’s not intuitive. We know, from both clinical tests and computer modelling, that larger spot sizes result in more energy/fluence reaching deeper into the dermis. But how does that happen? Well, it all comes down to scattering. The dermis is mostly composed of collagen fibres. These fibres are all… Continue reading Why does spot size affect penetration depth?
New, downloadable booklets
I am currently writing a series of ‘bite-sized’ booklets on various topics including laser/IPL treatments, laser safety, the technologies we use today and variouis other stuff. These will be uploaded to my new web site as, and when, they come along. The first two are now available: The first one is a ‘general’ introduction to… Continue reading New, downloadable booklets
Tattoo ink colours – which laser wavelength is “best”?
This thorny issue again! I was training someone recently and discussed the data in the table below. This comes from my calculations (click here for more on this) based on previous clinical studies. While discussing this table, I realised something interesting. As I’ve mentioned previously, any tattoo ink colour can be ‘treated’ by any wavelength.… Continue reading Tattoo ink colours – which laser wavelength is “best”?
Laser Hair Removal – Dodgy practices and con-artists…
I don’t usually write this sort of thing, but I feel I must… In the last few years I have heard consistent stories about some salons/clinics in the UK offering deals on laser hair removal, with very poor, or non-existent, clinical results. One of my daughter’s friends experienced this recently. These centres appear to be… Continue reading Laser Hair Removal – Dodgy practices and con-artists…
Hair removal – Diode, Nd:YAG or Alexandrite lasers. Or IPLs? Which is “best”?
Hair removal using light is currently the most popular aesthetic treatment on the planet today, apparently. These days we use diode, alexandrite and Nd:YAG lasers and IPL systems. But there appears to be some confusion over these different devices, with all sorts of dubious claims. Let’s go back to first principles… How does this treatment… Continue reading Hair removal – Diode, Nd:YAG or Alexandrite lasers. Or IPLs? Which is “best”?
Laser tattoo removal of ink colours – Part 3
There’s more… One of my readers, Dan Jackson, asked me about pulsewidth (in a roundabout way) after my recent posts about ink colours (Part 1, Part 2). I had forgotten that the pulsewidth does have an effect on the threshold (minimum) fluences required to instigate the desired response in tattoo ink colours. A few years… Continue reading Laser tattoo removal of ink colours – Part 3
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