Our highly trained staff will answer all of your questions during your free consultation, so that you are comfortable and confident. We have compiled a list of our most frequently asked questions for your reference:
Laser Hair Removal Frequently Asked Questions:
- What is Laser Hair Removal?
- Who is a candidate for laser hair removal?
- Is laser hair removal permanent?
- How does the laser hair removal treatment work?
- How should I prepare for treatment and what should I expect after treatment?
- How many laser hair removal treatments are required and spaced how far apart?
- Is laser hair removal treatment painful?
- What are the possible risks, side effects, and complications of laser hair removal?
- What are the possible causes of excessive hair growth and how can it affect my treatments?
- What things should I consider when finding a laser hair removal center near me?
- What is the hair growth cycle and how does hair growth work?
- How do I determine my Fitzpatrick Skin Type?
- Can I just reduce the density of hair on an area instead of removing it completely?
- What is Laser Hair Removal?
Laser hair removal is a procedure by which hair is removed from the body by utilizing a long pulse laser. Lasers are developed and designed from years of research. The laser parameters are carefully defined by studying the anatomy of the hair follicle and precisely matching the laser light and pulse duration to the follicle size, depth and location to inhibit the re-growth of the hair.
Laser hair removal is performed by a specially-trained laser specialist or a doctor depending on where you go, who distributes the light of a long pulse laser onto the skin. The laser works by disabling hairs that are in their active growth cycle at the time of treatment. Since other hairs will enter their growth cycle at different times, several treatments are necessary to disable all of the follicles in a given area.
- Who is a candidate for laser hair removal?
Both men and women seek laser hair removal services to have unwanted hair removed. Hair removal is commonly done on the hairline, eyebrow, top of the nose, lip, chin, ear lobe, shoulders, back, underarm, abdomen, buttocks, pubic area, bikini lines, thighs, face, neck, breast, arms, legs, hands, and toes.
Laser works best on pale skin and dark coarse hair. The closer you are to this combination (i.e. the lighter the skin and the more coarse and dark the hair), the better the results will generally be. Alexandrite long pulse and diode types of lasers work best on light-colored skin. Nd:YAG long pulse lasers are better and safer on darker skin (skin types IV and darker – see Question #12 below to determine your skin type). Since laser works by being attracted to and targeting the dark pigment, using an alexandrite or a diode laser on darker skin can result in skin burning or loss of skin pigment (hypo-pigmentation). Long pulse Nd:YAG lasers were created to cater to dark-skinned patients, so they are safer on the skin at settings that actually affect the hair than alexandrite and diode lasers.
When choosing your hair removal options, select an environment whose main priorities are your safety, health, and results.
- Is laser hair removal permanent?
The general opinion is that laser hair removal is permanent, and the Food and Drug Administration approved it as “permanent reduction,” but doesn’t work on everyone. Generally, this means that you shouldn’t expect laser to remove every single hair from an area. Most will also need touch-up treatments 1-2 times a year after the initial set of treatments for any new growth your body develops with age.
A set of at least 6 treatments at specified intervals are generally necessary to achieve substantial hair removal with laser. Factors that determine the length of treatment include the particular area to be treated, the texture of hair, frequency of treatments, history of temporary measures to remove hair (waxing, tweezing, shaving, and depilatories, etc.) etc.
- How does the laser hair removal treatment work?
Lasers designed for permanent hair reduction emit wavelengths of light designed to be absorbed by the pigment in the hair (melanin). If the surrounding skin is relatively light compared to the color of the hair, then the entire energy of the laser will be concentrated in the hair shaft, effectively destroying it without affecting the skin or follicle. Hair removal lasers target the dark pigment in the hair. That’s why laser hair removal works best on light skin (so laser passes right through) and dark coarse hair (has most pigment).
While the laser emits a beam that only heats the hair shaft, heat is transmitted from the hair shaft to the surrounding tissue for several milliseconds after the laser pulse. Several lasers possess cooling attachments which cool the surrounding skin to fully absorb any heat transmitted from the destroyed hair shafts.
Be aware that hair removal systems that use traditional light for treatment (Intense Pulse Light machines or IPLs) are not true hair removal lasers. These devices use a highly concentrated beam of traditional incoherent light, often in conjunction with a cream or gel, to burn the hair shaft. A serious flaw with these systems is that they lack the laser's ability to produce a selective bandwidth of light that will only affect the hair shaft (selective photothermolysis). These devices produce a wide bandwidth of light that can heat up all of the surrounding tissue. IPLs are generally cheaper devices and are used for various skin procedures first and foremost, with hair removal as more of an afterthought. Judging from consumer feedback, true lasers usually achieve better and faster results for hair removal purposes.
- How should I prepare for treatment and what should I expect after treatment?
You should shave the area to be treated 1 day before treatment. No waxing or removing hair with the root with any other way is allowed at least 4 weeks before and throughout the course of treatment as hair needs to be in place to be targeted by laser. The area should be shaved as closely as possible so that laser can target the most energy towards the hair follicle and not waste energy on the part of the hair above the skin’s surface.
After treatment is completed you should apply aloe vera to soothe the skin for a few days. Within 2-3.5 weeks, you should experience shedding of all treated hair. At first, hair will look like it’s growing back in, but it is just coming through the skin to shed. Shedding starts at about 1.5 weeks and can last until 3.5 weeks post-treatment or so. Exfoliating and/or scrubbing gently in the shower with a loofah can help speed up the process. After shedding finishes, you might experience little black dots still “stuck” in the skin. These are commonly referred to as “pepperspots” and will shed eventually, but might take a bit longer. Exfoliate to help those out as well.
After shedding occurs, you should experience a hair free period for a few weeks, until next set of hair that was dormant before starts to come in. This usually happens within 4-6 weeks post-treatment. Patient continues this process until he/she has reached diminishing returns and the remaining hairs are too fine for laser to target, or until you have reached you desired reduction.
- How many laser hair removal treatments are required and spaced how far apart?
Most people need at least 6 initial treatments spaced 5-6 weeks apart. This is because hair grows in 3 phases and is killed in the first “Anagen” active growing phase. Several treatments are needed to target ALL hair in the active growth phase. Approximately 5-6 weeks after every treatment, additional treatment is required to eliminate the hairs that came out of the dormant phase and are now active. After 6 treatments or so, patients should experience a considerable percentage of hair reduction. Depending upon hair type and genetic factors, some clients may require additional treatments beyond these initial treatments. If it seems like the treatments are not working after 6-8 treatments, patients should look into possible underlying reasons (see Question #9 below).
Usually, treatments are spaced 4-6 weeks apart to start, and gradually move to 6-8 weeks apart after the initial 4-5 treatments. Instead of following an arbitrary schedule, wait until you have experienced shedding of the treated hairs (should complete within 2-3.5 weeks) and you see enough hair come in after the hair free period to justify the next treatment.
- Is laser hair removal treatment painful?
Everyone’s pain threshold is different, but generally laser hair removal is not much more painful than waxing, but the sensation is different. It resembles a rubber band snapping against the skin for a quick second with each pulse
- What are the possible risks, side effects, and complications of laser hair removal?
The possibility exists that some side effects or complications can occur given various variables, including:
Normal
- Itching, during treatment
- Redness for up to 3 days
- Swelling (around mouth of follicle) for up to 3 days
- Pain, tingling, or feeling of numbness (cold spray)
Rare
- Crusting/scab formation (on ingrown hairs)
- Bruising
- Purpura (purple coloring of the skin) on tanned areas
- Infection
- Temporary pigment change (hypo-pigmentation or hyper-pigmentation)
Side effects occur infrequently and, as a rule, generally are temporary.
- What are the possible causes of excessive hair growth and how can it affect my treatments?
The causes of excessive hair growth pattern are many and varied, including:
- Heredity
- Pregnancy
- Glandular and/or hormonal imbalances (possible PCOS condition for women), including diseases causing these effects
- Insulin resistance issues
- Reactions to certain medications
- Normal aging processes
- Excessive temporary removal methods like waxing, tweezing, creams and depilatories, etc
- What things should I consider when finding a laser hair removal center near me?
The clinic: Make sure that you go in for a "free" consultation to see if you are happy with the way the clinic looks and feels (clean, up-to-date and informative) and avoid being pressured by sales reps to sign up on the spot (often prevalent at chain clinics). Make sure you feel that they showed more interest in how the treatment will work for you and your personal results instead of being more interested in how much you will be paying.
The laser: Make sure that the laser being used is best for your skin and hair type. Do not fall for “marketing hype”. Every laser can technically be used on any skin type, but you should be looking for one that will produce the most efficient results for YOU.
- What is the hair growth cycle and how does hair growth work?
Under normal circumstances hair growth in each hair follicle occurs in a cycle. There are three main phases of the hair growth cycle: anagen, catagen and telogen.
Anagen (active) is the growing phase or when the hair fiber is produced. During anagen, the hair contains an abundance of melanin, the pigment which gives your hair its color. This is the phase during which laser hair removal treatment is most effective.
Catagen (club hair) is the period of controlled regression of the hair follicle. This phase is when the lower part of the hair stops growing, but does not shed, and the follicle is reabsorbed. It will be difficult for permanence to be achieved when the hair is in the catagen growth cycle.
Telogen (tired) is the last of the hair growth cycle. In this resting phase, the old hair falls out in preparation for the development of a new anagen hair. Permanence cannot be achieved when the hair are in the telogen growth cycle.
- How do I determine my Fitzpatrick Skin Type?
In 1975, Thomas B Fitzpatrick, MD, PhD, of Harvard Medical School, developed a classification system for skin typing. This system was based on a person's response to sun exposure in terms of the degree of burning and tanning the individual experienced. For successful removal of hair, wrinkles, veins, sun spots, and scars using LASER technology, it is necessary determine your correct skin type.
TYPE I: Highly sensitive, always burns, never tans.
Example: Red hair with freckles or Albino
TYPE II: Very sun sensitive, burns easily, tans minimally.
Example: Fair-skinned, fair-haired Caucasians
TYPE III: Sun sensitive skin, sometimes burns, slowly tans to light brown.
Example: Darker Caucasians, European mix
TYPE IV: Minimally sun sensitive, burns minimally, always tans to moderate brown.
Example: Mediterranean, European, Asian, Hispanic, American Indian
TYPE V: Sun-insensitive skin, rarely burns, tans well.
Example: Hispanics, Afro-American, Middle Eastern
TYPE VI: Sun-insensitive, never burns, deeply pigmented.
Example: Afro-American, African, Middle Eastern
- Can I just reduce the density of hair on an area instead of removing it completely?
Yes, this can be achieved with having only a few treatments instead of the complete set of 5-6 and by an experienced technician who is careful not to miss areas during treatments.
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