How To Choose A Laser Hair Removal Device For Your Clinic

Deciding to offer laser hair removal for your clinic is easy. Deciphering which laser or IPL is the ‘right one’ for your business can be daunting and confusing, not to mention incredibly time-consuming. Doing your homework beforehand, however, ensuring you choose the right system for you, can not only save you time and money but can be the making (or breaking) of your clinic and its reputation.

Know your lasers and wavelengths before contacting any laser manufacturers, as this will not only empower you as a consumer, but will provide you with clear direction as to which laser and/or IPL is right for you.

Know Your Light

So let’s talk wavelengths. In simple terms, a wavelength is the distance between two points on a wave, which are separated by a complete cycle, and visible light is measured in nanometers (nm).

Different wavelengths produce different colours of light. Each colour of light will be absorbed by different targets of colour. For instance, a red tattoo would need to be treated with a laser emitting green light, and vice versa. The light is absorbed by the coloured target, (e.g. a red vein, a green tattoo) and either heats it or shatters it into tiny particles.

In the case of hair removal, the chromophore (i.e. the target of colour) is the pigment in the hair. The pigment can be absorbed by a wide range of wavelengths in the visible and near-infrared spectrum, which is why when it comes to the choice of device, there is an array of both lasers and IPLs to choose from.

The technical term for what is happening when we laser or IPL hair is called ‘selective photothermolysis’. We are ‘selectively’ heating a hair (the target) whilst protecting the surrounding tissue in the skin. Without selective photothermolysis, we would be heating up both hair and skin, risking burns and blistering.

Whilst all wavelengths used for laser and IPL hair removal are suitable for the removal of the hair itself, they are not all necessarily appropriate for all skin types I – VI on the Fitzpatrick Skin scale. Lighter coloured skin can be treated with any of the wavelengths, whilst darker skin requires wavelengths that are not as well absorbed by melanin, which means they go deeper into the skin, bypassing of the skin’s epidermal melanin.

So which wavelengths are suitable for laser/IPL hair removal?

Lasers and IPLs emitting light between approximately 650nm and 1100nm can all be used to permanently reduce hair. Each has its advantages and limitations depending on the intended use as indicated in the table below.