Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Everything LASER HAIR REMOVAL
Laser Hair Removal is all the rage right now. And for good reason! It’s AWESOME!
Imagine it….NO more stubble, NO more ingrowns, NO more shaving, NO more waxing and
NO MORE WORRY!!
SO, is it right for you?
I need to talk about some basics to help you decide.
First, a little biology (I promise not to get too lengthy).
Hairs grow in three stages. 
In the Anagen stage, the hair follicle is growing and fed by a blood supply attached to the root.
In the Catagen stage, the blood supply has detached.
In the Telogen phase, the follicle is shedding.
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The principle of LHR is that the laser is attracted to the pigment in the hair follicle, the energy from the laser pulse finds that target (the pigment in the hair) and travels down the shaft to destroy the blood supply attached to that follicle. Hence, no blood supply=no hair growth.
Hair growth cycles are not uniform. All of your hair follicles are at a staggered growth rate at any given point in time. Typically, only about 15-20% of hair is actively in the Anagen stage (has the blood supply attached).
It is impossible to tell what hair is in what stage of growth just by looking at it. So, I treat the entire area each and every time I see a patient.
Women typically have 5-6 growth cycles per region. A new cycle comes up about every 4-6 weeks. You must come in around week 5-6 and treat each new growth cycle as it comes up.
That means the entire treatment time will take you 6-7 months to complete. If you don’t comply with this schedule then you will end up doing more treatments than you actually needed to do.
The gold standard for laser hair removal for lighter skin types is the Alex 755. I also treat darker skin types using the YAG laser. However, darker skin types may require more treatments and may have less efficacy.
The straight scoop on LHR.
About 90% of people will see about a 90% permanent reduction after completing treatment. We all have dormant hairs that are not currently in active growth. So there may be maintenance treatments needed periodically.
My BEST responding patient would have pale skin and dark coarse hair. The bigger the contrast between the hair and the skin, the more likely you are to have great results. I can treat lighter hair and darker skin but that may alter your overall results.
Blonde, Red, Gray and white hairs WILL NOT RESPOND! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You must have brown pigment in your hair for this to work.
You cannot have a tan during your course of treatments. The laser will not be able to tell the difference between the pigment in your hair and the pigment in your skin (potential blisters and scarring!) This means-no suntan, no tanning beds (let’s just NEVER do that anyways) and no fake tan. Any Laser Tech worth the initials after her name will turn you away and decline treatment if you show up with too much color.
You also cannot have UV exposure immediately following your treatments or you risk ending up with nice little 12-15 millimeter brown spots all over the treatment area. So…unless you are into the leopard look…yikes..talk to your skin care professional and be honest about your sun exposure. We are in this together and want you to have AWESOME results!!
If you have any underlying health or hormonal issues, this may also affect your outcome or contraindicate the treatment altogether.
I offer topical numbing cream in office. Even with that, expect to feel some sensation during treatment. The best thing I can liken it to would be a small, hot rubber band pop. It’s tolerable. And it’s worth it in the end. But if you aren’t feeling that pop, you likely aren’t getting an effective treatment.
So…during treatment, just keep repeating this mantra to yourself “That means its working! THAT means its working! THAT..AGGHHHH….MEANS IT IS WORKING!!” You’ll do great! It’ll be over quick and you will be so happy not shaving that you won’t even care about the temporary discomfort. I swear.
Over the years, I have treated my chin, underarms, bikini and legs. I can tell you without reservation-it’s one of the best things I have ever done for myself. I hear the same thing from patients on a daily basis.
Check it out. Find a reputable office and walk in to your consultation armed with this information so you know the right questions to ask.
That’s Laser Hair Removal in a nutshell. We hope this answers your questions!
Please feel free to email us with questions or suggestions for upcoming BLOGS!
After all,
HOW OLD YOU ARE IS YOUR BUSINESS, HOW OLD YOU LOOK IS OURS!
You are beautiful and WE LOVE YOU,
The Skin Gurus
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