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How Does Melanin Absorption Work?
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How Does Melanin Absorption Work?

Melanin absorption is the process where melanin (the natural pigment that gives color to your skin and hair) absorbs certain wavelengths of light. This is important because melanin is great at capturing energy, especially from light sources like the sun or lasers. When melanin absorbs light, it converts it into heat.

Why Does Melanin Absorb Light?

Melanin absorbs light because it’s essentially your skin’s built-in sunscreen. Its job is to soak up light, especially UV rays from the sun, to keep the skin from becoming damaged. When light hits melanin, the energy is absorbed and turned into heat, which helps prevent deeper harm to your skin cells.

In addition to soaking up ultraviolet (UV) light, melanin can also absorb light in the visible spectrum and in the near-infrared spectrum (this is the category of light emitted by laser hair removal devices).

In other words, this ability to absorb light is why laser hair removal works, as the specific wavelength of the lasers targets melanin in the follicles (instead of targeting the melanin in the skin), heating them up just enough to slow down or stop future hair growth.

Melanin Absorption in Laser Hair Removal

For laser hair removal, melanin absorption is key. The laser emits a concentrated beam of light, which is absorbed by the melanin in your hair follicles. This turns the light into heat, which then damages the follicle, slowing down and eventually preventing future hair growth.

Since melanin is what attracts the laser’s energy, the treatment works best when there’s a contrast between the hair and skin — meaning darker hair on lighter skin responds the fastest. However, with advanced laser machines like the dual-wavelength systems SEV uses, all skin tones can be treated safely and effectively by choosing the right laser and adjusting the settings to protect the skin.SEV How Does Melanin Absorption Work