The History of Laser Hair Removal

Although a large number of people undergo a laser hair removal procedure, there are few people who actually think about the history of laser hair removal. Every cosmetic or medical procedure has a history that helped to make the procedure what it is today. The history of this hair removal procedure will not have a direct impact on your hair removal treatment. However, it is still interesting.

In the early 1960s lasers were becoming a popular product in many business fields. Around that time many medical professionals starting thinking about using lasers as a tool in hair removal. When laser hair removal was first developed, it was only used as an experimental procedure and not available to the public for some time.

Some of the first lasers were not effective at removing hair. Those lasers were altered and hair removal by a laser became possible. With those early lasers, there were some painful side effects. These side effects included blistering, skin redness, and swelling. It did not take long for the new generation of lasers to be developed that had a reduction or complete elimination in the number of the previous hair removal side effects.

1995 marked the year the first hair removal laser was developed and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This exciting new product was marketed under the name SoftLight. SoftLight was one of the first lasers available to the public for use. Unfortunately, the procedure did not go off as well as originally planned. The FDA stepped into monitor the use of SoftLight, but it was already too late for many patients.

A number of reports claim that the makers and laser hair removal treatment centers that offered SoftLight advertised that the procedure was a permanent laser hair removal procedure. A large number of patients reported having reoccurring hair growth not longer after receiving the supposedly permanent laser hair removal treatment.

Due to the marketing of SoftLight as a permanent laser hair removal treatment, a number of lawsuits were filed. In many cases, the misled patients were compensated for their not-so-permanent laser hair removal fees.

Each day there are new advancements in technology. Those advancements are likely to changed the development of lasers that are used to remove unwanted body hair.

Right now laser hair removal is a popular procedure that offers few or no side effects. With many engineers and scientists constantly working on ways to improve laser equipment, it is likely that laser hair removal will continue to advance and to rise in popularity.

Although the history of laser hair removal is something that many patients do not think about, it is actually just as interesting as the procedure itself. It is easy to see that science and technology helped in the development and advancement of laser hair removal.

It is possible that without science, engineering, and technology laser hair removal would not be as successful or as popular as it is today. The next time you are thinking about laser body hair removal or sitting in the doctor's office awaiting your turn, remember that the history of the procedure is what made it safe and effective for you today.