Due to an absence of melanin chromophore – essential for photoepilation – white and blonde hair have proven resistant to laser treatment.
Things are changing! New laser technology can now target melanin particles to precisely destroy hair follicles without harming nearby skin tissue.
Many patients experience permanent hair reduction or even complete removal as a result.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis is the only FDA-approved way of permanently eliminating unwanted hair. Electrolysis works by inserting a small probe into each hair follicle and administering an electric current to destroy it, stopping future production of white hairs by that follicle. Unfortunately, multiple sessions may be needed before all unwanted white hair has been eliminated from one person’s body.
Electrologists frequently utilize topical lidocaine cream to numb the skin before starting any procedure, and advise clients to avoid tanning and sun exposure before and after their appointment to reduce risk of hyperpigmentation in treated areas.
Laser hair removal relies on pigmentation to interact with and destroy hair follicles; however, gray and white hair lack sufficient melanin to absorb this energy, making them resistant to photoepilation techniques.
Electrolysis remains one of the most reliable and time-tested ways to remove white hair, with over 100 years of proven success if conducted by an accredited electrologist.
As for potential side effects, most individuals experience redness and irritation immediately following treatment sessions. While this irritation may last up to 24 hours after your session has taken place, you can ease its severity by applying thick yet gentle moisturizer frequently after each appointment.
Electrolysis treatments may be more expensive than other laser therapies; however, electrolysis results are permanent so this may outweigh its additional expense in the long run.
TikTok users have helped to revive electrolysis as an effective hair removal treatment by sharing videos showing individual hairs being plucked out one-by-one. But be warned: only trust a certified electrologist with this procedure as unlicensed technicians could cause severe skin damage or permanent scarring – to ensure safe, professional and effective care, schedule an initial consultation appointment today with one! They’ll assess your skin tone, type of hair and root location so they can help determine the appropriate solution.
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) can help permanently eliminate large areas of white hair on your head. This method harvests individual healthy follicles from permanent zones on your scalp known as donors and then transplants them to areas with minimal to no growth on your head – even white. FUE works on any type of hair color including white.
FUE is a minimally-invasive technique that does not involve stitches or scarring. Hair follicles are harvested using a hand-held device emitting pulses of high intensity light; this heat penetrates pigment in hair follicles to stop their production while simultaneously stopping new growth in them.
Follicles extracted during hair transplant surgery can be used to fill areas with thinned out hair or be transplanted onto eyebrows, eyelashes, moustaches or other body parts that have lost their natural coloring. Although this treatment option may work for some, it should only be undertaken if discussed with a dermatologist or trichologist first.
IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) has proven its ability to effectively remove white and gray hair through cutting-edge laser technology. This innovative laser system targets pigment cells responsible for hair color to regenerate and repigment it; however, it should be noted that due to risk of burns this treatment should not be recommended for people with darker skin types.
Electrolysis is an effective permanent solution for eliminating white hairs. This treatment involves applying an electric current to destroy hair follicles; this technique works for any color of hair. Although electrolysis takes time and patience to perform effectively, it remains the only sure way of eliminating all white or gray hairs permanently.
For successful laser hair removal of white or gray hair, it is wise to seek out clinics with extensive experience performing manual FUE. This will guarantee a high-quality procedure while other methods, such as plucking or waxing can interfere with results of treatment.
Polarizing Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal is a safe and effective method for eliminating unwanted body hair. Lasers use heat energy to destroy hair follicles, stopping future hair growth. Multiple treatments may be needed; each session generally lasts from several minutes up to an hour. You may experience some discomfort while having laser treatments done; this should be less uncomfortable than waxing or shaving.
Medical-grade lasers are typically utilized for this procedure. Medical-grade lasers emit single wavelength of light that specifically targets hair pigment, while also protecting adjacent tissue. This allows it to zoom in on and disable individual follicles without harming adjacent areas of skin tissue.
Laser hair removal produces long-term results; however, touch up treatments may be necessary to achieve maximum effectiveness. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments offer another hair removal solution by using broad spectrum visible light to diminish unwanted facial and body hair; however, IPL treatments do not produce as effective results as laser treatments.
Before considering laser hair removal, always visit an experienced dermatologist. An inexperienced practitioner could injure your skin due to improperly calibrated lasers or untrained technicians.
Choose a doctor that specializes in laser hair removal treatments tailored specifically to your skin type and offers complete consultation services, to make an informed decision if laser hair removal is right for you. It is also wise to wear high SPF sunscreen after receiving laser treatments to avoid dark spots from occurring afterward.
Before your laser hair removal session begins, the area will be cleaned and shaved prior to being sterilized with an anesthetic cream or topical anesthetic solution to help ease discomfort during treatment.
Most people require six to eight laser treatments spaced six to eight weeks apart in order to permanently reduce unwanted hair. This is due to hairs not all being at the same growth phase at any one time; depending on your skin type and treatment goals, you may require additional or fewer sessions than others.
Laser treatment can be accomplished at home using devices like the Tria Beauty 4X. This FDA-cleared home use laser claims to be 3x more powerful than IPL rivals and features an LCD screen to display treatment areas and beeps to indicate when skin contact has been made successfully; any second beep indicates it wasn’t successful and requires adjustment of settings accordingly.
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)
IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) is a light-based device that utilizes multi-spectrum light to heat and damage pigment in hair follicles, thus disabling their growth over time. First developed in the 1990s, this technology is clinically proven to work on white and blonde body hairs – it should be repeated every 6-8 weeks to achieve best results; for best results shave the area prior to session and avoid direct sun exposure or tanning products days prior.
Both laser and IPL treatments use light energy to target melanin pigment in your hair and stop it from regrowing over time. While laser treatments are effective against dark locks, they tend to be less so against light strands due to having little melanin pigment for laser light energy to target.
IPL devices are an effective solution for treating light colored hairs because of their wide array of light wavelengths compared to lasers. This enables IPL devices to penetrate further into the dermis layer where hair follicles reside without harming epidermis layer (top layer of skin).
Since IPL treatments utilize multiple wavelengths of light pulses, they can treat many cosmetic concerns simultaneously, including fine lines and wrinkles, uneven skin tone, broken blood vessels (rosacea), acne and even melasma by dissolving its hyperpigmented cells that contribute to them.
While most people with unwanted hair will find IPL and laser hair removal to be successful, selecting an experienced practitioner is key for optimal results. A board-certified dermatologist with vast experience conducting laser and IPL treatment may be best qualified to deliver these services; alternatively a nurse or physician’s assistant could also qualify.
As well, tanning or using tanning products before receiving laser or IPL treatment should be avoided to limit pigment accumulation on your skin and help ensure you get optimal results from treatment. Doing this could decrease its efficacy and make achieving results harder for specialists to achieve.
