At your consultation, it is essential that you ask all the necessary questions in order to gather all the pertinent information for permanent hair removal. This way, you’ll have everything in place before beginning on the journey towards permanent hair reduction.
Ask your practitioner which device they recommend; the ideal devices will come equipped with cooling features to significantly decrease discomfort and pain levels.
During the Consultation
As its name implies, a laser hair removal consultation is the initial step toward smooth, silky skin. At this one-to-one appointment with your treatment provider, you’ll have a chance to discuss all aspects of treatment relevant to you – such as whether or not insurance covers it; how many sessions might be required; their length; any potential side effects and possible solutions.
At your consultation, your technician will assess your medical history to make sure laser hair removal is appropriate for you and to detect any red flags – for instance certain medications can interact with laser devices and cause reactions in certain people.
Your technician will provide you with specific ‘pre-treatment orders’ prior to beginning treatment and it is crucial that you adhere strictly to them. This could involve wearing loose clothing and refraining from waxing the area prior to your session; also avoiding intense heat and perfumed products for a brief time prior to it; also shaving at least 24 hours beforehand can allow laser energy to effectively target hair follicles and achieve results faster.
At this point, if possible, it would also be worthwhile asking about the experience and qualifications of your practitioner, as it’s imperative that they have experience using the laser device you will be using. Skimping on qualifications could compromise the safety of your treatment – not something to compromise over when laser treatments can be uncomfortable and time is critical!
Before scheduling your initial laser treatment session, your consultation should provide you with an approximate cost estimate and payment options available to you. Knowing this can help determine when is best to initiate therapy sessions.
Make sure you ask your provider about any discounts they might provide and special packages they could tailor specifically to you. Keep in mind that laser hair removal is considered cosmetic treatment and therefore won’t be covered by health insurance, meaning the costs can quickly mount if you fail to plan ahead.
During the Treatment
After seeing all your friends and colleagues with silky smooth, hair free skin, you have decided to try laser hair removal. After researching clinics you decide to book a laser consultation session.
Before your treatment starts, your laser technician will conduct a patch test to make sure the laser is safe for your skin type and give you an opportunity to experience how the laser feels before beginning actual treatments. This should help put you at ease ahead of any real treatments being given.
At the treatment phase, your technician will press a hand-held laser instrument against your skin. A cooling device or gel may be applied at the tip of the laser for additional comfort during this step. As soon as laser light hits hair follicle pigmentation, weakening or completely destroying them, hair may begin falling out over a period of days – this is normal and shouldn’t cause alarm.
Arrive for your appointment with clean skin, sans lotions, creams or oils as these may prevent the laser from reaching its target – the hair roots. Additionally, it’s advised that waxing, plucking or shaving be postponed for at least a week prior to getting laser treatment – this allows hairs in their active growth phase so they’re most susceptible to being targeted by laser.
Once your course of treatments are completed, the effects should be permanent reduction in hair growth and smooth, silky skin will follow. Results may differ due to unique differences between individuals’ hormones and hair cycles.
Find a clinic with experienced practitioners. A great practitioner will be able to answer all of your questions about the procedure and expected results, and may point out any factors which might prevent optimal results – this may include medications you are taking or skin type/health issues which could prevent optimal outcomes.
After the Treatment
At the outset of your treatment, your specialist will put on protective eyewear before pressing a handheld laser instrument against your skin, possibly featuring cool gel to reduce any potential discomfort during laser treatment. After activating and targeting hair follicles in your skin that produce hair follicles (pigmented cells that produce hair growth), heat from laser beam destroys them by heating or heating and destroying them (inhibiting growth). Experiences during this process vary for individuals but most describe it as pinpricks of warm pins or set of warm pulses while feeling of heat during this process – although warm pinpricks of warm pinpricks of warmth or pulses of heat are common during laser hair follicle destruction process.
Specialists may administer topical anesthetic for any discomfort you might feel during the procedure; however, most patients don’t require it as the process is quick and painless. Following the treatment, your hair will start falling out gradually over time, possibly appearing patchy due to destroyed hair follicles and new growth emerging through your skin surface – this is normal and your practitioner will discuss what you can expect and when to expect improvement of any patchiness or scaliness that occurs after this stage.
Before receiving laser treatments, it’s essential that any lotions or oils be avoided on the skin which will impede laser access to hair roots. Furthermore, taking a shower or bath before your appointment will allow you to rid any sweat or other debris from the area being treated.
Before your session, it is also advisable to forego tanning or self-tanners as these may darken the skin too much for laser treatments to be effective. Most laser professionals won’t treat sunburned areas because this can result in blistering and increased pain during treatments.
When selecting your laser clinic, it’s worth reviewing their website to assess what information they offer about their services and technology. If they don’t provide much detail or tell you there will be no side effects or post-care requirements whatsoever – that should be a warning sign! Be sure to ask about which laser type is used there as well as tour the laser clinic in person if possible.
Aftercare
At your first laser hair removal appointment, it is natural to feel anxious. Opening up your body to an unknown stranger is always daunting! But having someone examine it won’t put a stop to being an awkward conversationalist!
Your laser nurse is in safe hands! These highly trained medical professionals have all been carefully screened, so depending on where you reside they may be registered nurses with specialized laser training or certified laser technicians – seeing lovely people like yourself every day in their undergarments they know exactly how to make you comfortable!
They will discuss the science and details behind your treatment, along with any expected side effects and precautions you must take during and post-treatment. They may also give an estimate for the number of sessions they believe you require as well as provide you with a list of pre/post treatment precautions that you must observe.
If you decide to go forward with your treatment, booking your initial session on-site can save time. But if you are uncertain yet about laser hair removal as a procedure, remember that multiple sessions will need to be scheduled over a period of time for effective results.
Before your laser treatment begins, it’s essential that you shower and clean the area that will be lasered. Dry skin is preferred since moisturizing creams or oils may prevent accessing hair roots with laser treatment. Furthermore, in order for maximum success it’s also important to stay away from sun exposure as much as possible in the weeks leading up to your appointment.
As part of your treatment, a specialist will apply a handheld device against your skin and activate a laser, producing a snapping sound as the laser destroys hair follicles that have stopped producing hair growth and stops them from growing again. Most patients find this sensation tolerable.
Once your treatment is completed, there may be redness and swelling in the treated area, which should subside over time with regular icing treatments. You should try using waxing, tweezing or plucking of this area until its fully healed; lasting hair reduction usually requires three to eight sessions for permanent results. Make sure to discuss any questions or voice any concerns with your specialist about their care plan if you have any doubts or queries about what’s involved with permanent hair reduction.
