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Advanced Art of Cosmetic Surgery Thomas M. DeWire, Sr., MD, FACS Specializing in Cosmetic Plastic Surgery |
EpiLight Process Hair Removal |
| PhotoDerm EpiLight Process Hair Removal: | ||
| The PhotoDerm Intense Pulsed Light Treatment System recently added the EpiLight Process for long-term removal of unwanted hair. This system uses a broad range of light waves, manipulated by special filters, and computer- controlled, to focus light energy on deeper hair follicles, while sparing the overlying skin, taking advantage of the concept of Selective PhotoThermolysis. In this instance the target tissue is the melanin pigmentation associated with hair follicles, and thus the heat can be localized to the hair itself and the cells of hair production deep within the follicles. Because only a certain proportion of the hair at any given site is undergoing active growth at any given time, and that proportion varies with the location, there is often a need for more than one treatment. This allows eradication of most of the actively growing hair, but when the dormant hair begins to emerge, a second or third treatment may be needed to obtain an optimal result. This approach to hair removal has a much wider latitude than single wavelength | laser
techniques, and it allows not only a broader spectrum of hair color response,
but also a deeper penetration of the skin, to more thoroughly destroy the
follicles, eliminating the unwanted hair. A further
benefit is the relatively painless sensation of
the EpiLight, along with the avoidance of
the post-treatment burning pain sensation often seen with laser
methods. This treatment should not be applied to recently
tanned skin, and despite some claims, is not
suitable for darkly pigmented patients at the present time. Research
is currently underway to allow broadening of the applicability of the
technique to include African-Americans, and other
darkly pigmented patients. Photos are displayed
below. The strength of EpiLight is the avoidance of endless waxing and its
tendency to ingrown hair, and the
avoidance of tedious, painful, and costly electrolysis hair removal,
which is often ineffective, and may leave scarring or discoloration. All it takes is a flash of light ! |
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Case 1: A 35 woman with moderate hair growth in the bikini line is seen before a single treatment with the EpiLight Mode of the Photoderm HR hair removal system. Treatment is virtually painless; just a brief sting, followed by brief redness. The treatment areas should be protected from the sun for several weeks. |
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Result is shown ten days after a single treatment of the bikini line with the EpiLight. The treated areas will shed hair until about 14 days, and at this point about 90 % of the active hair in the treatment area is gone. Retreatment may be needed to clear any remaining hair when it emerges from the dormant state. |
| Case 2: A 20 year old American Indian woman with prominent black upper lip hair. She has a relatively dark complexion (Fitzpatrick V), but was successfully treated with the PhotoDerm EpiLight System, using a longer wavelength filter to allow the Intense Pulsed Light to penetrate deeply, treating the hair follicles, but sparing the normal melanin pigment in the skin. |  |
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Result is seen at 12 days, showing virtual clearing of active upper lip hair. Note also the disappearance of the freckle on the left side of the photo. This occurred because the melanin target in the hair is also the pigment in the freckle, and thus is treated at the same time by the intense pulsed light. PhotoDerm PL mode is directly targeted at these pigmented lesions including age spots, freckles, brown birthmarks, melasma, and other similar brown spots on the skin. Photos below show before and after oblique views of the same patient. Although the treated hair will probably not return, the currently dormant hair will have to be treated after it emerges from the resting state. If treated hair does eventually re-emerge, it is usually baby fine and very light in color. | |
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| ©Copyright 1997-2005 Advanced Art of Cosmetic Surgery: Thomas M. DeWire, Sr., MD., FACS Revised: October 29, 2007 04:06 PM |
