Over the years, people around the world have adopted many means to remove body hair. Ancient people used sugar waxing, specially made tweezers, and ancient razors, while typical razors, tweezing, and waxing are still being used by people. But the most effective method of removing hair is laser hair removal. But the technology was not developed in a day.
The earliest form of laser hair treatment was developed in the 1960s by Theodore H. Maiman. That technology was a ruby laser treatment, after which various other methods such as nD: YAG and alexandrite laser were invented. The invention of modern laser hair treatment can be attributed to Drs Richard Rox Anderson and Melanie Grossman, who came up with the current version in 1994.
Let’s take a detailed look at the laser hair removal history.
When was laser hair removal invented?
At present, no hair removal procedure is as effective and efficient as laser hair removal. While people still use shaving, tweezing, and other methods to remove unwanted body hair, none have come even close to laser hair removal in terms of effectiveness. But how old is laser technology?
When compared to other common hair removal technology, laser hair removal is quite new. Here is a deeper analysis of the history of lasers over the decades.
1. 1960s
Albert Einstein theorized about the basics of laser technology in the 1950s. Based on that, Theodore Maiman, a physicist, invented the first laser hair removal technology in 1960. This is why he is called the father of the electro-optics industry.
The first laser was a ruby laser, which was very rudimentary when compared to the laser technology used today. The laser did nothing to remove hair permanently, and only reduced it. But the technology was deemed unsuitable for mass people to use for a long time because it produced too much heat and caused burns.
4 years later, the preliminary version of the Nd: YAG laser was invented in 1964. But it wasn’t a significant upgrade over the existing laser technology.
2. 1970s
Since the ruby laser was not doing its job as intended, further developments are being made to the laser technology. This brought the alexandrite laser treatment. This laser hair removal was safer than the ruby laser, but it didn’t produce nearly as much heat for the hair to be removed.
3. 1990s
The most important breakthrough in laser hair removal technology came in the 1990s, after around two decades of relative lull. Dr. Richard Rox Anderson and his assistant Dr. Melanie Grossman came up with a laser hair treatment technology that would target a particular pigment, instead of the skin itself. All of this was done at Dr. Grossman’s behest, as Dr. Anderson was not too invested in the idea.
In 1994, Dr. Anderson conducted the first human test on himself, as it was his motto “Do unto yourself before you do unto others.” This laser paved way for the modern laser technology, as the hair on a particular area of the skin is bombarded with a laser of a specific wavelength. This laser is absorbed by the hair on the skin and transformed into heat.
The heat is then conducted to the hair follicles, which are destroyed due to the extremity of the heat. This prevents blood from being supplied to the hair, and the hair falls off eventually. So, when people ask, “When did laser hair removal start?”, a lot of people pinpoint 1994.
Present and future of Laser hair removal
Over the last few decades, there haven’t been any ground-breaking proceedings in the field of laser hair removal. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that there haven’t been any improvements to the 1994 model. Before, it was almost impossible for people with darker skin tones to get effective laser hair removal, but that problem has been solved now.
Even then, there is still a lot of room to improve when it comes to laser hair treatment. Even now, people with fair hair have trouble getting their hair removed by laser hair treatment. This issue should be solved as soon as possible, and progress has been made in this field.
Another improvement scientists are working day and night to make is making the recovery time quicker, and lessening the number of sessions one has to attend to get laser hair removal. This will increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the procedure.
Uncover the Top Benefits of Laser Hair Removal.
Final Words
If there is anything that can be learned from the laser hair removal history, is that this technology is ever-evolving. What is standard now, might not be the same after a decade. But no matter what, we use the best and the most recent technology to provide you with the best laser hair treatment. Call us today and book our laser hair removal service.
FAQ
1. When was laser hair removal FDA-approved?
FDA approved laser hair removal in 1995. But it has not still acknowledged laser treatment as a permanent hair removal method.
2. Is laser hair removal lifetime?
When the hair follicles are destroyed by laser hair removal, that particular hair will not grow back, making it permanent. But sometimes due to some other reasons such as hormonal imbalance, body hair might appear in the area on which laser treatment had been done.
3. How many sessions are needed for successful laser hair removal?
On average, a person needs to attend around 4-6 laser hair removal sessions to get hair removed successfully. But some people don’t need to attend this many times as one or two sessions are enough.
