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= Laser Hair Removal =

Components of a Laser Hair Removal System
There are four basic components that make up every laser hair removal system in order for the laser to be effective:

Power Source
The power source excites the molecules within a medium by giving them energy, creating a population inversion of the molecules necessary for the production of laser light.

Active Medium
This active medium can be in any state (solid, liquid, or gas) the state the medium is in determines what type of wavelength the laser will create. Most lasers are named after the medium they use.

Optical Resonator
The optical resonator allows for the laser energy to return to the medium in order to produce more excited molecules needed in order for the laser to work.

Delivery System
The delivery system makes it possible for the light energy to be transferred from the laser onto the patients skin.

Nd:YAG laser
Long-pulsed 1064nm lasers can effectively remove hair from patients with darker skin tones without producing adverse side effects. Using this laser on areas of skin that are thinner and not exposed to sunlight is the most effective way to practice according to clinical responses. Thicker skin makes it difficult for the laser to penetrate deep into the hair follicle making it less effective.

Unconventional Uses
Laser hair removal systems are not only used on patients for aesthetic purposes there are also a number of conditions they are used on

Hidradenitis suppurativa HS
Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is a disease where inflamed and swollen lumps occur under the skin. Laser Hair Removal has been used to treat this disorder. The Nd:YAG laser is used to treat this condition because it is able to penetrate the deepest under the skin. After doing multiple studies with the Nd:YAG laser on many patients the conclusions made by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health was that this laser therapy was a promising treatment option for patients with HS after following up with participants in the study for six months.

Dissecting cellulitis
Dissecting cellulitis is a chronic scalp condition that creates keloids, abscesses, and nodules on the scalp. Laser hair removal has been proven to decrease puss formations, less need for regular scalp treatments, and a decrease in the intensity of the condition over a period of 6 months. A patient with a severe case of Dissecting cellulitis in was treated with a 800nm diode laser in 1999. The patient had four treatment sessions one month apart. This patient reported a decrease in discomfort and results did not detect hair regrowth.

Genital gender affirming surgery
Genital gender affirming surgery (GAS) is the reconstruction of a persons genitals to match the sex they identify as. A patients hair-bearing flaps are used in this procedure and this results in complications with postoperative intravaginal and intraurethral hair growth. Surgeons require permanent hair removal on all areas that will come in contact with urine and areas that will be in a partially closed cavity in the patients body before proceeding with the operation. Laser Hair removal is the preferred method for this because of its high efficiency.

Pseudofolliculitis barbae
PFB is caused by short hair stumps reentering the skin after shaving and mainly effects people with coarse and curly hair. Laser hair removal has been proven effective and used to help individuals with this condition. The reason laser therapy is beneficial to this condition is because the laser reduces the thickness of the hair follicles as well as the number of hair follicles underneath the skin, making the hair less stump like and reducing the amount of hair with the potential to reenter the skin. After a study conducted on 10 patients with PFB all subjects displayed a decrease in hair density of more than 50% after six to eight weeks of being treated.

Effects and Risks
Laser hair removal is FDA approved and considered safe to use though there are still some risks involved. If the technician administering the laser hair removal treatment is not qualified to choose the optimal laser parameters needed for a patients specific hair texture and type a patient may experience erythema, leading to the appearance of red spots on the skins surface, skin pigmentation changes, and scarring.