Treatment sessions usually last anywhere from several minutes to an hour and your skin may become red and swollen afterward; this is normal. Avoid direct sunlight exposure in this area by applying broad spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen.
Before your treatment begins, numbing gel should be applied to the area being treated. You should also refrain from plucking, waxing and electrolysis for six weeks leading up to it.
Treatments
Laser hair removal removes unwanted hair from the skin, leaving the area smooth and silky. The treatment can eliminate ingrown hairs while saving time and effort spent shaving, waxing or tweezing them away. A laser beam destroys hair follicles to stop future growth of hair on any area such as face, neck, underarms or bikini area – with gel applied directly onto skin for ease during treatments and protective eyewear worn throughout treatment sessions.
Laser therapy can then be used to target hair pigment, which travels through the skin to reach its follicle. Once there, laser technology converts it to heat that damages the follicle so it no longer produces hair follicles; thus providing a permanent solution for unwanted hair growth. Although some hair might regrow after laser therapy treatment has taken effect, its density will likely be much lighter and finer than before.
As with any laser treatment, laser hair removal sessions may result in some redness and swelling similar to a sunburn. This usually disappears within three days without further intervention from you or treatment providers. Before scheduling laser hair removal appointments it is recommended that tanning beds and natural or artificial sunlight should be avoided for two or three weeks prior. Shaving should also take place two or three days before, while plucking or waxing must also be avoided prior to attending laser hair removal appointments.
Maintaining results from laser therapy requires receiving regular laser sessions, with regular maintenance treatments scheduled depending on your individual needs and recommendations from doctors and specialists such as every four to six weeks.
As with any cosmetic procedure, selecting a practitioner with an excellent reputation is of utmost importance. Make sure they possess extensive training in cosmetic procedures before checking their credentials to ensure minimum requirements of safety and skill are met. Furthermore, selecting an insured and registered practitioner may offer greater peace of mind, with their name appearing on a public register that you can easily access; additionally you should inquire whether there is insurance to cover potential damages or losses associated with their procedure.
Preparation
Before beginning treatment, a certified laser technician will meet with you for an initial consultation session to explain the procedure and answer any of your questions about what will take place during it. It’s also an ideal opportunity to discuss costs or if health insurance will cover this treatment option.
Prior to your appointment, it is recommended that you shave the area to be treated. This allows the hairs close to the surface so they can absorb energy from laser treatments more effectively. Waxing and plucking should also be avoided as this could sabotage results. It is vitally important that you follow all pre-treatment instructions given by your technician as this will ensure optimal outcomes.
During treatment, you may experience minor irritation to the area being treated. Cold compresses and moisturizers may provide some relief; you should also be wary of sunbathing or tanning beds which could darken or lighten the skin further.
Laser treatment works to destroy hair follicles, and several sessions may be necessary before you can see results. Regular treatments at four to six week intervals will help you reach your desired look more quickly.
Your hair may take several days or weeks to begin falling out as part of its natural process following laser treatment; this may appear like continued hair growth at first. But don’t wait, simply shave off those fallen-out hairs whenever possible!
After six laser hair removal sessions, you should expect permanent results. Once satisfied with your results, one yearly maintenance session should suffice in keeping hair follicles from regrowing. Laser treatment is more effective than shaving, tweezing or waxing because it targets the root rather than just visible parts of hair; resulting in less pain, fewer ingrown hairs, smooth skin texture and overall smoothness. While laser may initially cost more upfront, its costs over time may end up being cheaper than paying for wax or tan sessions every three to five months!
Post-treatment care
Laser energy delivered during a hair removal procedure will target pigment in each of your hair follicles, causing them to die off and inhibit further hair growth. However, multiple treatment sessions may be necessary before reaching desired results; therefore, expect to visit a specialist every four to six weeks for series of sessions to achieve them and for any necessary maintenance appointments every year or two as required to keep results long term.
Once your hair follicles have been damaged, you should notice a decrease in unwanted hair thickness over a 3-to-10 day period. Although some individuals may experience temporary hair growth as new ones sprout to replace old ones; you should also see less surface-level hair growth than before.
After laser hair removal sessions, it is wise to either seek shade from direct sunlight or apply high-SPF sunscreen to safeguard the health of your skin. As the laser will leave residual heat behind for some days after an appointment, loose-fitting clothing is key in order to minimize irritation while waiting for its effects to wear off.
Once areas have been treated with laser hair removal treatments, it is essential not to shave, wax, or pluck them until after any redness and swelling have subsided. You should avoid swimming pools, lakes, rivers and oceans due to bacteria and algae found therein; similarly you should refrain from exfoliating physically with a scrubber or chemically with peels/masks until your skin has fully recovered after receiving its treatments.
After receiving laser hair removal treatments, most patients remain hair free for months or years before any regrowth takes place. When hair does return, however, it typically returns in finer and lighter strands than before.
Laser hair removal is one of the most permanent solutions to unwanted body hair, drastically decreasing your need for depilation, shaving and waxing while helping alleviate issues related to folliculitis and discoloration associated with unwanted hair growth.
Results
Once absorbed by pigment, laser light is converted to heat that destroys hair follicles and reduces thickness by stopping future hair growth – helping prevent ingrown hairs as a result. Treatment sessions usually last anywhere from minutes to an hour depending on the size of area being treated; shaving before treatment sessions is highly recommended in order to maximize results quickly and ensure faster treatments.
After your laser hair removal session, you may notice some hair is shedding. It is important to remember that multiple treatments will be needed for permanent results as hair growth takes a series of cycles that alternate resting, shedding and growing phases; thus if any growing phases were present at the time of treatment they cannot be effectively targeted by the laser and will instead shed when their cycle was complete.
Note that the number of sessions needed will depend on each individual and can be determined with help from medical professionals. Keep in mind that FDA only regulates lasers for reduction, not permanent removal; any medical professional making promises of this sort should never make promises like that, so avoid those making such claims.
Within weeks after your initial laser hair removal appointment, the first signs of success should become evident. Targeted hair will fall out more slowly while growing back thinner than before – and that improvement should only continue as more treatments are received over time.
Some individuals will experience minor side effects of laser hair removal treatments, including redness, swelling and pain after their session. Most can be soothed with cold compresses or moisturizers; however, scarring could occur if care isn’t taken after laser hair removal to keep skin moisturized properly and avoid tanning until all scars have fully healed. To minimize scarring post laser hair removal treatment it’s essential that scarred areas are taken care of by using moisturizers regularly and refraining from tanning until all marks have healed completely before tanning again!
