Laser hair removal is considered cosmetic surgery, so most private insurance policies don’t cover it. However, sometimes your insurer may grant coverage if medically necessary treatments are conducted on patients.
Your doctor will use a hand-held laser instrument, equipped with cooling technology or cooling gel, to press against your skin and activate it. In some instances, they may include cooling devices to ease any potential discomfort to protect your skin during the procedure.
Medically Necessary
Under certain medical conditions or circumstances, laser hair removal may be covered by your insurance. Common examples include excessive hair growth (hirsutism) and dermatitis; for both conditions laser treatment can significantly reduce or even eliminate the need to wax or shave regularly.
However, to determine whether laser hair removal is medically necessary and determine how many sessions will be necessary for optimal results. Usually it requires multiple sessions before showing effectiveness – in most cases between 4-6 sessions are recommended to achieve long term success with laser treatment.
The length of each session varies for every individual; typically a facial session typically lasts minutes while full body sessions can take up to an hour. When receiving this procedure, patients wear protective goggles in order to shield their eyes from the light beam from the laser and reduce discomfort during treatment by wearing goggles as an eye shield against its light beam; during which unwanted hair is vaporized using energy released by laser, leaving behind plumes of smoke that have an unpleasant sulfur smell that leave behind small plumes that sting or burn depending on where it treated while clients usually report feeling hot or stings while after their treatments in order to minimise discomfort after their experience.
Laser hair removal is typically considered cosmetic surgery and therefore not covered by health insurance plans, yet still remains an affordable solution. You can use a flexible spending account or inquire with the laser hair removal specialist about package deals or payment plans to cover costs.
When seeking laser hair removal, ensure the doctor who performs your procedure is board certified in dermatology or cosmetic surgery. Avoid spas, salons and medspas that allow nonmedical personnel to perform laser hair removal procedures; choose instead a licensed laser hair removal expert listed on an industry register that certifies they meet set standards of training, skill and insurance coverage – be wary of anyone claiming certification through online courses with short training times; additionally it’s wise to avoid tanning prior to and post procedure and always wear sunscreen after.
Cosmetic Surgery
Health insurance doesn’t cover laser hair removal as a cosmetic procedure; however, many doctors might recommend the procedure to patients suffering from conditions such as psoriasis, diabetes and hirsutism that make manual hair removal difficult or impossible – these include conditions like psoriasis, diabetes and excessive hair growth (hirsutism).
Doctors might recommend laser hair removal to patients seeking to eliminate facial hair prior to surgery or menstruation. Women often turn to this procedure to eliminate excess growth around the chin, eyebrows and back/bikini area as well as for bikini area hair reduction.
Doctors may recommend laser treatment for patients suffering from ingrown hairs or razor bumps caused by shaving, as this condition could indicate that their hair follicles are overactive and producing too much hair. Furthermore, laser therapy might also help those suffering from genetic hirsutism who exhibit similar symptoms resulting in ingrown hairs or ingrowns hairs.
Before beginning laser hair removal, doctors typically recommend lightening their skin with a special cream and forgoing other methods of hair removal such as plucking or waxing in the area being treated. Furthermore, patients may be advised to discontinue taking medications that could increase bleeding such as aspirin several days prior to their procedure.
As part of laser treatment, doctors may apply topical anesthetics to minimize pain and discomfort for their patients. Some side effects may occur such as reddening of skin or some stinging sensations depending on each patient’s unique skin and hair type.
Typically, it takes between two and six treatments sessions to achieve desired results. At each session, laser energy is applied directly to hair follicles until they become damaged and stop producing new hair growth. After which, your doctor may suggest attending at least one touch-up session annually in order to minimize regrowth – this step may be especially crucial if your patient has darker skin tones.
Pre-Operative Preparation
Laser hair removal uses a laser beam to heat and destroy pigment in your hair follicle, effectively and permanently eliminating future hair growth. However, treatment can be expensive; however there are payment plans and credit cards that offer medical payment solutions; additionally many specialists provide patient payment plans which reduce upfront payment strain.
As part of your preparation for laser hair removal, ensure the area where you intend to remove hair is clean. Avoid applying lotions or deodorant on this area before shaving the day prior. This will make it easier for the laser to find and target hair follicles; additionally, avoid sun exposure for two weeks leading up to your session.
Before having laser treatment, it is also advisable to discontinue use of products which increase photosensitivity in the area where laser therapy will take place, such as benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid and retinol products. In addition, daily application of broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30+ should also be utilized on that area – rain or shine!
Be mindful that while laser treatment is non-painful, it may still feel unpleasant. The pulses of light can feel similar to being stung, with certain areas more sensitive than others. You may experience redness and swelling post-treatment; therefore a follow up appointment may be required.
Once your treatment sessions are completed, you should notice a decrease in unwanted hair growth. Keep in mind, however, that permanent results may take three to eight sessions before reaching their fullest potential; additionally, touch-up sessions once or twice annually are likely required to maintain these effects.
Laser hair removal can be expensive when without insurance coverage, yet some patients are able to secure coverage if it is medically necessary. For more information about obtaining coverage for laser hair removal treatment, consult with a dermatologist.
Post-Operative Care
Laser hair removal is an FDA-approved, relatively safe, and quick procedure performed by experienced medical aestheticians. Treatment sessions usually last ten minutes or less.
Laser treatments may cause discomfort and redness of the skin during laser treatments; however, these side effects are temporary and do not pose an imminent danger. Patients can soothe pain and reduce swelling with cold compresses applied directly over affected areas. It’s also essential that patients protect the treated area from direct sunlight exposure by applying SPF-30+ sunscreen as well as sun-protective ointment if desired.
Patients should first consult their health care providers to make sure that undergoing cosmetic procedures is safe for them, and keep in mind that insurance providers have various policies regarding cosmetic treatments – make sure yours covers you before scheduling a session!
Laser hair removal offers several key benefits, including permanent results and eliminating time-consuming manual hair removal techniques such as shaving, waxing or plucking. For optimal results it is advised that 6-8 treatment sessions be undertaken over a span of several months; additionally these laser sessions can also help relieve acne-causing ingrown hairs, reduce pigmentation issues and enhance skin appearance.
Before beginning any procedure, it is essential to conduct a comprehensive review of your medical history in order to ascertain whether laser hair removal is right for you. People with light complexion and dark hair tend to make better candidates because contrast allows the heat of the laser to be more efficient. Furthermore, it is advisable that a patch test be conducted prior to undertaking this procedure just in case your skin reacts adversely.
Insurance companies will only cover this treatment if it takes place at an office of a licensed doctor and certified laser specialist. They can act as your advocate when speaking to the insurer about how necessary laser hair removal treatment may be, such as for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) treatment.
