Laser hair removal can provide permanent hair reduction on most body parts, however multiple sessions must be scheduled at regular intervals in order to achieve your desired results.
As part of its treatment, laser energy will target your hair follicles and damage them so they are incapable of growing new hair follicles, rendering your appointments futile. Therefore, it’s crucial to refrain from waxing or plucking before scheduling one.
Smaller Areas
Laser hair removal uses an intense beam of light to vaporize and destroy unwanted hair, with permanent results in at least 60% less hair growing back after six or seven sessions spread out over two to three weeks. Although not a permanent solution, laser treatments may reduce how often new growth comes back – typically finer and lighter than before. Although costly, laser treatments usually produce noticeable results within six to seven sessions spread out over two to three weeks each session.
Before beginning laser hair removal, your doctor will equip you with protective eyewear and conduct a patch test to make sure no adverse reactions arise from using such high levels of laser energy. Next, your skin will be cleansed thoroughly while numbing cream may also be applied for added comfort during treatment.
Your doctor will then use a laser hand-held instrument on your skin, emitting pulses of laser light that you may feel as warm pinpricks or rubber band snapping against it. Furthermore, it comes equipped with cooling mechanisms to help alleviate this sensation more comfortably.
Once treatment has concluded, there may be redness and swelling in the area treated. Applying a cold compress may help relieve discomfort for several hours afterward; your physician may apply a steroid cream if any severe reactions arise from skin reactions to medications prescribed to you.
If you want to reduce discomfort, schedule a topical numbing appointment an hour before your treatment session begins. Also avoid plucking or waxing the area prior to laser hair removal for maximum effectiveness – laser light can penetrate right to the root of the hairs for effective laser hair treatment results.
After receiving laser hair removal treatments, it’s essential that the skin remain free from UV light or tanning beds until cleared by your dermatologist. Your physician will provide detailed instructions on how to care for your skin during this period until your next session, making it imperative that these instructions are strictly followed so as to achieve the best outcome from treatments.
Larger Areas
While shaving or waxing remove individual hairs from follicles, laser treatment aims to target pigment from within them to achieve more complete removal of unwanted hair over several sessions. Depending on factors like color and coarseness of hair as well as hormonal influences it could take anywhere between two and six treatments for you to have most or all of it eliminated – your aesthetician will advise the appropriate number for optimal results.
As part of your preparation for laser treatment, it is wise to shave the area being addressed prior to your appointment. Shaving will not negatively impact its effectiveness; rather, it enables the laser beam to more efficiently contact with hairs in need of removal. In addition, plucking, waxing or threading should be avoided in the treatment area, as these methods extract hair follicles from beneath the surface skin layers and can reduce effectiveness of laser therapy treatments.
As part of any laser treatment regimen, it is highly advised that sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher be worn prior and post treatment to protect skin damage caused by sun. You should also avoid tanning beds as this could increase hair growth between treatments.
Laser treatments can last months or even years; however, their effects aren’t permanent. Hair may still grow back but typically finer and lighter in color than before. In order to keep looking your best after receiving laser therapy treatments, ongoing maintenance treatments with your dermatologist are required in order to keep the new look intact.
Laser treatment is safe when performed by an experienced board-certified dermatologist such as Dr. Michele Green in NYC. The cosmetic procedure is FDA-approved and poses no long-term side effects when performed by experienced practitioners such as Michele. Laser can be performed on most areas of the body; darker hair colors and light skin tones tend to respond best. However, laser should not replace regular self-exams or screenings to detect early skin cancer symptoms – any unexpected changes should be reported immediately to a board certified dermatologist who will offer full diagnosis and treatment plan options.
Face and Neck
Laser hair removal typically takes five minutes for upper lip and chin areas with dense amounts of hair; however, your first session could last longer as we need to ensure we use appropriate settings based on your skin type.
Before and after laser hair removal treatments, it is also essential that you avoid sun exposure and use an effective sunscreen with broad spectrum SPF protection, such as Drunk Elephant Umbra Sheer Physical Daily Defense SPF 30 ($34). Also bear in mind that these treatments cannot work on tanned skin.
Your skin may become red after having laser hair removal done, and may swell slightly; this is normal, and icing the area for several hours or days should help reduce any swelling.
If you have sensitive skin, laser hair removal might require medication to help manage the pain; however, the procedure itself is safe without serious side effects.
How many treatments it will take to eradicate unwanted hair depends on both your skin color and how quickly the regrowth rate. People with lighter complexions usually reach desired results after four or six treatments while darker complexions might require up to 10 sessions for successful removal of their unwanted locks.
At each laser hair removal appointment, it is necessary to shave the area being treated prior to arriving for your appointment. Your practitioner will then don protective goggles and apply either cold gel or use a cooling device in order to shield your eyes from being hit with laser beams.
Once you are comfortable, your technician will use a handheld device to press a laser against your skin and activate it, creating what may feel like an elastic band snapping against it. The laser targets hairs during their anagen phase when they’re most active.
Since not all your hairs will be in the anagen phase at once, multiple sessions may be required to achieve desired results. We typically suggest six to eight treatments on the body and annual touch-ups on facial areas.
Full Body
Full body laser hair removal treatment typically requires six laser sessions in order to achieve permanent hair reduction, although this number may differ depending on your own hair growth cycle and type. Regular visits will be necessary in order to maintain results from treatment.
Laser hair removal treatments tend to be relatively painless. Your technician will use topical anesthetic to minimize any discomfort you might feel during the actual treatment; while during that, the laser will target unwanted hair and destroy it by vaporizing it; you might hear a small popping sound or feel some slight burning sensation as the laser targets your locks.
An average full body laser hair removal session could last an hour or longer depending on the area being treated; legs will take much longer to be treated than underarms, with length depending on both skin type and coarseness of hair.
Laser hair removal is a safe and effective method to permanently rid yourself of unwanted body hair. But, it is important to keep in mind that the treatment will not provide instantaneous results; typically around seven to ten days post treatment you will notice some hair has started falling out due to being destroyed by laser radiation. In order to get long-lasting and consistent results you will require multiple sessions over multiple months with at least six week gaps between appointments.
Waxing or plucking hair between laser treatments will prevent the laser from targeting your follicles and could potentially result in burns from its laser beams. Also avoid sunbathing or tanning beds prior to laser sessions as these will increase melanin production in your skin which could confuse and confuse laser beams, leading to burns.
If you are uncertain how many laser hair removal treatment sessions will be necessary to fully remove unwanted hair, Dr. Green can work with you to create a customized schedule and ensure it coincides with your natural hair growth cycle.
