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IPL Hair Removal - before & after

Hair grows in cycles. At any given time, only about one third of your hairs are active and growing. Every 6-8 weeks the cycle shifts and resting follicles start growing hairs while active follicles shed their hair and enter a dormant state. Only during the active growing stage can the hair be permanently removed with a light emitting device.

Hair removal devices can be categorized as either lasers or IPL intense pulsed light devices. Lasers are an older technology that is being displaced by IPL. Firing a laser emits all of its energy in a very brief burst (think spike) that can be quite painful. (According to one laser treatment center up to 70% of their patients needed topical anesthesia.) Hair removal lasers are also more likely to cause burns and are sensitive to technician error.

IPL devices emit filtered white light over a much longer duration (think bell curve) that treats a wider range of frequencies, is more effective, safer, and less painful. The pulse feels like a small rubber band snap. For hair removal Surface uses IPL devices exclusively.)

	Surface IPL Hair Removal: Surface removes unwanted hair with the most advanced and current technologies. And you'll relax knowing that we're experts at it. Every patient is seen and screened by one of our physicians before any treatment begins.

All light based hair removal devices (IPL-intense pulsed light and lasers) rely on the absorption of light energy by the hair shaft and follicle. This nearly instant heating cauterizes the small capillary that feeds the follicle, disabling it and permanently preventing the follicle from growing hair. Two things affect the success of this procedure:

Dark skin contains the same pigment as the hair shafts. This pigment is melanin and is a very dark brown. The light devices used for hair removal use filtered frequencies that are absorbed more by the melanin in the hair shaft than the surrounding skin. If the skin is dark, it absorbs some of the light before it gets to the hair. Less light energy is delivered to the hair follicle and the treatment is less effective. Because of this, light skin and dark hair is the most effective combination for hair removal and dark skin and light hair is the least effective combination. One way to overcome this limitation is to darken the hair shaft artificially. We manufacture a special spray that darkens the hair shaft and makes the treatments more effective. This works well on gray, blond and light brown haired individuals.

	Surface offers packages of the most popular treatments at a discount.

Because the hair grows in cycles, multiple treatments are necessary. Most people require five to seven treatments spaced by the particular hair cycle length, usually six to eight weeks apart. This waiting time allows inactive hairs to become active and start growing. It is only when hair follicles are active that they can be effectively treated.

Several problems can occur with light based hair removal. The most common occurs when the persons skin type or amount of pigment is not measured accurately. Inaccurate skin typing is the most common cause of burns with any of these devices. Most clinics use a questionnaire that guesses at the person's approximate skin type. This method has been proven to be inaccurate more than 70% of the time. Surface Medical Spas use a spectrophotometer to accurately determine the exact amount of pigment in the skin. This method takes the guesswork out of this crucial step in your treatment.

Problems with light type hair removal can include redness, burning, scars and ineffective treatments. These complications are rare with the newer equipment and treatment.

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