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 Theory - How does it work While my last site got a little complex about some of the technology "out there" in laser-land, I felt that it was storming the average reader with too much information. So for this incarnation I will try to stick to more basic stuff. Laser light has the property of transfering energy to its target by a thin beam of light. When the beam strikes the target, energy is transferred to it and heating takes place. In sufficient quanity, Laser is capable of burning nearly anything, and where the target is skin, the control of this property is paramount. Laser can literally vaporize the tissue to any depth necessary. This has many many uses.The Idea of using a laser to target a hair resides in the tendency of a dark object (the hair root) to absorb energy more efficiently than the surrounding tissue. It still seems to require about 280 degrees Farenheit to render a follicle damaged. Very little known about the long-term impact of laser use Information is difficult at best to obtain about the true results
of laser electrolysis. One reason for this may well be that individuals
and companies are trying to withold sufficient information to prevent
the improper copying of their product. With the rest of the world
looking on, this is somewhat understandable. However it is entirely
possible, as well, that this makes analysis of the work difficult
to nail down. Such has been the thrust of a couple of television
documentaries on the dangers of laser electrolysis. Also there is
a problem with the lay-public learning to read the reports. In one
attempt to understand a report I started out with the word "fibrosis",
and ultimately found that the report which mentioned moderate fibrosis
was talking about "moderate scarring." This is not good.
So coupled with the lack of long-term view, infrequent feedback
and misleading or obtuse reporting methods, the results are going
to be hazy. I hear routinely that one manufacturer fields about
3-5 complaints a week from clients who have been burned by lasers.
This is not exactly headline news, but it should not be ignored.
Significant possibility of deep tissue scarring and premature aging Laser has the dubious distinction of being able to scar large portions of skin rather than just a few follicles. One blink mis-applied and the result is as significant and as permanent as any tatoo. However, this is the obvious stuff. I would like to again take up arms against sub-dermal scarring. This is the insidious type of scarring in which collagen is boiled away deeper in the skin during the high temperatures involved in killing follicles only to be replaced by more dense and less flexible scar tissue. While this is done below the surface of the skin, I believe that improper laser use can lead to premature aging of the skin and it may not be evident for several years, but by then any warranties expressed, or implied, have probably run out. Caveat Emptor. Likelihood of inexperienced operators Here is where I get down and boogie. For over two years, I have been in search of a decent school where I might train on the use of laser. The purpose of this is to learn before I try to work with the laser machines. I am always into new stuff and trust me, this will happen. What I have found so far, is pretty scary, though. I located several schools claiming reputations and offering certification in laser electrolysis. One of them stated that they could do this in 1-2 days! What I found, though, left me a little cold. While a bit of a "techy" myself, I feel that to adequately understand the theory of operation and application of this type of equipment, I would need some decent training. The longest school I located was 5 days of training and cost nearly as much as 4 months of training in conventional electrolysis. This worries me. I am pretty dense myself, and it might take me a little longer or a little more hands-on time to become proficient in the use of laser. So I called one prestigious school and I was told that the hands-on portion of the work consisted of "a day or so". When I inquired about a way to obtain more course time, I was told that this would come after I went back to work " for your doctor". I guess I was to infer that my clients would be my training aids. Since that day about 4 years ago, I have been confronted by people who must have unwittingly been someone else’s training aids. Ineffective on lighter colored hair, or hair that has turned grey Forget using laser on grey hairs, they reflect too well, and the energy has no effect on the root structure. This same phenomenon is also present where the hair is sebaceous. This is where the hair itself is rooted within the sebaceous gland. All hair starts out this way and these glands tend to be white in color. Therefore there is no energy absorption and hence, no hair kill. Also, it would be wise to note here that often the outer sheath of a follicle can often be totally white in color while producing a black hair. Once again, laser can only work on dark colored roots by absorbing light energy and converting it to heat. No absorption, no heat, no kill. FDA will not allow the use of the term "permanent" in describing its effect on hair At this time the rule still stands that Laser Clinics and Operators may claim that their process is capable of "permanent reduction" and nothing more than that. The definition is also in consideration of the reduction as measured in a time period of three months. Remember what I said about re-growth re-appearing in 2 years? With THAT time frame, even permanent reduction is in doubt. Caveat Emptor. Earliest modalities of this device have been discontinued I was surprised to note in an investment newsletter that followed the activities of laser-based practices, that the manufacturer of one of the first laser-based electrolysis systems had closed its doors. Bear in mind, that this leaves no recourse for someone seeking damages for bad work out there. Significant, also, is the still unknown long-term repercussions of this work. Rumblings from a couple of engineer friends familiar with laser have pointed to the possibility that wavelengths in the 200-300 nanometer bandwidth are in fact capable of generating genetic mutations that could possibly lead to cancerous growth. Even though machines are not designed to operate in this bandwidth, the tendency of the skin to reflect laser light in much the same way as a prism, could produce reflected wavelengths in the 200-300 nanometer range. By the time it becomes obvious that something out there may have been responsible for an upsurge in the incidence of skin cancer, the perpetrator(s) may be long gone. |
