Which laser for hair removal is the best?

You've likely seen this laser hair removal device all over your social feeds, and for good reason. For starters, “it’s quick and easy to use with three sensitivity modes—normal, gentle, or extra gentle—so it’s less painful than other products on the market,” says Gloria Lin, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. Glamour contributor Brigitt Earley, couldn't agree more. In just 10 to 15 minutes, she tackled her armpits, legs, and bikini line. “It didn't hurt at all,” she says. “Maybe a tiny zing here and there, but nothing even remotely significant. And there's only one big button to press. If you hold it down, it'll even deliver continuous flashes, so you can complete large areas like legs in, well, a flash.”

Braun promises results in as little as four weeks, and this time frame was spot-on in Earley's testing. “After weekly treatments for four weeks, 99% of my hair had stopped growing completely,” she says. Also nice: It comes with a precision head attachment for the bikini area, a Venus razor to aid with pre-laser-hair-removal, and a storage pouch.

• Pros: Fast with a visible reduction in body hair in just a month
• Cons: Not ideal for facial hair
• Laser type: IPL
• Intensity levels: 3
• Flashes: 400,000 lifetime flashes
• How to use: Shave with the included razor, then choose your comfort mode. Put the applicator in contact with skin, then glide it along the treatment areas while pressing the button. Repeat weekly.
• What reviewers say: I’m on my sixth treatment and have already seen significant results! I use this every Friday and shave prior. I went to shave before my 6th treatment (one a week) and there was almost nothing to shave. I use it on my legs, underarms, arms and bikini area. I was very hesitant about buying this but did my research and read all of the reviews (not just on Amazon). If this doesn't work for someone, it's most likely due to user error, not using it consistently once a week or having the wrong skin-hair contrast (I have dark hair and light skin). I can't wait until the end of the 12 weeks as I am already so very happy with the results! —Kam, reviewer on Amazon

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The selection of the most appropriate laser wavelength is essential as it enables

• The safe treatment of all skin types. Lighter skin types respond well to the Alexandrite 755nm laser whilst darker skin types respond to the Nd Yag 1064nm laser. The diode 810nm laser is very useful for moderate skin types.
• Effective treatment of multiple depths of hair follicles. The base of the hair follicle can lie between 2 to 7mm below the skins surface and hence, some hair follicles are superficial (e.g. upper lip) whilst others are much deeper (e.g. Bikini). Optimal results hence require multiple laser wavelengths enabling the operator to target all the follicles situated at different depths.
• The treatment of different colours of hair. Effective treatment of light coloured fine hair requires a laser with a high attraction to melanin such as the Alexandrite 755nm laser. Darker thicker hairs will respond better to the diode 810nm laser or Nd Yag 1064nm laser.

Laser Pulse Width (Shutter speed)

The selection of the appropriate pulse width is essential as it enables the operator to target hairs of different diameters.

• Fine hairs heat up quickly but are unable to hold the heat and require short pulse widths usually in the range of 5-10ms.
• Thicker hairs heat more slowly and hence require much longer pulse widths usually ranging from 40-60ms.

Often as a course of laser hair removal progresses, the follicles miniaturize and hair becomes finer requiring a reduction in pulse width to ensure continued effective treatment.

Laser Spot Size

Small spot sizes are most effective for the treatment of smaller superficial hair follicles, while larger spot sizes are ideal for deeper targets. The larger the spot size the deeper the laser penetration.

Bigger spot sizes also enable the operator to rapidly treat larger body areas with comfort and ease.

Superior results are hence achieved with a large range of different spot sizes.

Spot Size and Depth of Optical Penetration

Laser Power (Fluence)

The more powerful the laser the better the outcome. Any cheap low powered laser system can induce a temporary hair loss lasting between 1-3 months. Permanent hair reduction requires high quality lasers that can produce the large amounts of power needed to heat the follicle to 65-70 degrees centigrade ensuring irreversible damage to the hair.

Gold Standard hair removal lasers should be capable of delivering the following types of energy.

• Short pulse durations with high peak power enabling energy to be confined to smaller hair follicles.
• Longer pulse durations with low peak power to slowly heat larger hair follicles.

The use of high quality lasers with variable wavelengths, variable pulse durations, variable spot sizes and variable fluences enable a skilled laser operator to achieve far superior results.

Irrespective of the hair colour, skin colour, hair thickness or follicle depth we have a laser for all prospective clients.

The majority of clinics in the UK utilize IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) to deliver hair removal. This is often incorrectly termed Laser Hair Removal (An IPL device is not a laser it is a light source) and described as the superior method of hair removal.

It is clinically proven that IPL is as a rule far less effective at a given task than a laser dedicated to that purpose.

A high quality laser must be accompanied by a skilled operator for superior results.

Because we offer the entire range of laser hair removal treatments, we can truly recommend the option that is best suited to your needs. Whatever we recommend, you can be assured that we are not using it because it is all we have to offer but because it is the best choice for you.

Our expert medical team has in excess of 30 years laser experience and have completed more than 150,000 successful treatments. Rest assured you are in safe hands. All procedures at our Cambridge Laser Clinic are performed by fully qualified doctors, nurses and practitioners.

To ensure the highest ethical standards are maintained at all times, our staff are never offered bonus incentives to sell treatments.

Although medical laser clinics are no longer regulated by the CQC (Care Quality Commission), we continue to adhere to the strict standards that were in the past mandatory under government legislation. This is the best indicator currently available that our Cambridge Laser Clinic is trustworthy.

All consultations are free of charge so why not call our team of experts today?