FDA approved since 1995, Laser Hair Removal has improved the quality of life of thousands, especially female with male pattern hair growth. Removal of unwanted hair by laser is a major advance over treatment such as electrolysis. It has brought hope to several individuals with hair growth in areas where they cause embarrassment. There are certain things you should know about this form of treatment. Some are listed below.

1. What is Laser Hair Removal? It is a laser beam targeted at the hair follicle. The high intensity ray of light gives off heat energy. The laser tracts along the hair shaft, heating it and leading to thermal damage to the follicle while leaving the surrounding tissue unharmed. The effectiveness of this treatment depends on the concentration of melanin in the hair. It is more effective in dark hair, less effective in brown or ginger hair and will not work on white, grey or platinum blonde hair. As the laser travels along the hair shaft, there must be hair present. It is, therefore, not recommended to pluck unwanted hair before treatment. Similarly since laser hair removal works on the melanin level, dark skin or tanned skin need special treatment.

2. Cost depends on the size of the area that needs treatment. The larger the area, the greater the cost. In the USA, the average cost per session is $450 and in the UK, the cost may vary from £45 to £450. Treatment may be for several sessions in a year because hair will re-grow. The re-growth, however, will be slower and the hair thinner. Mr. David Gault, Plastic Surgeon, reported 80% reduction of upper lip hair growth after 6 months.

3. What you should find out: Make sure you know as much as you can about Laser Hair Removal. Choose a clinic that offers free consultation so that you can assess suitability and what is on offer. Find out before hand how much it will cost you. Make sure you know whether a medical practitioner will be on the premises during your treatment. Check that your assigned therapist is suitably qualified and experienced.

4. How safe: Laser is a pure high beam light. It does not cause cancer. It only penetrates up to the dermis of the skin. It is dangerous to the eyesight. You will probably use goggles to protect your eyes during treatment. The skin can be darkened by laser because of the melanin concentration. Too much exposure can leave the skin with paler patches that slowly fades away. Over heating can cause blistering and rarely scarring especially in darker skin and people with recent tans. The paler you are before treatment the safer and better the treatment.

You should not have laser hair removal if you are sensitive to light or have any infection on the area to be treated. You should not have treatment if you had isotretinoin as acne treatment in the last year.

5. Is Hair removal permanent? Laser hair removal and electrolysis are considered the only permanent hair removal treatment. Although laser hair treatment is promoted as permanent by the industry, this is not strictly the case. It cannot stop the unwanted hair from re-growing. It will, however, slow the re-growth so that it can take several months or years. The re-growth will consist of thinner hair.

6. What happens during treatment? Depending on the types of laser beam system and the area to be treated, you may be required to wear goggles. Laser hair removal treatment can cause stinging or the area may tingle. The time taken for a session depends on the size of the area and can last between 15 and 45 minutes. The area concerned will be treated roughly once a month for between two and eight months. Not all lasers are the same and results may vary with different systems. Before you embark on Laser hair removal, make sure you do your homework.

7. What types of Laser Hair Removal are available? There are various types available. The Ruby Laser is the oldest. It is not suitable for dark skinned or tanned people and only covers a small area. The Alexandrite Laser is the fastest laser available. It is used on light to olive complexion. It is the most popular type because it can cover large areas of the body. The Diode Laser works better for dark skin and is not as effective in lighter skin. It is fast and covers large areas during treatment. The Long Pulse Nd:Yag Laser can be used on all skin types. It is fast and covers large areas. Patients, however, tend to experience more discomfort during treatment. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is not really Laser but will have the same effect as laser on the hair follicles. It is more difficult to use and needs greater skill.

Dr. Phil Hariram has a special interest in Laser Hair Removal. He has seen amazing changes in the lives of people following this continually improving state of the arts treatment. His website http://www.thelaser-hair-removal.com has the latest info and news releases.

Baldness amongst women is something hardly discussed in the fashion press and yet it is estimated that as many as 6 million women in the UK suffer with significant hair thinning, excessive hair shedding, androgenetic hair loss (the female equivalent of male baldness) and significant hair loss through the different forms of alopecia.

For men, baldness has become increasingly socially acceptable, with many men now shaving their heads. If anything this is the preferred trend, currently more acceptable than the ‘comb-over’ or the toupée. For women it still remains the final taboo, an embarrassment beyond open discussion.

Hair represents so many things to each individual, even if your hair before hair loss could hardly be described as your ‘crowning glory’. Your hair still probably conveyed your general well-being, your sense of style and personality, even your lifestyle. It’s highly understandable that for most women who have spent years defining and refining a hairstyle that makes them recognisable to family, friends and colleagues, should feel devastated at its loss.

With this taboo subject, there is little understanding of the social and psychological pressures women face. Hair loss isn’t about mere vanity for women, it is about trying to maintain a healthy attitude to body image, which is critical to the recovery process as well as coping with longer-term hair loss issues.

So how can you deal with those issues? How can you repair the damage to your self-esteem, your confidence, your body image, your look, your style?

Two common options spring to mind: wigs – improving all the time, with the more expensive light weight wefted and monofilament models and wig personalization cutting services becoming more available. However wigs in the summer months can prove hot and itchy when worn over prolonged periods of time. So let’s focus on the second fashion alternative - hats/ scarves. There is headwear available on the market specifically for women with hair loss, focusing on the practicalities of hiding that hair loss. Depending on your point of view, you could feel this actually highlights the problem, drawing attention to it, rather than softly distracting the eye away from it. And this doesn’t do much to build the self-esteem.

Most women report their biggest concern with the onset of significant hair loss is that they feel everyone is looking at them. How do women get to feel comfortable in their own bodies again or indeed feel they can simply blend in wherever they go? In fashion terms it’s all in the planning, take a good look in your wardrobe and figure out what you like to wear, what you feel good in and what other people tell you really suits you. List the number of complete outfits you can put your hand on and then think about how you’re going to accessorise those outfits to go with your new hair loss image. Jewellery is key, if you only wear gold or silver consider now picking up colour in a piece of jewellery, i.e. earrings or necklace that complement the colours of an outfit.

This also means coordinating headwear, coordinating because if you’re trying to ‘blend in’ it shouldn’t dominate your outfit, it should complement it and mimic the style of the outfit. The hat colour should ideally coordinate with you i.e. a colour selected because you know it suits your eyes/skin tone and the colour reflects something in the chosen outfit. Mimicking style can be hard for some people, for most of us it is ‘everyday casual’, in which case soft fabric hats are the most accessible style to find and feel comfortable in. Find a hat style that suits you and stick with it, duplicate it, triplicate it, purchase it in as many colours as you like to suit your key outfits. Suddenly life will feel ordered and calm, we’ve talked to women, who once they knew they were looking the best that they could, their confidence soared and they felt able to cope. Fashion for them becomes like that magical cloak but they don’t disappear, it simply deflects any curiosity and they can get out there and get on with life and focus on the important issue of recovery.

How do you achieve this? With a supportive network and an openness to experiment and work at achieving that new image. Headwear is nothing to be afraid of or concerned about, it is simply another item of clothing. Chose it well and it will serve you well and make you feel gorgeous, and people will only see the hat, your style, and you!

Nicky Zip is the founder and managing director of Suburban Turban: fashionable and stylish headwear for women suffering from hair loss.

With over 20 years experience in creative design and millinery, Nicky has spent the last 10 years designing and making hats for the English season, including Ascot races, Henley-on-Thames Royal Regatta and racing at Goodwood. Nicky’s hats have also been seen at Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations and Sandhurst.

Nicky trained in millinery in Kensington and Chelsea and at the London College of Fashion and in 2005 Nicky Zip won ‘Best Hat’ at Lingfield Ladies’ Day, made even more prestigious by Ascot being closed that year, and her hats have also appeared in ‘Hello!’ magazine.

The idea for Suburban Turban was formed at a charity fashion show for GRACE, (Gynae-oncology Research and Clinical Excellence), last year, where several ladies were discussing the real need for fashionable product for women experiencing hair loss.

After this event, Nicky went on to do significant research into hair loss and has spent six months sourcing the right products from Europe and the UK. She is an expert in her field of traditional millinery and is rapidly becoming one in her adopted field of headwear for hair loss.

For more information or more articles by Nicky Zip please visit http://www.suburbanturban.co.uk or email Nicky on nicky@suburbanturban.co.uk.

http://www.suburbanturban.co.uk
Contact: nicky@suburbanturban.co.uk
Tel: 0845 003 2 800

Making straight hair curly is not a new hair style idea. Women in ancient Egypt coated their hair in mud, wound it around wooden rods and then used the heat from the sun to create the curls. Waves that won’t wash out are a more recent innovation. Modern perms were pioneered by A F Willat, who invented the “cold permanent wave” technique in 1934. Since then, improved formulations and ever more sophisticated techniques have made perm the most versatile option in hair style.

How Hair Perm works

Perm works by breaking down inner structures in your hair and reforming them around a curler to give a new shape. Hair should be washed prior to perming as this causes the scales on the cuticles to rise gently, allowing the perming lotion to enter the hair shaft more quickly. The perming lotion alters the Kertin and breaks down the sulphur bonds that link the fibre like cells together in the inner layers of each hair. When these fibres have become loose, they can be formed into a new shape, when the hair is stretched over a curler or a perming rod. Once the curlers or rods are in place, more lotion is applied and the perm is left to develop to fix the new shape. The development time can vary according to the condition and texture of the hair. When the development is complete, the changed links in the hair are re-formed into their new shape by the application of a second chemical known as the neutralizer. The neutralizer contains an oxidizing agent that is effectively responsible for closing up the broken links and producing the wave or curl permanently.

The type of curl that is produced depends on a number of factors. The size of the curler is perhaps the most important as this determines the size of the curl. Generally speaking the smaller the curler the smaller and therefore tighter the curl, whereas medium to large curlers tends to give a much looser effect. The strength of lotion used can also make a difference, as can the texture and type of hair. Hair in good condition takes a perm much better than hair in poor condition and fine hair curls more easily than coarse hair.

After a perm it takes 48 hours for the keratin in the hair to harden naturally. During this time the hair is vulnerable to damage and must be treated with care. Resist shampooing, brushing, vigorous combing, blow drying or set ting, any of which may cause the perm to drop. Once hair has been permed it remains curly and shaped the way it has been formed, although new growth will be straight. As time goes by the curl can soften and if the hair is long its weight may make the curl and the wave appear much looser.

Home Versus Salon Hair Perm

Perming is such a delicate operation that many women prefer to leave it in the hands of experienced, professional hair dressers. The advantages of having hair permed in a salon are several. The hair is first analyzed to see whether it is in fit condition to take a perm; colored, out-of-condition, or over-processed hair may not be suitable. With a professional perm there is also a greater choice in the type of curl - different strengths of lotion and different winding techniques all give a range of curls that are not available in home perm.

Home Rules For Perm Hair Style

If you do use a perm at home, it is essential that you read and follow the instructions supplied with the product. Remember to do a test curl to check whether your hair is suitable and check to make certain you have enough curlers. You will probably want to enlist the help of a friend, as it’s impossible to curl the back sections of your own hair properly, so you will need a helping hand. Timing is crucial - don’t be tempted to remove the lotion before the time given or leave it on longer than directed.

Salon Perms - The Choices

Professional hair dresser can offer a number of different types of perm that are not available for home use:

Acid perms produce highly conditioned flexible curls. They are ideally suited to hair that is fine, sensitive, fragile, damaged or tinted as they have a mildly acidic action that minimizes the risk of hair damage.

Alkaline perm give strong, firm curl result on normal and resistant hair.

Exothermic perm give bouncy, resilient curls. “Exothermic” refers to the gentle heat that is produced by the chemical reaction that occurs when the lotion is mixed. The heat allows the lotion to penetrate the hair cuticle, conditioning and strengthening the hair from inside as the lotion moulds the hair into its new shape.

Any of above types of perm can be used with different techniques to produce a number of results as under:- Body perm are very soft, loose perm created by using large curlers, or some times rollers. The results is added volume with a hint of wave and movement rather than curls. Root perms add lift and volume to the root area only. They give height and fullness and are therefore ideal for short hair that tends to go flat.

Spiral perm create romantic spiral curls, an effect that is produced by winding the hair around special long curlers. The mass of curls makes long hair look much thicker. Stack perm give curl and volume to one - length hair cuts by means of different sized curlers. The hair on top of the head is left unpermed while the middle and ends have curl and movements. Weave perms involve perming certain sections of hair and leaving the rest straight to give a mixture of texture and natural looking body and bounce, particularly on areas around the face such as the fringe.

Jerry White writes Hair Styles - http://www.hairstylescut.com, Short Hair Style - http://www.hairstylestalk.com and Beauty Makeup Tips http://www.free-makeup-tips.com