Page 193 - Chapter 3 - Laser/IPL Hair Removal

Chapter 3 – Fundamentals of Laser/IPL Hair Removal 2nd Edition
How to apply the 'SHR' and 'stamping' techniques properly during hair removal
Laser/IPL operators often use the 'SHR' or 'stamping' techniques when applying their devices to hair removal on the skin. But I often see people using the wrong approach. This will, inevitably, lead to poor results or an excessive number of treatment sessions.
In this video Mike explains how to apply these techniques correctly, to increase your chances of success.
Please note that the appropriate fluences, skin cooling and wavelengths must also be considered, depending on the hair depths and skin colours. I discuss these in other blog posts.
By using the correct technique, combined with the correct settings, you should always achieve good results with hair removal, in around 6 to 8 sessions.
The ‘Stacking’ Technique
Another method which is gaining popularity, is the so-called ‘stacking’ technique. This is essentially a mix of the stamping and SHR techniques and has been shown to work pretty well in some scenarios.
With this approach, the laser/IPL is set to a typical SHR mode (high frequency, low fluence) but now several shots are fired at the same spot – the laser/IPL head is stationary (unlike SHR). The idea is to build up heat energy in that one area to increase the temperature sufficiently.
This method tends to be used when the laser or IPL unit is not delivering sufficient power in each shot to do the job properly in ‘Stamping’ mode. As long as the frequency is more than 5Hz, or thereabouts, then this should work reasonably well. But it should not be applied with a high fluence or unwanted tissue damage will likely occur.
Summary of techniques
Stamping SHR Stacking
High Low Low High Low High
One shot per area Scanning motion Several shots per area
Technique Fluence
Frequency Application
The table above summarises the various techniques described. The choice is yours!
________________________________________________________________________ 193 Chapter 3, Ed. 2.0 Laser/IPL Hair Removal
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