Cold laser hair removal is a safe and effective treatment, provided you follow your dermatologist’s pre- and post-treatment instructions carefully.
Laser light penetrates the skin and absorbs melanin (pigment). Once in contact, it emits from damaged follicles to be naturally eliminated by our bodies.
How do they work?
Laser hair removal is an effective solution to eliminate unwanted hair. Your dermatologist will use a hand-held laser instrument on the surface of your skin, with either a cooling device or gel applied at its tip to minimize discomfort during this procedure. Once activated, the laser’s light energy transforms to heat energy that damages hair follicles and inhibits future hair growth.
Most people require two to six laser treatments in order to see optimal results, due to hair’s cyclic growth and loss. Laser works best when hair is in its new-growth stage known as Anagen; you might see immediate hair fall out immediately during treatment but most will shed over the following days/weeks as hair regrows finer and lighter in color than the original hair follicles.
Before choosing a laser practitioner for treatment, ensure they possess adequate training and experience. One way of verifying this is to check if they’re registered as meeting set standards in skills, insurance coverage, training and expertise. Also avoid services from untrained practitioners as this could cause permanent skin damage.
Laser hair removal typically causes minimal pain; its severity varies for each person and session. While some may describe it as feeling similar to rubber bands snapping against their skin, others only report experiencing a slight prickling sensation during their sessions. Furthermore, it doesn’t last too long, and you can quickly resume regular activities after your appointment has taken place.
As part of your preparation for laser hair removal, it’s a good idea to refrain from plucking and waxing for six weeks prior to treatment. These methods remove hair roots, which could weaken laser treatments and lead to complications afterwards. In addition, apply broad spectrum sunblock on areas treated by the laser because direct sunlight could render laser hair removal less effective.
What are the benefits?
Soprano ICE system stands apart from traditional laser hair removal treatments in that its unique contact cooling technology ensures nearly pain-free treatments sessions. Furthermore, this cooling effect also protects skin from superficial burns during treatment sessions for added safety and comfort – especially important when treating darker skin tones.
Soprano ICE’s laser pulses are another factor behind its efficiency and safety; each pulse takes only fractions of a second to treat many hairs simultaneously – much faster than other cosmetic laser technologies; smaller areas, such as upper lips, can be treated in less than one minute while larger ones like back or legs may take up to an hour for treatment.
As laser and IPL treatments are medical procedures, it’s vital that patients select an experienced practitioner who has received proper training. Achieve this objective means confirming they have been registered on an official register with an insurance provider.
To achieve optimal results from laser hair removal treatments, it is recommended that you refrain from plucking, waxing or electrolysis in the area being treated six weeks prior to starting laser treatment. This is due to the laser needing to interact with hair follicles during their growth phase for effective treatment – any disturbance could thwart this and you won’t see any results from your efforts.
Dependent upon your skin type, two to six treatment sessions may be necessary for optimal hair removal. Each treatment session targets approximately 10-15% of anagen-stage hairs at any one time; by booking regular sessions every 4-8 weeks you should gradually see less and less hair growth until all hair removal treatments have taken place and you are completely hair free!
Once your treatments have been completed, you should experience hairlessness for months or even years – when hair does reappear it often comes back finer and lighter in colour than it did previously. Some individuals find they require additional laser treatments in order to remain hair free; this depends on individual circumstances.
What are the disadvantages?
Lasers emit light energy to target pigments within hair follicles and heat them, thus heating and destroying them, ultimately stopping hair production altogether. The procedure is usually quick and painless; most people feel only mild discomfort from it – sometimes similar to an elastic band snapping against the skin; for sensitive areas aestheticians may apply numbing cream beforehand to reduce sensations further.
Laser hair removal can cause skin damage when targeted too frequently or patchily, which usually happens when targeting hair follicles too frequently or unevenly. Your dermatologist will maintain cool temperatures during treatment to ensure the laser only heats pigments rather than any underlying tissues; keeping skin cool also minimizes blistering risk – should any occur, simply treat as any other blister would and apply sterile wound-healing cream as soon as possible to minimize them.
Laser hair removal does not work equally for all hair colors and skin tones, requiring regular treatments in order to achieve maximum effectiveness – typically once every four weeks for optimal results.
Laser hair removal may cause redness, swelling and scarring; though rare. You can reduce these side effects by following all pre- and post-treatment precautions; this includes avoiding sun exposure as much as possible and using high SPF sunscreens.
Cold laser hair removal does have some drawbacks, but remains one of the most effective long-term methods of eliminating unwanted hair. By damaging its root and inhibiting future regrowth, laser treatment prevents hair from reappearing the same way other methods, like shaving, plucking or waxing can. While laser costs more than these traditional techniques initially, over time its savings on depilatory creams, razor blades, waxing sessions can add up. Most people remain hair free for months or years following a series of laser treatments; when new growth does reappear it will usually be finer in thickness and lighter in color than before!
What are the alternatives?
Laser hair removal offers an effective permanent alternative to waxing, shaving and creams for hair removal. It’s quick, pain-free and saves you a substantial amount of time over time; also precise enough to avoid awkward in-between hair growth stages and ingrown hairs; on average it takes four or six sessions spaced monthly intervals until 90% reduction occurs in unwanted hair growth.
Both IPL and laser treatments use light beams that target your hair’s pigment, heating up its cells to destroy follicles and disrupting their cycle – effectively ending thicker or darker hair growth, eventually leading to its own fallout on its own.
If you’re considering laser hair removal, be sure to select an experienced and suitably qualified practitioner to carry out your treatment. When searching for someone qualified, look for registered providers who meet certain standards in terms of training, skill and insurance – this is particularly essential since light-based technologies can be extremely sensitive and cause skin changes if used incorrectly.
Your choice of laser or IPL treatment should depend on your skin tone. For instance, those with dark complexions should receive sunless skin lightening cream to reduce melanin absorption from light sources and avoid heat build-up from light exposure. Also it would be a good idea to refrain from tanning or using sunless skin creams for at least several weeks prior to their laser session.
To achieve optimal results, it’s essential that you stay consistent with your sessions and follow-up visits. Regular treatment sessions help your body adjust to the procedure and lower risk of side effects like redness and sensitivity. Furthermore, smoking or taking any medications which increase photosensitivity is best avoided; IPL and laser are generally safe treatments; however pregnant or breastfeeding mothers may not be eligible for laser treatment due to light sensitivity issues; always inform your provider if any medications or conditions cause light sensitivity before having treatment done.
