If you’re tired of shaving, waxing, or using depilatory creams to achieve silky-smooth skin, laser hair removal could be your perfect solution.
However, it may take multiple sessions before you achieve the results that you seek.
Laser hair removal works by targeting hair follicles and inhibiting new growth. Follicles have their own individual growth cycles that should be respected during treatment.
How Long Does It Take?
Laser hair removal is safe and effective, though results often require multiple sessions to see. Results depend on several factors including hair thickness/darkness/type/type of laser used, your age/skin color/hormone levels as well as following your treatment plan to the tee to achieve the desired outcomes.
At your laser treatment session, protective goggles will be worn and the treatment area cleaned before applying numbing gel if necessary. After your skin is numb, laser light is directed toward hair follicles to damage them and stop further growth; usually several sessions may be necessary before optimal results can be reached.
Hair growth varies from person to person and results of each treatment may take weeks before becoming noticeable, though multiple sessions throughout the year should still be scheduled as hair grows back in cycles if missed.
Before your laser hair removal treatment, it is crucial that you refrain from plucking and waxing the area as these activities may interfere with its ability to target pigment in hair follicles. Showering and shaving with a clean razor prior to treatment will reduce irritation caused by shaving.
After attending all available treatment sessions, most people no longer experience hair growth on the treated area. If any regrowth does occur, it typically grows back finer and lighter colored than its original state.
Alternatively, electrolysis – treating each individual hair one at a time to achieve permanent hair removal – may provide permanent solutions. Contact Bentley Skincare & Wellness in Springfield MO to find out more about laser hair removal or to arrange an initial consultation today!
How Many Sessions Are Needed?
As opposed to shaving or waxing, which only remove hair at its surface level, laser treatments permanently destroy hair follicles that produce unwanted hair, so multiple treatment sessions may be required in order for you to achieve results. Your body’s response may determine this number – possibly eight treatments in total may be necessary depending on its hair color and texture characteristics.
Additionally, it is also essential that each session last for the appropriate length. Between laser treatments, some follicles may move into their resting phase where no pigment remains and cannot be targeted by laser light; to ensure all your follicles receive treatment you will need to return for further sessions every four or six weeks.
After each session, you will notice a decrease in hair density as the light beam targets melanin found within hair follicles to damage them and stop their production of new strands altogether – leaving behind smooth skin that looks and feels soft!
Laser hair removal often causes redness and irritation on the skin. Some areas may also feel dry or crusty as heat from the laser causes moisture to escape the body through your pores, leading to dry patches on certain parts of the body. To address these side effects, your provider may provide you with a topical anesthetic prior to your appointment.
Other side effects may include changes to skin tone. People with lighter complexions might notice dark spots or patches while those with darker complexions might see lighter changes to color. These side effects should generally resolve themselves within days or weeks following treatment.
Contrary to popular belief, the number of laser hair removal treatments required can depend on both how coarse and thick your unwanted hair is. People with thicker, darker locks usually need additional treatment sessions because the laser can better target pigment in these thicker locks to effectively blitz away hair strands.
With just a few treatment sessions, laser hair removal can help you say goodbye to unwanted hair and hello to silky and smooth skin. Are you tired of shaving, waxing and depilatory creams? Stop shaving now; laser hair removal could be the solution! Contact us now and learn more about this minimally invasive cosmetic procedure!
How Much Will It Cost?
Depending on your particular treatment area and size of area being targeted for hair removal, several factors will play a part in your final cost of laser hair removal. Size plays a key role in overall costs – smaller areas like face and eyebrows tend to cost much less than legs or back areas for treatment. At your consultation we’ll give an exact breakdown of costs so you can feel secure about making this financial commitment.
Prior to your laser hair removal session, it’s essential that you avoid tanning beds or spending prolonged time in the sun as this will make treatment more challenging and potentially lead to side effects. We advise shaving two to three days before your appointment so we can apply a topical anesthetic and reduce any discomfort during this process. During treatment you’ll wear protective eyewear while your technician delivers pulses of laser energy directly onto targeted hair follicles.
As soon as your treatment is complete, the area around it may appear slightly red and swollen; this is completely normal and often looks similar to mild sunburn. If any discomfort arises following our procedures, we offer prescription-strength pain relievers as needed. It’s also wise to refrain from any activity which could potentially tan your skin like tanning beds or extended sun exposure for the week following.
Most patients require multiple treatments for optimal results. Your specialist should be able to advise how many sessions will be necessary based on your body type and desired result; in general, we suggest having sessions every four to six weeks in fast-growing areas such as upper lip. Slower-growing areas like back might need annual sessions in order to maintain results.
As laser hair removal is typically viewed as cosmetic treatment, it is not covered by insurance plans. You may be eligible to use a flexible spending account or medical savings plan to cover the costs.
Do I Need Anesthetic?
Laser hair removal involves using a device that emits heat to destroy unwanted hair follicles, thus temporarily decreasing hair growth over time. Although not permanent, laser treatment has proven safer and less painful than shaving, tweezing, or waxing and can provide longer-term results.
Based on the area being treated, laser procedures can take anywhere from several minutes to an hour to complete. To ensure optimal results from laser treatment it is important not to expose skin directly to sunlight prior to and following treatments as this could lead to sunburns or uneven tone issues. Also avoid applying lotions or spray tans in these areas since this could interfere with its efficacy.
Individual results will differ, however most patients need at least four to six sessions to experience optimal results from laser hair reduction treatments. The laser only affects active, growing follicles rather than those in resting mode – so after their first session most people notice much slower hair regrowth rates without needing to shave or pluck anymore!
Although laser hair removal generally doesn’t hurt, some patients may still find the process unpleasant. To help make their experience more bearable, some clinics offer numbing cream that can be applied before treatment begins to the area that will become numb; typically a topical anesthetic that can be massaged in until everything feels numb.
Prior to their laser procedure, patients are advised not to shave, tweeze, or use depilatory creams on the areas being treated for several days prior. At this stage, hair follicles become more vulnerable to being destroyed by laser light and will begin the regrowth process more quickly.
Though most health insurance plans do not cover laser hair removal costs, some plans do if performed by licensed professionals. Furthermore, financing solutions and flexible spending accounts exist that enable people to spread out payments over time for this procedure.
