Laser hair removal treatment is today’s most progressive aesthetic technology. Until recently, getting rid of unwanted hair on different parts of body was a nuisance. It was uncomfortable, inconvenient and many procedures were painful and expensive, yet unreliable. And most of these treatments are temporary. But, with the advent of laser technology, things have changed and changed for good. This technology has been proved to be reliable, safe and affordable. It has proven to be an effective way of removing hair.

How it works

Laser hair removal treatment involves exposing the hair follicle to the light. This light turns into heat and damages the hair follicle and sends it into the sleep mode so that hair does not grow back. It treats the current growth cycle of hair. Hence, few sessions are required to treat all the cycles.

Men and women both can be treated for all the body parts. Other methods or hair removal do not damage the hair follicle. As a result, the hair grows back faster.

Procedure

Laser hair removal treatment is performed by the trained physician in his/her office. The length of the session depends on the area undergoing the treatment. It may take 20 to 80 minutes depending on the area being treated. It is relatively a painless procedure. The physician holds a laser close to the skin which heats the shaft, thus sending it into the dormant form. There is hardly any discomfort. Still, the physician applies ice prior to the procedure. There is cooling get at the top of the laser machine to keep the skin safe. It might feel like the rubber band snapping against your skin. Pain is quite tolerable for the smaller areas. However, if the area being treated is large, physician might use local anesthesia to reduce the level of pain and discomfort. There is hardly any post treatment discomfort. You can return to work immediately after the treatment.

Before the treatment

• Avoid tan or sunburns before going for laser treatment.
• People with darker skin tones can bleach the skin. But it must be done at least 2 weeks prior to the treatment
• Do not pluck the hair that need to undergo the treatment.
• Shaving the hair will make the treatment faster. But a shadow of hair should be visible.

After the treatment

• You must use the sun block cream whenever stepping out at least for few weeks.
• If the area feels sore, use a moisturizer
• Its best to use aloe Vera to soothe the skin
• There may be redness or swelling in that area for a while. This is normal. You may use cold compress to reduce it.
• Do not use any other method of hair removal while going through laser hair treatment.
• The hair that has undergone laser treatment might shed few weeks later. You can gently rub then skin to get the hair out.
• After the hair shed out, one might notice small black dots which seem stuck under the skin. These are called pepper-shots and are quite normal. They will also shed eventually. Scrubbing gently might help to get rid of them as well.

After shedding, there will be hair-free period of few weeks. Then, next cycle of hair becomes active and the growth starts. Once you have enough hair, you will go for the next round of treatment. It usually takes 5-9 weeks after the treatment. This process continues till the desired reduction of hair is reached.

But, if by any chance, the shedding does not happen even after 4 weeks of treatment, you must inform your technician. The technician might have missed few parts while doing the treatment and will do the touch up.

Beware of the false claims

Some clinics may make few false claims about the laser hair removal treatment. These could be

• The treatment is absolutely painless

It’s an overstatement. Though, this treatment is relatively pain-free, but that might not be the case with all the patients

• 100% hair removal

The published studies have shown that absolutely 100% hair removal might be the case for some of the candidates, but it is not same for all of them. A lot depends on you skin tone and texture of the hair

• Absolutely 0% re-growth

This has not been proved by any authorized agency

• Laser electrolysis-

Laser and electrolysis are two different terms and treatments. Some clinics use them interchangeably to convince the customers. Laser has many advantages over electrolysis. Same hold true for electrolysis as well.

• Some clinics claim that laser is better than electrolysis. This might not be always the case