Laser hair removal

Laser hair removal is effective for nearly every part of the body with unwanted hair, including the arms, underarms, chin, upper lip, cheeks, neck, abs, breasts, buttocks, bikini, legs and toes. However, skin with tattoos should not be treated.

Laser hair removal uses a concentrated beam of light to gently remove unwanted hair. During the treatment, the light emitted by the laser is absorbed by the pigment in the hair, creating heat. The heat then damages the hair follicles that are located right beneath the skin and prevents or delays them from future hair growth.
Hair follicles are responsible for producing new strands of hair so destroying them results in the hair follicle’s loss of production. Precision lasers can effectively target the hair follicle while leaving the surrounding skin untouched. After the treatment, any remaining hair or regrowth is finer and usually lighter than the original hair. 

Risks may include redness, swelling, change of pigmentation, or scarring. Blistering and crusting are rare; however, if these do occur a thin layer of over-the-counter antibiotic ointment such as Polysporin® can be applied 2-3 times a day for 3 days. 

The appearance of laser hair removal treated areas following treatment varies from patient to patient, depending on the characteristics of the patient and the treatment given. During the treatment, some hairs will be shed from the follicle immediately, while the remaining will shed in the following weeks. Transient redness and swelling around the hair follicle may appear immediately after the treatment but are, in fact, positive results indicating the follicle’s response to the treatment. Following the treatment, you will be provided with guidelines, namely in terms of sun exposure.

BEFORE YOUR APPOINTMENT

• It is imperative that you avoid sun exposure and tanning beds for at least 4 weeks prior to your treatment. This is a must and no exceptions will be made.
• Tanning creams (self-tanner) should be avoided for at least 2 weeks.
• Inform the doctor/technician if have taken Accutane (oral acne medication) in the past year.
• Do not tweeze, wax or epilate the area being treated for approximately 4 weeks prior to treatment.
• The night before treatment thoroughly shave all areas to be treated; skin must be clean and free of all hair.
• Razor Fee $5/ Shaving Fee $25
• NO Working out for 24 hrs before and 48hrs after appointment (no additional heat to body)

THE DAY OF YOUR APPOINTMENT

• If possible, arrive without creams or make-up on the treatment area. If topical numbing cream will be applied, please arrive 15-30 minutes early. Cleansing products are available for your convenience.
• Allow 20 minutes to 1 hour for your appointment depending on the size of the treatment area.
• Just prior to treatment, you will be given eye shields to wear to protect your eyes.

AFTER YOUR APPOINTMENT

• Shortly after treatment, the treated areas may appear as swollen red bumps. Cold compresses will be provided; you may continue to apply these compresses for your comfort over the next 24 hours. We recommend 5-10 minute applications. Treated areas may stay red for several days though swelling will dissipate within a few hours.
• Treated hairs will appear as small black dots, stubble or as if still growing. You will naturally expel these treated hairs over the next 10-14 days.
• Avoid irritating the treated area with aggressive exfoliation, such as with a bath puff or scrub. Do not pick at or pluck/tweeze these residual hairs. You may shave these hairs.
• Treated areas should either be kept out of direct sun light. Sun protection is imperative after any skin laser treatment.
• Use a broad spectrum UVA/UVB sunscreen of SPF 30 or greater for 4-6 weeks after your treatment. We recommend the PCA Sunscreen SPF 30+ .
• Between treatments you may continue to remove hair by shaving only.
• Treatments are scheduled 4-8 weeks apart, depending on the body part being treated.
• Avoid harsh topical products such as retinols and glycolic acid products for one week after.

After a laser hair removal treatment, you may notice that your hair is noticeably thinner. Over a period of 3-10 days, you will continue to shed your hair. You may think you’re seeing hair growth, but really it is the hair follicles surfacing before they fall out.

Multiple treatments are required to achieve laser hair removal. This is due to the increased effect of the laser on hair in the early growth stage (anagen). Not all hairs are in the same phase at a given time. 

Unlike other laser hair removal providers, we utilize cutting-edge laser technology so we can treat all skin tone variations. Earlier generations of laser technology were only able to effectively treat patients with dark hair and light skin so the laser could more easily decipher the pigment within the hair. Through our advanced lasers, our treatments are inclusive and can accommodate all skin tones. 

However, it is important to know that laser hair removal is only effective for certain hair color. In order for the laser hair removal treatment to be successful, melanin (hair pigment) must be present, meaning that laser hair removal works best on people with brunette or darker hair color. Laser hair removal may not respond well on people with light hair color, including blonde, red or gray hair.