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Epilation performed by laser was performed experimentally for about 20 years before it became commercially available in the mid 1990s. Laser and light-based methods are sometimes called phototricholysis or photoepilation.
In addition to lasers, some light-based epilators use a xenon flash lamp which emits full-spectrum intense pulsed light (IPL) . Treatment with this device is sometimes popularly referred to as laser hair removal, though the device is not a laser per se.
The primary principle behind laser hair removal is selective photothermolysis. Lasers can cause localized damage by selectively heating dark target matter in the area that causes hair growth while not heating the rest of the skin. Light is absorbed by dark objects, so laser energy can be absorbed by dark material in the skin (but with much more speed and intensity). This dark target matter, or chromophore, can be naturally-occurring or artificially introduced.
The costs of laser hair removal vary by region. The US average price for laser treatments is $429.00 according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Laser hair removal".
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