Is Laser Hair Removal Right for You?
In today's society where the way a person looks is so important, the misplacement of body or facial hair can be a liability. The problem is not whether the hair needs to be removed, but rather what is the best method to accomplish this goal. Laser hair removal is growing popularity, mostly because it is a semi-permanent solution.
Many people prefer laser hair removal because they see dramatic results from having it done. Results such as a 50% reduction in hair after four months, with only one treatment. With the normal patient needing a treatment only every six to twelve months. Most people also like the fact that when the hair grows back, it is usually sparser and of a finer texture.
While the Nd:YAG method is still in use, there is a newer, less time-consuming laser hair removal method available. This method uses pulses rather than a continuous laser light beam to warm up the follicles. The newer method also removes the need for waxing of the skin as well as for the application of the carbon-based lotion. The use of the pulse allows the follicle to be heated more quickly while exposing the skin to lesser amounts of damaging heat.
One of the reasons that lasers are becoming so popular is that this system is a relatively painless form of hair removal, especially when compared to the more traditional forms of body hair removal. The laser hair removal system also provides excellent outcomes in the face, underarm area and neck, resulting in a 60-80% success rate within two to three visits.
While laser hair removal treatments offer great results that last, it is fairly expensive, especially when compared to hair removal methods that need to be done on a more frequent basis. For example, to remove facial hair, the series of treatments that would be needed will cost approximately $1,000, depending upon where you live. More involved procedures, such as men's backs or legs will be around $3,000 for the series of treatments.
Laser hair removal provides effects that are similar to electrolysis, but are much more painless. There are several types of laser systems that have been approved for use in hair removal, while they all work a little differently; the premise is the same for all of them, by removing the hair at the follicle.
If you feel that laser hair removal is the right choice for you, it is important to research the facility that will be performing the procedure before you have even one treatment done. Make sure that you check for complaints from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in your area and ask if the technicians on staff are licensed and if there is a doctor or nurse on staff in case of an emergency.
John Mancini has been writing about Laser Hair Removal online and offline for a long time. Visit http://laser-hair-removal-expert.com or http://hair-removal-home.info to read more about matters like hair removal for man and facial hair removal.


Bird Flu True to Form? A Pandemic Scenario
Lee tried to stifle a sneeze but couldn't. Invisible to the naked eye, a cloud of almost five thousand virus-filled droplets launched into the air at some 150 km/ hour or roughly 100 mph. Some passengers in the wide-body Airbus frowned. The Hong Kong to London flight was long and no one wanted to catch a cold.
Lee planned to fill every waking moment of his stay in London. A concert at the Millennium Dome, dinners at some of the finest hotels, shopping in crowded malls – "What a chance," Lee thought. All he had to concentrate on was a few hours in front of the International Board. It was his job to present sales trends in China to the bosses who were also winging it towards Heathrow, one of the world's busiest airports. "The global executives will get only good news from me," figured Lee. "Pity I don't feel better …"
The Diagnosis
Lee was exhausted. He had a cough, scratchy throat, runny nose and muscle aches. A fever started but it wasn't until Lee began having difficulties breathing that he decided to get help.
Doctors huddled in subdued discussion. Experts were rushed in. It was finally determined that Lee's body was fighting strenuously against two viruses. Lee had caught a highly infectious Influenza A virus – a flu bug. However, at much the same time he had also picked up a second virus called H5N1. The two viruses had mixed their genes and formed a hybrid. Since this was now a radically new pathogen, Lee had no immunity to it.
Lee was not the only one in this fight. Infected passengers from Lee's plane from Hong Kong had connecting flights to major cities in most continents. The global executives Lee had addressed at the office had also flown home diseased. Sadly, some of the medical staff where Lee was diagnosed had also caught it not to mention the crowds Lee had interacted with at concerts, restaurants and on shopping sprees. The so-called Bird Flu or Avian Influenza had indeed spread its wings. It was the start of the first flu pandemic of the 21st century.
The News
Had Lee or any of the others known in time, they would have taken anti-viral drugs hoping to block or at least slow down the replication of the virus. At least the severity of some symptoms might have been eased not to mention a reduction in the duration of sickness. But time had run out - anti-viral medication needed to be taken within 48 hours of the first stages of the disease.
It wasn't long before Lee was put on a respirator in quarantine. It also wasn't long before the media found out Lee had Bird Flu. The public became nervous. The number of flu patients – real or imaginary – multiplied dramatically but nurses and hospital staff were strangely missing … using overdue holiday time or just not showing up for work at all. It was announced that schools, restaurants, and non-essential businesses would be closed. No deadline was given – no one knew for sure how long the measures would have to be in place.
The Public Announcement
Wisely, the public was advised to stock up on food and water. Newspapers advised people to stock up on toothpaste, toilet paper and treasure (cash). People were told to shop at off-peak hours and public transport was ordered to run 24 hours per day. But despite warnings to the contrary, doctor's offices, hospitals and clinics were overrun. Faces masked in paper waited for hours in front of pharmacies in hope of getting relief. Despite clear instructions from health officials, panic broke out as folk finally fathomed that at best only one third of the population had access to anti-viral drugs. In rural areas and smaller towns, there wasn't any chance at all.
The Short-term Havoc
Rumors and half-truths began to circulate causing public outcry and protests. Because the protests only helped spread the flu, quarantines were set in place. The public was told to stay at home indefinitely. Vibrant cities screeched to a halt as public transport shut down. Streets stank as garbage piled up. Shops were looted and in some cases those caught coughing were stoned. Safety services (fire, police, ambulance) were disrupted, fires burned out of control. Cross-border travel was curtailed killing tourism and all international sports events were cancelled. Food imports were banned creating shortages of meat, vegetables and wheat. Folk with chronic medical illnesses couldn't get their medications. Soap and disinfectants – perhaps the simplest and most effective fight against the spread of disease – were in short supply; no one had thought to stock-pile soap.
The Controversy
Local governments and health organizations began to squabble over who had the power to do what. The question was of legalities: who would control distribution of anti-viral drugs and who would receive those drugs? Army barracks received attention but prisoners were ignored. Families with pets were labeled as 'higher risk' groups but no-one knew if these families should receive more help or less. As in-fighting became more severe, decision processing became more difficult. Who should give the daily press briefings? Who would organize mass cremation? Who would facilitate conferences for global medical meetings? The list grew rapidly.
The Waves
The first wave of the pandemic was over in three months time but not the shock. Bacterial disease such as cholera multiplied rapidly with catastrophic results across Africa and Asia. The longer-term, global recession began with the realization that supply-lines, manufacturing and food-production chains were desperately weakened through labor loss. Medical facilities were terribly understaffed. As usual, the poor had little chance of aid at all. And then came the second wave of Avian flu. It took over a year before the waves of sickness and death became controllable.
Lee actually survived it all. Although he "started" the pandemic, he also helped "end" it. Doctors used his blood to find the initial vaccine. Since Lee was also now immune, he not only volunteered to help where he could and also founded the World Association of Sensible Hygiene (WASH). More importantly, Lee and others like him helped disrupted societies regain their faith and hope and love. Since this was pandemic number 11 in the last 300 years, history had taught that it was inevitable that individuals and communities and countries would bounce back fairly quickly. But a bitter question remained. Would Lee and the rest of the world be better prepared for the next pandemic? Lee wondered that too as he bordered the wide-body Airbus destined for Mexico City.


What Do You Need to Know Before Getting a LASIK procedure
When children wear glasses, they are generally teased and made fun of. When those same children get older, they often times switch to contact lenses to make themselves look like the other kids. Finally, they reach adulthood. Now they can make decisions about their eye care with out their parents input. Then they learn about the LASIK procedure, which promises to take away the need for glasses or contact lenses forever with a 30-minute surgery.
The first thing that will happen is your eye will get a washed out with a numbing solution. The lid will then be held in an open position with special clamps to prevent blinking. Once the numbing solution has started to work, the surgeon will use the machines magnifying lens and a scalpel to cut a flap-like incision in the cornea.
The laser works based on pulses, when enough tissue is removed, the computer tells the laser to shut off. The surgeon then closes the flap of the cornea. That's it; your LASIK procedure is complete!
When you enter the room where your procedure will take place you will see a recliner type chair. This is where you will be sitting for the surgery, so get comfortable. There will also be a large machine, with which the surgeon will perform the surgery. This machine might look clumsy, but it is a precision piece of equipment.

The surgeon does not use any sutures to close the incision on the cornea, instead a patch will be placed over the eye for protection during the healing process. You will end up looking like a pirate, but the patch will protect the cornea from the scratches and bumps of everyday life.
Before jumping into a LASIK procedure, it is important to know what to expect and how to pick the doctor who will perform the surgery for you. When you visit you eye care professional to discuss if this option is right for you, there will be some tests that need to be completed. These tests will let the doctor know if you are a candidate for the LASIK procedure and, if you are, how much tissue needs to be removed from your cornea to improve your vision.
Most LASIK procedure patients return to work with in a couple of days and to normal everyday activities gradually over a couple of weeks. Be prepared to have blurry vision and sensitivity to light. These will both pass, and your vision will be as clear as it was with glasses or better.
John Mancini has been writing about Eye Surgery online and offline for a long time. Visit http://laser-eye-surgery-central.info or http://ez-laser-eye-surgery.com to read more about matters like laser eye surgery and lasik surgery.