sonamedspa

Will Laser Hair Removal Work For Me?

Let us explore this question by reviewing how the laser targets the hair follicle. The laser emits a gentle beam of light that passes through the skin where it is absorbed by the melanin (color) in your hair. As it is absorbed, the laser energy is transformed into heat which then disables the hair follicle and prevents further growth.

The key to this question is whether you have sufficient melanin in your hair in order for the laser to be able to selectively target the hair follicle, rather than the surrounding skin. So, if you, for instance, have grey hair, that has very little or no melanin left at all, laser hair removal will not be effective at all. Due to the fact that a laser targets melanin, the more melanin an individual has in his/her hair, the more effective a laser will be. Therefore, someone with gray, red, or blonde hair is not as good a candidate for laser hair removal.

But there is also the other side of this same equation. Melanin is also what gives our skin color. Therefore, the more melanin in your skin, the darker it looks. The laser targets melanin, and since the laser does not distinguish between melanin in hair and melanin in skin, the more melanin present in the skin, the more the laser is going to target the skin rather than the hair. Therefore, someone with darker skin is not as good a candidate for laser hair removal. Technology has however developed to the point that laser hair removal can successfully be done on all skin types, but the more melanin present in the skin, the more care should be taken by the treating clinician.

Light skin and dark hair are the best combination for laser hair removal. The more closely an individual's skin tone matches his/her hair color, the less likely he/she is to benefit from laser hair removal.

A consultation is normally required to determine if you really are a suitable candidate for a laser hair removal procedure. As a rule, dark, coarse hairs on any part of the body usually respond well to the laser hair removal procedure. On the other hand, very fine or very lightly colored hair — whether it's white, gray, or red — do not respond well to treatment.

Noel Halgreen
Sōna MedSpa

The Impact of Alcohol on our Skin

Alcohol prematurely ages the skin because it dehydrates, robbing it of precious moisture and leaving it looking dull. It also aggravates acne and gives your skin a puffy, broken vein look.

Noel Halgreen
Sõna MedSpa

How does hair grow?

Have you ever wondered why the hair on your head can grow long while your eyebrows remain fairly uniform in length?

Each hair on your body grows from its own individual hair follicle. A follicle will produce new cells for a certain period of time depending on where it is located on your body. 

All the hair on our bodies grow in three phases.

During the first phase, called the Anagen Phase, the hair is actively growing and contains a number of microstructures not present during any other time.  Two of these structures, the bulge and the papilla, are believed to control hair growth.  It is during this stage that the hair follicle is directly connected to the blood vessel.  It is important to note that only during this stage that we can permanently disable hair growth.  The life of the hair is in the blood!  If we curtail the blood supply, we can prevent re-growth.

During the second phase, called the Catagen Phase, the hair has stopped growing and is beginning to pull away from the papilla.  The bulge is reabsorbed into the body at this time as well.  While we still see the hair, it is no longer connected to the blood supply.  Thus, while the hair can be destroyed during this phase, it cannot be permanently disabled.  The hair will grow back in time.

During the third phase, the Telogen Phase, the hair has become completely dormant.  It is no longer connected to anything substantial and it is preparing to fall out.  This hair will shed once a new Anagen hair begins to form below. 

Not all body hair is alike.  For example, at any given time, 85% of the hair on your scalp is in the Anagen Phase and the Anagen Phase on the scalp lasts between two to six years.  So, most of the hair on your head is actively growing at any given time, and this also explains why the hair on your head can grow so long.  On the other hand, with your eyebrows, only 10% of the hair is in the Anagen Phase at any one time and the phase lasts only between three to nine weeks. 

It is interesting that animals that shed have hair follicles that synchronize their rest phase. This means that all of the follicles enter the rest phase at the same time. Not surprisingly, all of the hair falls out at one time. For instance, a dog that sheds will lose its hair in large clumps.

Noel Halgreen
Sõna MedSpa

What Causes Acne?

Acne is an extremely common disease that effects the hair follicles and is characterized by pimples, blackheads, whiteheads, cysts, pustules, and, sometimes, - sadly - scars. The causes of acne are linked to the changes that take place in their bodies as young people mature from childhood to adolescence. It affects about 80% of teenagers, but plays havoc with the lives of many young adults too. The hormones that cause physical maturation also cause the sebaceous glands of the skin to produce more oil (called sebum). The hormones with the greatest effect on sebaceous glands are male hormones (called androgens). These hormones are present in females as well as males, but in higher amounts in males.

Acne is predominantly caused by four factors:

• “Stickiness” of the skin cells,
• Overproduction of oil,
• Proliferation of bacteria, and
• Inflammation.

Simply put, someone with acne tend to have sticky skin cells that clump together and plug their hair follicles. This is what causes “blackheads” and “whiteheads”. Blackheads develop as the contents of the sticky clump become dark when exposed to air.

Oil glands are found together with a hair shaft in a unit called a sebaceous follicle. In people who develop acne during puberty, the cells of the skin that line the follicle begin to shed more rapidly These cells tend to stick together more so than in people who do not develop acne. When cells mix with the increased amount of oil being produced during this period of transition, they can plug the opening of the follicle. Meanwhile, the oil glands merrily continue to produce oil (sebum), with the result that the follicle swells up with sebum.

Oil then accumulates behind the “plug” and facilitates the overgrowth of bacteria in the area. Everyone has some bacteria on their skin, but when you when you’re the development of acne, the effect of the bacteria on the oil ultimately leads to inflammation. A small pimple occurring, which resolves without leaving any residual is the best case scenario. Sadly, sometimes a cyst may develop – and worse - a scar may be left behind after the pimple or cyst resolves.

As if al of this is not enough, a normal skin bacteria (called P. acnes), begins to multiply rapidly in the clogged hair follicle. These bacteria produce irritating substances that under these circumstances cause inflammation. Sometimes, the wall of the follicle bursts – as is shown in the picture above - spreading inflammation to the surrounding skin.

This is the process by which acne lesions, from pimples to blackheads, are formed.

Noel Halgreen
Sõna MedSpa

Why Does Our Skin "Age”?

Good question! Why could we not “forever” look like we did in our early 20’s?

You can often form an idea of how old someone is by looking at his or her face - specifically the skin (just don’t be brave enough to say what you think!). Generally, as people age, the skin normally develops wrinkles. If the person has spent a lot of time in the sun, or at tanning salons, he or she might have a lot of wrinkles – even at a much younger age. All of this is even further accelerated by smoking cigarettes.

When a person is young – in their teens or early twenties - he or she doesn't (yet!) have wrinkles because the skin does a marvelous job of stretching as well as holding in moisture. The dermis (which is the middle layer of the skin between the upper layer [epidermis] and the innermost layer [subcutaneous layer]) has an elastic quality thanks to fibers called elastin.  Elastin keeps the skin looking and feeling young. A protein in the dermis called collagen also plays a part in preventing wrinkles. Collagen functions almost like “scaffolding”, giving the skin its structural strength.

Over time, the middle layer of the skin loses both collagen and elastin. The collagen in the face becomes less elastic and allows the soft tissue features of the face to sag. The skin therefore gets thinner and has trouble getting enough moisture to the upper layer (epidermis). The plump appearance of the skin in the “younger years” is given to it by the fat in the subcutaneous layer. This fat also begins to disappear, with the result that the epidermis starts to sag, and sadly, wrinkles form.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on whether you inherited the “good genes” in the family, there's not a magic age (like 40) when everyone suddenly gets wrinkles. Some people even in their 20’s start developing little wrinkles around their eyes (called "crow's feet"). This could be from squinting or spending too much time in the sun, but could also be genetic.

Other - very fortunate! - people may be in their 50’s or even 60’s before you can even see a wrinkle. To be in this (small) category, you would almost certainly have "good genes" - which means you family members don't have many wrinkles. Furthermore, you would have taken good care of your skin over the years and may have more sebum, the skin's natural oil. Eventually everyone shows some wrinkles.  It's a natural part of the aging process – some are just better at resisting the inevitable aging process, either through their genes or through good skin care over an extended period of time.

Noel Halgreen

Sōna MedSpa

Breakthrough Technology to Help You Quit Smoking

When quitting, people who are the most successful at living life typically get help, and plenty of it. Sadly, eighty percent of smokers who quit do so without being in any program – and studies show that in excess of 95% of these self-reliant quitters fail, and go right back to smoking.