What
is Laser hair removal?
Laser is a quick method of hair reduction especially practical
for larger areas such as legs, underarms, bikini lines, arms and
backs.
Laser is a fast method of reducing unwanted hairs especially from
larger areas. An area such as a bikini line can be cleared in usually
less than one hour treatments. Large areas like a mans back and
full legs may take three to five hours to clear per treatment. Compared
to electrolysis it's a fraction of the time an electrologist would
take to clear the same area.
Is
laser hair removal permanent?
Laser has been approved by the FDA to advertise permanent hair
REDUCTION. Electrolysis is still the only proven method of PERMANENT
HAIR REMOVAL recognized by the FDA . Laser is used to REDUCE hair
growth, by reducing the texture of the hair or/and reducing the
amount of hair growth. A series of laser treatments give most candidates
hair reduction. A good laser candidate, a person with dark coarse
hairs will have better results. The best candidate may expect up
to 90% hair reduction in either hair texture or/and amount of hair
growth.
How does laser work?
A laser light is pulsed on the skin for a fraction of a second.
The laser is seeking a target, which is the melanin in your hair.
The laser energy is absorbed by the melanin and transmitted down
the hair to the growth center to be rendered inactive.
Laser hair removal is more successful on candidates with fair skin
and dark coarse hairs. The laser is only effective on dark hairs
in the growing stage, because hair in the growing stage has a large
bulb. The target or melanin that the laser is seeking is contained
in the hair bulb, therefore if the hair is not in the growing stage
there will be no target for the laser energy to absorb and no successful
reduction on that particular hair. We usually recommend at least
4 to 5 laser treatments per area to try and reach all hairs in the
growing period.
What
will I feel?
During the laser treatments you will feel a sensation like an elastic
band striking your skin. After the treatment the area may feel like
a slight sunburn. Emla may be applied prior to the treatment to
make treatments virtually painless.
For large dense haired areas I would recommend the use of Emla
during laser treatments. Emla is a topical anesthetic cream used
to freeze the area to make the treatments virtually painless. Some
large areas will take longer then one hour to treat and the Emla
will allow the client to relax and be more comfortable during the
treatment. Emla can be purchased over the counter at a pharmacy.
The laser technician will remove the emla before treatment commences.
Is
laser treatment safe?
Lasers have been used for years in many different forms. Clients
as well as laser technicians must wear protective eyewear during
the treatment.
There may be some temporary hypo or hyper pigmentation that will
disappear in a month. Occasionally a blister may occur if the client
has previously been exposed to the sun. Apply polysporin cream immediately
and contact your laser technician.
Who
can have laser treatments?
A good laser candidate must have dark hair, laser treatments are
not effective on white, blonde, or red haired people. Clients with
darker and coarser hairs usually have better results than those
with finer hairs.
We don't recommend laser treatments on pregnant women or women
planning on getting pregnant soon. We also ask potential clients
taking certain medications such as Retna A and Acutane to abstain
from these medications prior to laser treatments because of adverse
skin reactions.
Clients sporting a tan must wait for the tan to heal before beginning
or continuing laser treatments. Clients with blonde, gray, white
or light red hair are not good candidates for laser because their
hair does not contain enough melanin, the target the laser needs
to be effective.
How many treatments
will I need?
We recommend four to five laser treatments on each area to be treated
by laser hair removal.
The laser is dependent on the growth cycle of the hair. The laser
process is only effective on hair during the growing stage. Not
all hairs are in the growth cycle at the same time therefore repeated
treatments are necessary to treat the hairs when they enter the
growth phase. Usually five treatments are necessary to reach most
hairs in the growing phase, but sometimes additional treatments
may be necessary. If sparse hairs are remaining, electrolysis may
be suggested to finish up the treatments for a more reasonable cost
to the client.
How often should I have
laser treatments?
Laser treatments on the face are usually between 4 to 6 weeks intervals.
Most body area treatments are usually spaced at 8 to 12 week intervals.
The time between treatments vary because of the difference in growth
patterns of the facial and body hair. These times may vary with
each individual and the intervals will become further spaced as
the treatments progress.
How
expensive is laser hair removal?
The cost of hair removal by laser is determined by the area to
be treated.
Since the cost of laser is determined by the area to be treated
and not by the amount of hair the person has, clients with large
dense hair growth areas will benefit more from the cost of laser.
Many small areas or areas with sparse hairs are not cost effective
for laser and electrolysis is recommended in these circumstances.
Electrolysis is charged by the length of time therefore if you have
a small area or an area with sparse hairs electrolysis would be
a better choice for you. A consultation will also help you decide
what is your best choice for hair removal.
