Are You Tired of Shaving? Try Laser Hair Removal!

Summertime is here, so you know what that means: It’s shaving season! It may have sounded like we were excited about shaving, but trust us—we’re not. Shaving requires hard work and time-consuming upkeep, all for about a day or two of smoothness. Unless you’re one of the lucky ones with slow-growing body hair, you know that shaving can be an absolute pain.It’s tedious, doesn’t last long, is expensive over time, and can be severely irritating to your skin. If you’ve tried everything to get rid of bumps to no avail, or you’re just tired of shaving, let us introduce you to laser hair removal.

How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?

Laser hair removal is a treatment utilizing specific wavelengths of light and pulse duration to target hair follicles without affecting the surrounding skin. Traditionally, lasers for this type of hair removal target hair follicles because they are dark while the surrounding skin is light. This is why laser hair removal was best for those with dark hair and paler skin, but there are now alternative lasers for removing hair that cater to all skin tones and hair colors.What areas of the body are suitable for laser hair removal? Practically any area! Laser hair removal can destroy the follicles from most parts of the body, including the face, legs, arms, chest, back, and even sensitive areas like the underarms or bikini areas. However, the pain of laser hair removal can vary depending on the laser you choose and the area you’re treating.

How Painful Is Laser Hair Removal?

You’ll likely feel a series of short snaps, somewhat like a rubber band snapping during the treatment. While it can be uncomfortable, it’s not very painful, and you won’t need any local anesthesia or pain medication. However, some patients may prefer to use a topical anesthetic when treating sensitive spots, like the bikini area or underarms. Always let your specialist know if you are in severe pain or discomfort during laser hair removal sessions.

Does Laser Hair Removal Require Multiple Sessions?

Yes! Most areas require five to nine treatments, but the number of treatments you may require for optimal long-term benefits depends on various factors such as hair thickness, the size of the treated area, and your hair growth cycle. All laser systems work by disabling the hair that is principally in the active growth phase at the time of treatment. Since other hairs will enter this active growth phase at different times, additional treatments will be necessary to disable all of the hair follicles in a given area. Often, five to nine treatments is enough to keep you hairless for long periods of time, needing a touch up every year or so.

What Are The Side Effects of Laser Hair Removal?

Immediately following your treatment, the area may appear a bit red and tender. Three to seven days after, you may experience what seems to be re-growth of hair. But in reality, these hairs are shedding as a result of your treatment, and they’ll take approximately 2 weeks to fall out. Between treatments you should not wax or pluck your hair, but you may shave as frequently as you wish.The beauty of our technology is that it effectively destroys the hair itself without harming the surrounding skin. As with all medical procedures, there are risks (although unlikely) that should be discussed with you at your consultation no matter which laser hair removal specialist you visit.Have any other questions about laser hair removal? Give us a call today!