Space and Physics
PUBLISHED
Laser hair removal might look like an innocent flash and a poof of smoke, but up close it looks more like a savage shootout Quentin Tarantino would be proud of.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.The team from YouTube channel Veritasium took a ride to a beauty salon with a super slow motion camera to discover what exactly goes on when you zap your body hair with a laser.
As they explain in the video, the bursts of energy from the laser are absorbed by the hair. The high energy light is particularly attracted to the dark melanin pigment in hair, but not the surrounding skin, and manages to fry the water in a hair to 100°C (210°F). The treatment is so effective at destroying the hair, it also manages to damage the hair’s follicle and prevents the hair from regrowing.
Check out the video below for more information about the science of zapping your hairs off.
[H/T: Gizmodo]
