Is the color of the root, the root of the problem?

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hello. Despite having bad results with laser (I’m trying to find an electrologyst to work on my face), I was considering having laser on my legs and bikini area (and maybe armpits if it doesn’t hurt too much) sometime in the future. So, I began my research.

Today I went to see an electrologyst and I also asked some questions about laser (she has 25 years of experience in the area). She explained to me that what affects most lasers is the color of the hair root. I am brunette but she asked me if I had lighter hair as a child (I did, I think that’s common for most people?) She explained that my hair can be dark but have a lighter root and that laser could not work because of that. She also said there could be blond people with dark root of hair and that laser can work in those examples. She told me she usually tweezes a few select hairs of the area people want to have lasered and analyses their root. I just did that when I got home and it seems some hairs from my bikini area have lighter roots. But I had no magnifying lenses so it could just be a trick of the light. Can anyone shed some light on this? What do you think?

Also, she said that in the clinic they use IPL in 750 NM potency and that it works just as well as Alexandrite laser (they also have laser there so she wasn’t trying to sell me one thing over the other.) Can anyone support this theory? I’d rather have IPL because it hurts less if both work the same way.

#2

I’ll let the pros weigh in on which laser is better. It is possible however to have different colored roots than hair if hormone levels are fluctuating or because of greying. I used to tweeze my brows quite a bit, something I’ve ceased since I think I was making the situation worse instead of better.One thing I noticed though is completely differnt colors on the hair itself. Some seemed almost blond, with parts of the hair very dark brown. I’ve also seen the pro’s here mention in different threads that sometimes they will electrolys a hairthat was grey and have it come back as a brown or black hair.

Whether hair that are mostly blond can hve dark roots can be affected by laser, I think is doubtful. In order to kill the follicle the root must be killed. This happens because the hair heats up from the intense light which happens from the outside in, the laser light doesnt penetrate to the root but the heat does. If you have blond on the outside, you are breaking the chain of heat to the root, so to my way of thinking wouldnt lend well to removal.

Seana

#3

Usually the darker your hair, the darker the root.
I was a blonde as a child, still had no problem doing my beard line, neck and some other areas, some areas are better for laser than others, for women that usually means legs, bikini, underarms etc.

About IPL, i’m not sure what she has but the only IPL machines that i’ve seen that are as powerful true lasers are Palomar machines and i’m pretty sure they hurt just as much as true lasers if not more. My point is, don’t go with IPL because you think it will hurt less, if you’re wrong it could be worse for you.