Are you unhappy shaving, tweezing and waxing to get rid of unwanted hair on your body?
If the daily maintenance has you frustrated, then laser hair removal may be right for you.
Laser hair removal is safe for all parts of your body, and permanently removing or reducing the hair, especially on your legs, can save you time, money and aggravation.
In this article, we answer the question, “Why laser hair removal?” First, let’s look at what it is.
What is Laser Hair Removal?
A common aesthetic procedure, laser hair removal is a convenient, noninvasive method for permanently reducing or removing your unwanted facial or body hair.
Lasers are useful for removing unwanted hair from your face, legs, arms, underarm, bikini line and other areas.
You’ll find your skin is smoother and silkier than when using razors, waxing or electrolysis. Laser hair removal can treat larger areas quite well with no downtime and little discomfort.
The Best Candidates for Laser Hair Removal
You might consider laser hair removal if:
- You have dark hair and light skin.
- You want an alternative to waxing, shaving, bleaching and electrolysis.
- The hair on your face and body makes you feel self-conscious.
The results of your treatment depend many factors including your age, ethnicity, medications, hormone levels, the body area, the coarseness and length of your hair and how dark your hair is.
Your aesthetician is uniquely qualified to determine if the treatment is right for you.
How Does It Work?
Laser hair removal beams highly concentrated light into your hair follicles. The pigment in the follicles absorbs the light, and this destroys the hair.
The laser pulses for just a fraction of a second to destroy many follicles at one time. Permanent hair removal depends on may factors including hair color, skin color and the strength of the laser the patient can tolerate.
Generally, patients note up to a 15-30% permanent hair loss with each treatment.
Preparing for Laser Hair Removal
Before your laser hair removal treatment, you’ll meet with your aesthetician who’ll answer your questions and give you some guidelines that may include:
- Wearing sunscreen or avoiding the sun before your treatment. You don’t want to tan your skin.
- Using bleaching cream if you have darker skin
- Not plucking, waxing or using electrolysis before your treatment
On the day of your treatment, you may have an application of topical anesthetic gel before the treatment. You’ll be given an ice pack after to ease any discomfort.
In most cases, you’ll experience very little pain. You may feel a slight stinging sensation during the procedure.
Depending on the area treated, you can expect to spend 15 minutes to an hour or more.
After the treatment, you can return home and resume normal activities.
Recovery Expectations
Right after your treatment, you’ll have smoother skin and a reduction in the number of hairs in the treated area. You may notice some redness or minor skin irritation, but it should clear quickly.
Your aesthetician will recommend skin care products for the treated area. You must wear sunscreen in the treated areas when exposed to the sun.
In the weeks following your treatment, you may notice an increase in hair growth in the treated areas as dormant hair follicles that weren’t affected by your earlier laser treatment enter their growing phase.
A typical follow-up treatment is usually recommended in intervals of four-eight weeks.
How Long Will It Last?
Hair removal is permanent.
Most patients experience permanent hair loss after an average of three-eight sessions. This ensures that all active-growth hair follicles have been removed.
Final Thoughts
Laser hair removal is a very common aesthetic procedure. You’ll find it’s a convenient way to reduce and remove the amount of unwanted hair on your body with minimal discomfort and no downtime.
If you’d like to learn more about this treatment and see if it’s right for you, please contact us today!