Laser hair removal is an effective long-term, semi permanent hair growth reduction solution that takes several treatment sessions to accomplish optimal results, depending on your skin and hair type. After multiple sessions you could achieve permanent results – eliminating the need to shave or wax ever again!
Before your initial session, avoid shaving, plucking, or waxing the area that needs treatment – this prevents melanin in your hair from being targeted by the laser and thus avoids laser energy being targeted against it.
Fine Hair
Laser hair removal of fine hair depends on a number of variables. One is client expectations – some only want peach fuzz removed while accepting that some other areas might grow back thicker and darker, while other insist on eliminating all fine hairs altogether. Furthermore, it is vital that clients select an experienced provider with quality equipment in order to guarantee successful outcomes.
Selecting an unlicensed, inexperienced provider can result in burns and scarring to the skin. Also important when selecting a laser provider is choosing one suitable to your hair or skin color as its effectiveness depends on melanin levels difference between skin and hair follicles; using non-compatible lasers often leads to ineffective treatments.
Skilled technicians know how to adjust both pulse duration and power settings of their laser to address various hair thicknesses and depths, with optimal settings enabling laser light to penetrate skin layers to target melanin deposits in hair follicles; this results in far superior results than shaving alone.
Assuming facial treatments are performed quickly and painlessly, clients generally only require to lie down while being sectioned off for treatment by the technician and using an applicator on the area for which treatment will occur. A session could last from several minutes to an hour depending on its size and may cause mild warmth or discomfort as the applicator moves over the skin.
For optimal results, clients seeking laser hair removal should wait two or three days after tweezing, waxing, or plucking prior to treatment in order to allow the laser to target individual hairs more precisely and disable them with maximum efficacy. Furthermore, they should avoid tanning beds and natural sun exposure prior to attending their appointment for maximum efficiency.
Certain areas of the body require multiple treatment sessions for optimal results. For instance, facial hair may need 10-12 treatments to effectively diminish peach fuzz. Once these sessions have concluded, hair follicles become miniaturized and stop producing new growth of fine hairs.
Thick Hair
People seek laser hair removal because traditional methods, like shaving and waxing, are both time consuming and costly. But don’t sacrifice your appearance; laser hair reduction works for virtually everyone regardless of skin tone, hair color or thickness of hair.
Laser treatments work by vaporizing hair below the surface of the skin. Because hair grows in cycles, at any given moment your follicles could be in one of three stages: Anagen (growth stage), Catagen (transitional phase), or Telogen (resting phase). Since laser treatments only target anagen phase hairs – you will require multiple sessions in order to eradicate all unwanted follicles.
Dark, thick hair is ideal for laser treatment as its melanin attracts laser energy. However, it should be noted that those with very light or no hair (such as blondes and redheads) or taking medications that cause photosensitivity such as antibiotics may not be eligible to undergo laser treatment on the face.
Electrolysis, in which needles are used to destroy hair follicles, may provide more permanent solutions but is invasive and discomforting. Furthermore, it may take too much time or cost too much money – neither options would make sense if there is too much hair.
If you’re seeking permanent hair reduction, the first step should be consulting with an experienced laser technician. They will assess your skin and discuss expectations for treatment accordingly.
Avoid making the common error of failing to follow proper preparation protocols before treatments. Doing so can result in less-than-ideal results or no changes at all, including no results at all! For optimal results, patients should wait six weeks after using plucking, waxing or creams to remove hair for treatment before shaving in the area to be treated; though shaving itself is fine; just ensure the laser can identify hair follicles to disable.
Skin Tone
Laser hair removal works on any skin tone as long as hair follicles contain melanin (the pigment that gives skin and hair its color), but finding an experienced provider who understands your unique skin and hair combination is the challenge. Not all diode lasers are created equal – not all diode lasers will produce results suitable for you without leaving dark spots or blistering behind. Before booking an appointment with any provider, always ask to see their credentials and experience with treating dark-skinned patients with laser treatment; experienced practitioners will gladly do a test spot during their consultation session if required.
Test spots are small bursts of laser light administered at an inconspicuous location to assess how your skin responds. They typically take 48 hours before any noticeable reactions such as redness or swelling occur, although you may notice hair growth back darker as expected. A test spot will help you assess if the laser provided by your provider is the appropriate device; otherwise you can request another device.
Once you’ve located a provider who can treat you, the next step should be preparing for a laser session. To decrease risk of side effects and make sure it runs smoothly, avoid exfoliating products or any skincare treatments in the weeks leading up to your appointment. Also make sure that sun exposure or fake tanning do not play a part as both may trigger different responses in your skin due to laser treatment.
At your free consultation, your medical provider will use the Fitzpatrick skin tone chart to assess your skin type and make recommendations as to the most appropriate laser treatments for you. They’ll also inform you what results to expect based on the hair and skin tone characteristics you possess – not all people achieve ideal outcomes – some may see up to 90% reduction in hair growth after one session alone while others may require additional sessions.
Hair Color
Laser hair removal uses laser light that targets pigment in hair follicles to achieve great results quickly for people with naturally dark hair, while for those with lighter locks it may take multiple sessions before seeing satisfactory results. This is due to blonde, red, white or gray locks not having enough pigmentation that can be detected by the laser and therefore being less effective in stopping future hair growth.
To address this challenge, many people choose to dye their hair darker before laser treatment sessions in hopes that this will allow the laser more accurately target follicles. While this can help, this approach does not provide 100% success: hair dye does not penetrate deep enough into follicles where pigment resides for effective targeting by the laser.
Laser technology utilizes rapid pulses of short wavelengths to precisely target areas with minimal collateral damage to healthy tissue, while also limiting thermal build-up in healthy areas. Therefore, working with an experienced and certified technician who understands your skin type is key in order to properly optimize laser settings for you.
Additionally, it’s crucial that you refrain from plucking or waxing the area that needs treating as this can significantly compromise the results of the laser therapy and possibly even inhibit further hair growth.
Laser hair removal offers permanent reduction of unwanted body hair on almost every part of your body, but it may take multiple sessions before noticeable results emerge. If you are unsure if this method will be effective on you, consult an expert prior to scheduling any sessions.
Allura Laser Hair Removal’s certified laser technicians will assist in creating an individual plan to achieve your desired outcomes. We’ll assess both skin tone and hair color to find treatments best suited to you. Get in touch today to discover more about our laser hair removal services or book a consultation appointment!
