GRETCHEN PRATT
No one wants to shave every day or every other day. We don’t like the stubble feeling either, or the coarse hair that grows back. Waxing is amazing but you must let the hair grow quite a bit before your next treatment… and some of us struggle with monthly appointments for the rest of our lives. So, what are other options? LASER HAIR REMOVAL
There are several types of lasers that claim to “Remove” your hair. Please note that none can guarantee 100% elimination. Some growth is common- and usually treated with another session down the road. But these lasers work very well. Here are some important points to jot down if you are interested in laser hair removal.
1) Is your hair dark? Lasers will not pick up on blonde, reddish, or light-colored hair – such as gray ones.
2) Can you stay away from the sun (or cover the treated area) the duration of the treatment (months at a time)? You want to use sunscreen every time you are in the sun in the treated area. Laser hair removal procedures do affect your skin making it more sensitive to the sunlight – and possibility of hypo or hyperpigmentation.
3) Are you committed to keeping your laser appointment as specified by your practitioner? Hair grows in stages, and every area treated is different. Sometimes you do a treatment every month, sometimes 6 weeks, sometimes 8. You want to keep that appointment in order to achieve higher success rates.
What to expect:
At our Medispa, our nurse practitioner will perform a consultation with you, recording your medical history and skin type and explain thoroughly how the procedure is performed. After that you can start your first treatment. Both the provider and the patient will wear special lights to block out laser rays. Ultrasound gel is applied in the are being treated that day. This is to allow gliding and better results from the laser. The hand piece is placed on the skin and the laser fires, creating a light. You will feel cooling and then a feeling of “rubber bands” against your skin. Depending on the area, some people have more discomfort than other areas. The treatment may last form 10 minutes to 30 – depending on the area of the body being treated. You will smell burnt hair… not the most pleasant smell, but it’s the smell of success!
After your first treatment you may experience some redness or swelling, but this is just temporary. You will notice less hair growth between visits. That is a great feeling.
After your 6th appointment, we recommend you wait about 2 months to see if there is any re-growth. We can always spot treat any areas that did not get eliminated.
Please keep in mind that hormonal changes will affect the results of any laser treatment. So, make sure to discuss this with your provider during your visits.
Laser Hair Removal is a safe and gentle way of eliminating unwanted hair by reaching the root of hair follicles. Our hair removal technology covers a large treatment area, making treatments convenient and fast. Even better, most patients report little to no pain, due to 3PC Cooling that provides the ultimate in patient comfort. During laser treatment, a diode laser beam is targeted towards the hair follicles. The penetrating energy then heats up the root of the hair, destroying it, which prevents future hair growth.
Our laser hair removal technology can be safely used on most areas of the body that have unwanted hair. Most commonly treated areas include: bikini, legs, arms, chest, back, shoulders, stomach, neck, chin and sideburns.
