Page 72 - Chapter 3 - Laser/IPL Hair Removal

Chapter 3 – Fundamentals of Laser/IPL Hair Removal 2nd Edition
It is very clear that the fluence MUST be chosen according to the depth of the follicle (more precisely, the bulb) to ensure good results. But higher fluences must also be ‘balanced’ by more pre-cooling to minimise any unwanted damage in the epidermis and dermis.
In fact, the reason why so many treatments fail is because the fluence is too low!! But, the higher the fluence, the higher the risk of damaging other tissues on the skin, particularly the epidermal basal layer.
So, we MUST mitigate this risk by using more cooling. The easiest way to consider this is to think of a balance:
More fluence = More surface cooling
Increasing the surface cooling will reduce the risk of epidermal damage (see ‘Risk’ section later).
Figure 36 – The higher the fluence you apply. The higher the success rate. But, the risk of unwanted damage also increases, so more cooling must also be applied
From the above graphic, we can see that a low fluence equates to a low success rate. This is very typical! While we may be in the ‘safe zone’, we will not generate good results.
________________________________________________________________________ 72 Chapter 3, Ed. 2.0 Laser/IPL Hair Removal
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