Laser hair removal offers an effective permanent solution that eliminates the need for shaving, waxing and plucking – leaving only regular maintenance to do.
A practitioner will apply a hand-held laser instrument directly onto the skin, using cooling technology or gel as necessary to safeguard its protection and minimize discomfort.
1. Removes dead skin cells
As anyone who has tried shaving, plucking, waxing or depilatory creams on their body or face knows, ingrown hairs can be quite irritating. These small red bumps form when hair from shaving, plucking or waxing penetrates back into the skin after being removed – leading to inflammation, itchy bumps that can even lead to infection or pigmentation! There are a variety of methods to prevent and treat ingrown hairs effectively but laser hair removal stands out among them as one of the most reliable remedies.
Ingrown hairs occur when dead skin cells clog a hair follicle and alter its direction of growth, often with painful results. They may occur anywhere on the body but most commonly on areas that are regularly shaved such as legs, underarms and bikini lines. Furthermore, ingrown hairs often appear on facial features where shaving takes place such as acne-prone spots like legs underarms and bikini lines; furthermore they often arise on darker skin tones making this issue even more likely.
If left untreated, ingrown hairs can irritate the surrounding skin and lead to inflammation known as folliculitis. This condition often manifests as painful pustules filled with hair surrounding clogged ingrowns; leaving scarring or discoloration behind. Laser hair removal treatments offer hope by eliminating existing ingrowns while decreasing future chances of them appearing.
Reasons behind laser treatment to reduce ingrown hairs is due to how its energy destroys hair follicles; once they have been destroyed, they cannot produce hair and thus cannot become clogged with dead skin cells, leading to reduced ingrown hair formation. Furthermore, any new growth tends to be thinner and finer making it less likely to penetrate skin layers and become ingrown hairs.
Laser hair removal may be the ideal method of combatting ingrown hairs; however, it doesn’t always work due to hormonal fluctuations and medications/dietary supplements taken for hair growth. Be sure to inform your laser technician if taking any such supplements as soon as they appear!
2. Reduces hair growth
Anyone who has ever shaved, waxed or tweezed away body hair knows the frustration associated with ingrown hairs. These hairs grow back into the skin instead of exiting, causing bumps and irritation – sometimes leading to scarring and dark pigmentation of the area where they reside.
Laser hair removal can help to effectively eliminate ingrown hairs and prevent future ones by permanently eliminating hair follicles. Pulses of light from the laser heat up and destroy these follicles, stopping future production of hair. It provides a far superior solution than shaving or waxing which only remove current growing hairs.
Once hair follicles stop producing hair, they enter a resting or dormant state and will eventually start growing back much lighter and finer than before, becoming less noticeable over time. When coupled with laser treatments over multiple sessions, unwanted hairs could almost completely go away!
To achieve optimal results from laser hair removal treatments, it is crucial to limit plucking and waxing beforehand, as these methods disrupt the anagen phase of hair growth cycles, rendering laser treatments less efficient. Furthermore, sun exposure makes hairs more vulnerable to laser light.
As laser light targets melanin in hairs, its effectiveness is most evident on darker hues; blondes and redheads may experience difficulty. While laser hair removal might not completely eradicate unwanted strands, it can significantly decrease thickness and quantity, rendering them significantly less of an irritation.
Laser hair removal will not eradicate all unwanted hairs at once; some may still be in catagen or telogen phases and therefore it is essential to continue treatment as per recommended protocol. Therefore, appointments should be scheduled regularly to complete recommended number of sessions.
3. Prevents ingrown hairs
Ingrown hairs can be an extremely painful issue and removal may take quite some time. They may also lead to more serious consequences like infection and scarring. They are caused by hair follicles becoming clogged with sebum, an oil produced by your body, through shaving, waxing, plucking or hair removal cream use; when this happens the follicle becomes trapped beneath the skin rather than rising out from underneath as normal and grows into it rather than rising up out of it like it should do.
For best results in preventing ingrown hairs, exfoliation should be practiced on a regular basis to help rid yourself of dead skin cells & debris that clogs your pores. When shaving, be sure to use an adequate razor and always shave in the direction that the hair grows. You could also consider trying hair removal products specifically tailored for ingrown hair prevention like alpha hydroxy acids such as salicylic acid to reduce sebum build-up and minimize ingrown hair formation.
While these measures can help to prevent ingrown hairs, they’re only temporary fixes; you will still have to deal with them from time to time. Laser hair removal treatments offer another permanent solution; using pulses of light to destroy hair follicles at their roots ensures no ingrown hairs grow out from it in future and also stops the follicle from producing new hair growth altogether.
Ingrown hairs can be both uncomfortable and embarrassing to manage, often occurring around the face due to regular shaving/trims of facial hair causing it to grow back inward towards the skin and cause itching and irritation. Laser hair removal offers an effective solution that can completely eradicate ingrown hairs from both men and women alike – laser removal can eradicate ingrowns completely for both genders, providing permanent solutions.
4. Reduces pain
Any person who has ever shaved, waxed, or plucked body hair knows that ingrown hairs can be painful and unsightly. Ingrowns occur when hair grows back into the skin instead of above it, forming an irritating bump which may require special razors or exfoliators for removal. They can even lead to infections in the area as well as permanent scars.
Laser hair removal addresses ingrown hairs by directly targeting their source: the hair follicle. Light energy delivered from lasers heats the follicle and disables its ability to produce more hair; some patients describe this experience as feeling like having a rubber band snapped against their skin. While some discomfort may be experienced during treatment, this can be minimized with topical numbing cream or over-the-counter pain relievers taken prior to commencing the process.
Laser hair removal treatments can initially be quite painful; however, with each subsequent one becoming gradually less intense. This is because each successive laser session targets pigment in hair follicles to gradually eliminate them over time, thus lessening pain associated with each treatment session.
Some individuals find laser hair removal more painful than others, particularly in areas with thinnest skin like the abdomen and back. Other sensitive spots include facial features and underarms as well as areas with multiple hair follicles such as Dr. Pierre notes in her explanations.
Before initiating laser hair removal treatments, it is crucial to shave the area to prepare it for laser energy and help avoid collateral damage to surrounding tissues. Shaving also enables the laser to easily identify hair follicles below the surface of skin.
Prevent laser hair removal discomfort by taking acetaminophen or Tylenol an hour prior to treatment. This will help lower your blood pressure, which increases nerve sensitivity. Furthermore, tanning prior to laser hair removal increases sensitivity making for a more unpleasant experience and should be avoided as UV rays can increase skin sensitivity causing more pain during laser hair removal sessions.
