Everything you always wanted to know about laser hair removal

Europe 1 6:34 p.m., November 23, 2021

Want to get rid of your body hair? What if you opted for laser hair removal? Guest of

this Tuesday, the Parisian dermatologist Laurence Netter returned to this technique which does not date from yesterday. "The first scientific articles were published in the years 1998, and dermatologists began to equip themselves in the years 2000", she explains at the microphone of Mélanie Gomez and Julia Vignali. Since then, the techniques have not changed much. What has changed, however, "is the speed of the sessions", explains the dermatologist. "Before to wax half-legs, we used to take half an hour, now we take ten minutes."

>> Find all the shows of Mélanie Gomez and Julia Vignali from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Europe 1 in replay and in podcast here

A little physics to fully understand how permanent hair removal works.

"It's photo-thermolysis, or light that will be converted into heat at a target."

For hair removal, the target is melanin.

"We are trying to heat the melanin to destroy the hair bulb," recalls Dr. Netter.

There are some contraindications, but it all depends on the permanent hair removal method used.

Concretely, "the more the contrast between the skin and the hair is important, the more it will work."

, for down, white hairs, or even red hairs, it will not work.

Do not wax before the sessions

More and more people are letting themselves be tempted.

"It is the first aesthetic medicine procedure in the whole world", tells us the specialist.

A request more feminine than masculine, "even if current fashion pushes men to go through the doors of our offices", in particular for the hair on the back or to readjust the edges of the beard.

How does a first consultation go?

The professional first looks at your skin color.

"We also explain to you that you should not come with tanned skin," insists the dermatologist.

Exit also the self-tanner and vitamins containing beta carotene, which could be absorbed by the laser instead of the hair.

For the first session, you have to shave beforehand.

Especially no traditional hair removal, because there must be some material left.

Pain is possible and "it is proportional to the thickness of the hair: the thicker the hair, the more painful it will be," says Dr. Netter.

Results in six to eight sessions

For the results, on the other hand, you have to take your trouble patiently.

"In six to eight sessions over a year and a half, 95% of the body hair" is plucked in a woman.

And some areas are more complicated than others, "especially on the face, because the hair is hormone-dependent", enlightens the guest of

.

Laser hair removal may not work due to hormonal changes, such as menopause.

The dermatologist summarizes: for the procedure to work, "the initial consultation is essential".