Unwanted hair growth is one of the hallmarks of PCOS, yet laser hair removal offers life-changing solutions to combat excessive facial and body hair. By significantly reducing facial and body hair with laser technology, PCOS sufferers can gain self-esteem benefits that transform their lives.
Laser light targets hair follicles during their growth cycle and destroys them to permanently prevent new hair growth, eliminating the need for waxing, shaving or depilation products.
How Does It Work?
Laser hair removal works by heating pigment within hair follicles to disrupt their ability to grow new hair, leading to dormant states in which new follicles eventually grow back lighter, finer and in fewer numbers than before.
Laser treatment may even be permanent. Lasers tend to be safe and effective treatments for most people; however, some individuals may experience mild side effects, including hypo- or hyperpigmentation, inflammation around hair follicles (usually considered normal reactions), skin discoloration and scabbing. If this happens to you, be sure to alert your practitioner as they may recommend different laser types or modifications to treatment settings which could prevent such issues in future sessions.
Before beginning laser hair removal treatments, it’s recommended that you restrict plucking, waxing and other hair removal methods for six weeks in the area where they will take place. This is because laser treatments target hair follicles at their roots while plucking or waxing can remove those roots through plucking or waxing. Furthermore, sun exposure must also be limited over this period as tanning may lessen effectiveness of laser treatment as well as cause complications post treatment.
Laser hair removal treatments usually involve wearing protective goggles to shield your eyes from the laser’s light beam, with most people reporting relatively pain-free sessions; however, sensitive areas may experience some discomfort as the laser heats up hair follicles and destroys them – many patients report that pain feels similar to having tiny rubber bands flick against their skin.
Fitzpatrick skin phototype I or II with dark terminal hair makes you an ideal candidate for laser treatments, but those with white or gray hair often struggle with getting optimal results from laser hair removal as their hair does not contain enough melanin to respond positively to its light energy.
PCOS patients’ hormones can have an impact on how quickly and how much their hair grows back after laser therapy sessions, due to an excess testosterone level in your system that could speed up regrowth faster than expected, making achieving desired results more challenging; frequent follow-up treatments might be required than in cases without PCOS.
Do I Need Multiple Treatments?
Heat from a laser destroys hair follicles, stopping their further growth. Because hair has its own cycle of resting, shedding and growing periods, not every follicle will be destroyed during one treatment session; to maximize effectiveness it’s important to schedule multiple sessions over two to three months.
Your treatment schedule depends on your skin type and treatment area(s). Darker complexions often need additional sessions than light skintones. Also, due to laser heat damage in some tissues, topical anesthetic may be applied prior to each laser session for comfort purposes.
As part of your laser treatment, you may feel similar to being stung repeatedly or like having rubber bands snap against your skin. Furthermore, smoke may emanate from burning off of hair follicles due to heat from the laser’s heat. The procedure could last from minutes up to an hour depending on its size and location of treatment.
After receiving laser treatment, it’s best to avoid direct sun exposure for at least the next 24 hours. If necessary, wear loose clothing and apply broad spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen; alternatively a cold compress may help alleviate discomfort caused by post-treatment side effects like redness or swelling.
Before getting laser treatments to treat facial and body hair growth related to PCOS, it’s advisable to visit a doctor or specialist first. He or she can suggest other solutions that could potentially improve your condition, including medications like Clomiphene (Clomid) and Eflornithine (Vaniqa) that inhibit hair growth or surgical options like ovarian drilling – in which your doctor creates tiny holes in your ovaries using needle or laser for normal ovulation which in turn may reduce unwanted hair growth while simultaneously helping with acne prevention; alternatively they could prescribe minoxidil which you apply directly onto your scalp to reduce hair loss – both options being viable solutions!
How Long Will My Treatments Last?
Female PCOS sufferers can find excess hair growth distressing, embarrassing and demoralizing. Unfortunately there is no known cure; however lifestyle modifications and laser hair removal treatments are an excellent way of managing its symptoms, including excess hair growth.
Laser treatments work by targeting hair follicles with focused beams of light that target specific follicles of hair follicles with targeted beams of light, which causes hairs to shrink before eventually dying off – painlessly, safely, and swiftly; far less time is spent than on waxing or electrolysis, both which require long sessions to complete.
Women living with PCOS often require between 10-12 laser treatments on their body and 12+ sessions on their face to see significant reductions in hair growth. While results will differ between individuals, keep in mind that some areas of your body grow slower than others and some hair may continue to sprout back even after multiple sessions have been administered.
If you are considering laser hair removal, it’s essential to come in with clean skin and remove any lotion or makeup prior to receiving treatment. This allows the laser to more accurately target hair follicles for improved results and it is also advised that you shave before your session so the top layer of hair can be shed off more effectively.
Another element that could impede your results are your hair and skin color, as laser treatments target pigmentation. Because the treatment targets pigmentation differently for different colors of hair or skin. Furthermore, certain medications, like testosterone supplements, could have an effect on how effective the laser treatment will be for you.
Laser treatments may be an ideal treatment option for individuals living with PCOS; however, it’s vital that before making decisions regarding their health it is discussed with a trained specialist and their plan created by an endocrinologist to manage PCOS symptoms is adhered to as this will make managing them simpler and can also lower your risk for long-term issues such as heart disease or fertility problems.
How Much Will It Cost?
Laser hair removal is generally not covered by medical insurance; however, you could potentially use your flexible spending account or health savings account to cover costs. When considering financing options and interest rates when selecting your treatment center, these could make an important difference in what your total payment may be.
Laser Hair Removal Cost Laser treatments may cost more than traditional methods like waxing or shaving, but they’re often less painful and more convenient. Plus, investing in multiple sessions over time could actually save money in the long run.
Laser hair removal costs depend on several variables, including your body area being treated and clinic location. Hair removal services offered in coastal regions tend to cost more than their inland counterparts due to higher demand.
Your treatment provider can provide a quote for laser hair removal during the initial consultation, with details on costs for each session. Alternatively, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons website also lists average per-session prices across different body areas.
On average, expect to pay anywhere from $50-$500 per treatment session due to hair’s ever-evolving growth cycle requiring multiple sessions for effective control and prevention of unwanted regrowth.
For body areas like the upper lip or chest that have hair that grows quickly, such as your upper lip or chest, it may be beneficial to visit your doctor regularly for treatments in order to remove hair while it is still in the early stages of its growth cycle. This way, they can remove it before it spreads further.
Laser hair removal may reduce or even eliminate hair regrowth completely for some people; however, for most it won’t provide an exact cure as some hair will continue to sprout in treated areas due to heat from laser treatment damaging hair follicles; it is impossible for every single one to be destroyed completely by its energy beams.
