Monday, June 29, 1998
Throw out your razor...
TREND: Laser hair removal technology provides yet another option for those scarred by blades, burned by waxing, stung by bleaching or otherwise tortured by plucking
By Michelle Navarro
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
It's summertime - time to shed layers of clothes and bare it all under the sun in skimpy shorts and muscle shirts. But as women peel off their jeans and men take off their shirts, there may be a little hesitation. That ever-important question creeps up:
Did they remember to shave?
Hair is the enemy - backs, legs, upper lips, chins, underarms, chests and bikini lines are all tortured with treatments like bleaching, waxing, electrolysis, shaving and plucking to eliminate or hide the unsightly fuzz.
For many, it is a daily chore. Whether it means shaving the beard before work or shaving the legs in the shower, it's time consuming and annoying.
However, several technological methods are available and, if done correctly, may permanently remove body hair.
Imagine how much more sleep that would mean in the mornings or how much water that would save in the shower.
Photolysis HR(TM), one of the latest technologies, is being performed at the Institute of Laser Medicine in the UCLA Medical Plaza.
One patient who had the hair on her upper lip removed said it made that laborious part of life a little bit easier.
"I was really nervous because I'm bad with pain," said Jenna, who underwent the procedure. "It felt like a sunburn for a couple of hours after."
After three treatments, she no longer worries about the pain of waxing and plucking anymore.
Photolysis HR(TM) operates by sending a light pulse to the area of skin being treated. The light is then selectively absorbed by the hair follicle apparatus, which creates enough heat to obliterate the hair.
"It vaporizes right in front of your eyes," said Dr. Edward Lewis Tobinick, medical director of the Institute of Laser Medicine.
"It destroys the root, so it's theoretically permanent," he added.
The method relies on the difference in pigmentation of the patient's skin and his or her hair. Just as a darker car will absorb more light and get hotter underneath the sun, darker pigments absorb more light and produce more heat energy.
The light emitted will go to the darker pigment, which is why people with darker skin color or those who have lighter hair color than their skin, are not likely candidates for the procedure.
"The ideal patient has coarse, dark black hair and white skin," Tobinick said. "At the other end is someone with blond hair and who has a tan."
"We don't do those," he added.
Unfortunately for those unlikely candidates, there isn't any laser technology hair removal treatment available because they "all work by the same principle, with a target that is darker than its surrounding surface," Tobinick explained.
The next-best method would be electrolysis, which passes an electrical current, given by an electrode, through the skin to hopefully penetrate the hair bulb.
Unlike Photolysis HR(TM), electrolysis may cause damage to the skin surrounding the hair follicle and result in scarring.
There is some uncertainty involved with the procedure, since the practitioner performing electrolysis must determine if the electric current actually reached the hair bulb enough to destroy the hair and remove it completely. In addition, it is time-consuming and painful.
Laser treatment, though, is not painful for the patient.
"It doesn't hurt," said Beth, who had the treatment done under her arms.
"The first pulse was a bit surprising, because I didn't know what to expect. Then they pluck at your hair to show you how easily the hair slides out," she added.
The procedure typically takes 10 minutes to complete and three separate treatments to yield the best results for long-term hair removal.
Also, it may be performed on any area of the body, and pre- or post-medications are unnecessary.
According to Tobinick, the most popular demands have been for removal of back hair for men and bikini lines and facial hair for women.
The average cost of one treatment runs about $500, but according to Beth, student rates are available. Free consultations to determine eligibility for the procedure are offered as well.
Tobinick said the institute has already performed over 5,000 treatments for patients from all over the world.
"There are a lot of people leaving with less hair," Tobinick said with a laugh.
For more information, contact the Institute of Laser Medicine at 310-824-6191.
JAMIE SCANLON-JACOBS/Daily Bruin
Edward Tobinick, a doctor at the Institute of Laser Medicine, demonstrates a technique of permanent hair removal which uses a laser to vaporize the hair follicle.