subject: Basic Laser Hair Removal Terminology [print this page] It's essential to understand the basic terminology employed in laser hair removal techniques. This provides you a better understanding of what the procedure entails. It likewise aids to put several individuals at ease to totally understand the words used in the treatment.
Absorption is the uptake of 1 substance into another.
Active medium is the part of the laser that absorbs and stores energy.
American bikini wax, is a standard bikini wax by which hair is eliminated from either side of the panty line at the top of the thigh.
Anagen is the growth phase in the hair cycle by which a new hair is synthesized.
Brazilian bikini wax, is a bikini wax in which all of the hair is eliminated in the pubic region, including the hair around the buttocks and labia.
Catagen is a transitional stage of a hair's growth cycle, taking place between the growth and resting stages.
Chromophore is a set of atoms in a molecule that produces color through selective light absorption.
Coherent light are light waves that travel in parallel, and in a similar direction.
Dermal scattering is the change that occurs between the laser's spot size at the surface of the skin and the spot size deeper in the tissue.
Dermis is the underlying or inner layer of the skin.
Electrons are stable, negatively charged elementary particles that orbit the nucleus of an atom.
Energy source is the device in the laser that delivers energy to the active medium.
Epidermis is the thin outermost layer of the skin.
Excited states is the conditions of a physical system by which the energy level is greater than the lowest possible level.
Fissure is a crack or cut in the skin.
French bikini wax, is a bikini wax by which all of the hair is eliminated from the pubic region with the exception for a stripe of hair on the pubis.
Hair follicle bulb is the bulbous base of the hair follicle that contains the dermal papilla.
Keloids scars are raised areas of fibrous tissue.
Melanin are grains of pigment that provide hair and skin its color.
Monochromatic light is of one wavelength, and therefore appears as one color.
Nanometers are each one billionth of a meter.
Optical cavity is a part of the laser that holds the active medium.
Polychromatic light consists of light of multiple wavelengths, appearing as different colors.
Pulse duration is the duration of one pulse of laser light, that is usually measured in milli-seconds.
Selective photothermolysis is the selective targeting of an area using a specific wavelength to absorb light into that target area enough to damage the tissue of the target whilst allowing the surrounding area to remain fairly untouched.
Spontaneous emission is the process or an excited atom, after holding additional energy for a fraction of a second, releases its energy as another photon then falls back to its grounded state.
Spot size is the width of a laser beam.
Terminal hair is hair found on the scalp arms legs Alexa lay in pubic areas.
Vellus hair is generally fine, non-pigmented hair found on the face that is often called peach fuzz.
Wavelength is the distance between two consecutive peaks or troughs in a wave.
