Science of Laser Hair Removal in SLOW MOTION 

I have heard of hair dye but this is making the hair die

I had my whole back done. They told me it would be like elastic band flicks, it wasn’t. It hurt like a b*tch and burnt like being jabbed with a steam iron over and over. Lucky I got anaesthetic cream for the pain. 6 sessions of hell but 10yrs later still 99% hair free. Laser hair removal works but is definitely a case of No Pain No Gain.

I never knew you could smell a video but here we are.

Gone, reduced to atoms. I used the hair to destroy the hair

so you basicaly burn yourself without burning yourself

Was fun shooting with you guys! :)

Shoulder hair: Minding their own business doing their hairy things Laser: I'm about to end these follicles' whole career

“It actually works best if you have really light skin and dark hairs” Finally, I have a purpose 😩

Lasers were once a huge scientific breeakthrogh; now we use them to play with cats. Computers were once a huge scientific breeakthrogh; now we use them to look at cats Conclusion: Science was made for cats

1:56 worst fake laugh attempt of the year

I loved this video. I love understanding, in simple terms, how these procedures work and the impact they have on our bodies. Well done!

Laser hair removal tech flirting with Derek for 5 minutes straight.

_Laser hair_ removal? I've always wanted to remove my laser hairs!

That doctor was definitely into Derek

I got 4 treatments of laser hair removal and although it slowed the growth initially, it all grew back. The body has an amazing ability to heal itself so damaging the follicle may not be a permanent thing afterall.

Everybody asks how it removes the hair, nobody asks: how is the hair!

I don't know why but when I watch that slow motion footage of the hairs getting killed with every flash, I can't help but feel bad for them.

2:35 looks like a movie scene when someone gets shot lol

2:40 (child crying) "HE'S ALREADY DEAD" as more blasts keep wrecking the corpse of the hair

This was very informative. I've had several laser hair removal procedures. One thing you need to know. Hair grows at different spurts. You will need several treatments over a period of a year to get it all. Every 3 or 4 months. Even with numbing cream it hurts like a son of a bitch. No joke. Top lip is very painful.

So, backwards effect for dark-skinned people with grey hair?

For some strange reason, this made me sad :(

I love seeing people this excited about science. Love you guys!

Tbh, although other channels have a lot more content uploaded a lot more frequently, Derek's enthusiasm is unmatchable. Love the channel. Keep the videos coming ^.^

2:27 I don't know why, but I felt really sorry for those hairs... it might have been the music.

Basically it burns the hair and you can wipe it off?

"I used the hair to destroy the hair" lmfao a man ahead of his time

“That’s why you get a tan...” I personally don’t. I just burn.

I feel like your Vsauce4 Or is that just absurd? Great video nonetheless!

this makes me not wanna hurt them

Epileptical people be like: *"WHEEEREEE WAS THEEEE WARNINGG"*

I find this a little odd. Usually for laser hair removal, you must shave 24 hours before or the day of. Having hair that is long or not shaved down may burn your skin or the laser can't detect the follicle well.

Uh, how dare they?! Killing innocent hair like that! 😰

Dude that woman was so into you

RIP Epileptics and People in dark Rooms in that slow motion Shot.

I want someone to look at me the way that doctor looks at Derek

I don't know why watching this has turned me off to continuing my laser hair removal treatment...but this was really informational. Thanks for doing this!

Pro tip. If you have "laser hair removal" in the title of the video, you can't really keep your audience in suspense by dancing around what the video will be about... :P

FUN FACTS: Infrared lasers at 1064 nm starts out as a 808 nm laser that pumps a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet crystal to produce the 1064 nm laser. Taking this one step further this 1064 nm laser pumps a KTP crystal which frequency doubles it to 532 nm, so now its a green laser! These are called Diode Pumped Lasers.

I can already hear the thanos memes at 4:10

LAST TIME I WAS THIS EARLY, THE UNIVERSE WASN'T CREATED YET.

Learning english and science at the same time, best channel ever

Am in process for laser hair removal now, and just completed my fourth session and decided to watch this video. 😂 I absolutely agree with everyone who says it’s painful. I had pain medication, and it was still brutal!!! BUT, when it is stinging, that’s when you know it’s an effective treatment!

Oh I'm so grateful that Derek is random enough to make a video about this. I needed it. Thanks Derek

So, in a way... You Feel the Bern? Bernie 2016!

I bet the slow-mo has already been freebooted on facebook.

2:29 "omg wtf you doing? stop! aarghhh stop this!!!" lmao

I have a question though, would it be harmful? I mean like, wouldn't it damage the oil gland and the sweat gland on your skin because there are those glands in the hair follicles aren't there? And they're supposed to protect your skin from heat and damage from friction

Hey, Veritasium I just wrote my last English paper for this semester over educational reform and people who have helped pioneer it. The person I chose to do mine over was you! I love your videos and admire your dedication to teaching/enticing people with the concept of science. I read a lot of your PhD while doing it and it made me respect you so much more. Keep making videos and captivating young minds like you did mine! Hope you read this and it brightens up your day (: -Matt

Thanks for not keeping us in suspense. After reading the title of the video I had no idea where you were going.

I bought an IPL machine that flashes light to damage the follicles function. Used twice a week it has had an effect but the thicker and stronger the hair the more time I’ve had to treat it. I’ve done some areas 30 times and they are certainly not growing back, almost no hair at all, just a light white stray hair here and there.I’ll keep up with it and there’s skills like ‘walking’ the machine across the skin and controlling the pressure and overlapping areas so that you’re getting the most effective treatment. Overall it’s a 50 buck machine that’s doing a slow but effective job.

Laser removal has improved so much since then

1:54 She's totally into you

I get laser hair removal done, I was initially confused why it was done on longer hair, but thankfully you explained towards the end! Awesome vid.

Who else got traumatized watching this? They looked like soldiers in the battlefield being shot by aliens. Mayday! Mayday!!🥲

You need to make a video like this of electrolysis. There are close-up videos of electrolysis already, but none that show electrolysis under a surgical microscope at magnifications of 1300X and 1000X.

the blonde hair removalist totally had the hots for you

why do you have worms in your arm?

will this be effective for pcos patients? I badly need laser hair removal

Lol she is into him ALOT, she laughed for a long ass time and stared directly at him 😂

if this video came out 5 months ago, it would have made my presentation on laser hair removal absolutely perfect!

"I'm not gonna keep you in suspense: [says title of video]"

Just got a home laser hair remover a week ago. Looked on youtube for some additional information. Found this video and remember now, that i allready watched it and that's why I got the device in the first place. Full circle. TY

Cool video veritasium, I'm watching more of your videos because of Diana and the sunscreen video. I was wondering how this ties in with sun protection? If it's destroying cells and melanin, would this have a drastic impact on how prone someone would be to skin cancer, sunburn, tanning or worse, pigmentation? Jokes about the last one, but I'm really curious about the rest! :)

I thought I was watching porn when the video started

I need this for a good hairlne

I love learning the little things like why there are flashes and not one longer exposure to the laser.

Just got my first session done! If you want a special kind of pain, have dark thick black hair and get them to zap your beard off. The pain is indescribable!

so can I laser off my butt hair?

The lady that worked that had such a good day.

Does it hurt a lot a lot? How does it feel like when the thing shoots? I’m probably going for IPL for facial hair next month and I’m really worried that it hurts a lot

Very interesting. How would you rate laser hair removal compared to electrolysis? Is Laser hair removal permanent like electrolysis? Great video, I love this channel!

She really didn't do a good job of playing it cool around him 😂😂😂

I have dark hair and dark skin so will I burn too?😂😅

Hi. Im a 12 year old doing laser hair removal for underarms. Did it hurt? Of course a little bit but i would rate the pain 2/10. The first time they ran the laser, i legit thought it was a sharp cotton bud. Yes, it felt like a cotton but with a 'pang' at the end. My mom did the brazilian one and she said it did'nt hurt (buuuut she has a high pain tolerance: she did'nt even scream/shout when giving birth!) So for her it was like 4/10

Who is watching 4 years later while this laser hair removal has become regular thing 😅😅😅

interesting, any chance that would incite cancer at all in distance future after such treatment?

But can it be done on balls safely? Last time I checked, a few years back, they wouldn't do balls and then the whole thing jsut became uselss

4:13 I used the stones to destroy the stones

Cool!! I feel like I need to wear those glasses to protect my eyes watching from my phone

Black hair lives matters

can you guys do a video on electrolysis hair removal? this was great and so informative!

After watching this dramatic video, i don t wanna kill my hair babiiiiies !

Making sure to turn on the subscription bell, because I have been subscribed for ages and watch every video in my inbox, and never saw this video. I'm discovering it right now because I'm going to try the procedure out myself, and it happened to come up in a search, lol

man, you can make even cosmetic hair removal seem interesting as hell.

you should make a video on the phenomenon of the moon appearing larger near the horizon thatn up in the sky!

Very informative and intriguing. I like how you explain things

I was curious about this, and hopped on youtube thinking, "Too bad I can't get a Veritasium or SmarterEveryDay video on something like this!"... I stand corrected, and am so glad for an excellent explanation!

Imma go eat some Cheetos now . . .

4:06 didnt know my hair had balls :D

Hi! Can you possibly do a video on the science of LHE (light heat energy) hair removal?

"I USED THE STONES TO DESTROY THE STONES"

A solution waiting for a problem. Sounds like many of my ideas.

0:37 looking cool Derreck, looking cool

I was watching This video in the dark and when it did the close up of the hair being removed the light from the laser gave me whiplash 😂

Are there any side effects after doing a laser hair removal?

Thank you for this video it was very informative and entertaining at the same time.

4:14 This shows why laser hair surgery should more accurately be called permanent hair reduction rather than permanent hair removal. Under ideal circumstances (dark hair/light skin) you can expect 15-30% permanent reduction. For permanent hair removal, electrolysis (where they, one-by-one, stick an electrode in your hair follicle and burn it from the inside) is pretty much your only option. That procedure certainly wouldn't be as visually dynamic, though :)

What if you're a very dark skin person with lots of melanin on the skin, will it also heat up your skin as a result? You mentioned it heats up the melanin in hair.

"Optical force" is how lasers are able to do this. Light carries momentum, although infinitesimally small, but lasers focus so much light in one beam that the thermal energy is is absorbed by the hairs and immediately starts to vaporize. A funny thing about optical force is that, since light is ludicrously fast, light bouncing back and forth between your eyes and what you're looking at is moving so quickly that, in an atomic manner, you are "touching" everything you look at - even objects like the moon, sun, and stars.