Permanent Hair Removal Treatment

Overview

Excessive facial and/or body hair is a very frequent problem faced by both sexes alike. Especially with the present general trend towards lesser and lesser body hair, there has been an upsurge in the number of people seeking treatment for excessive facial/body hair.

The general methods of getting rid of the excessive hair like Epilator creams, shaving, threading and waxing are usually cumbersome and require the method to be done repetitively as none of these methods can cause a permanent reduction on the growth of the hair and on the contrary, these methods may actually hasten the hair growth requiring waxing and threading at gradually increasing frequency.

Lasers work on the basic principle of emitting light of a particular fixed wave length. This is different from other sources of light which emit light rays of an array of different wave lengths. This is the basis for the use of Lasers in different applications in medicine as their penetration can be precisely controlled and every laser finds a specific application based on the wavelength.

How it works

The Laser hair reduction works on the principle of “Selective photothermolysis”. What this means is that Laser light selectively destroys one tissue without affecting the adjacent skin. This tissue which is the primary target for the Laser light is called the “Chromophore”. In case of hair removal Lasers, the chromophore is the melanin which is the pigment responsible for giving the skin its brown colour and the hair, a black colour. This melanin which is more densely packed in the hair root region of the hair follicle absorbs all the Laser light and heats up thereby transferring the heat energy to the adjacent hair root and destroys the hair root.

This melanin pigment is also present in the adjacent skin cells and hence they also get heated up slightly, but the laser light strength and the pulse width is adjusted in such a way that the there is minimal or no absorption of the laser light into the adjacent skin cells. Another precaution which is followed during the laser hair reduction is using adequate cooling and icing the area so that the adjacent skin does not get heated up in the process.

Because melanin is the primary chromophore for the laser light, Laser does not act on bleached hair, or grey hair. Dark and thick hair on a relatively lighter skin type is an ideal situation for the laser to act.

Is it One Time Treatment?

Laser hair reduction acts mainly on the hair follicles which are in the growth phase also called as the Anagen phase. Since on an average on any body part, there are only about 35% to 40% hairs in the anagen phase at any given time, Laser requires multiple sessions to get rid of the hair in the body part.

The gap between Laser sessions varies from body part to body part. On the face the sessions might be required once in a month to 6 weeks interval but on the body, the space between two sessions is much more and we usually wait for the hair to start growing before doing the next session.

The Steps

Step 1: Analysis of the skin type and the hair type is done during the process of consultation with the in house Dermatologist who would also be informing the client on the effects of the laser, the final result that can be expected and also any client specific queries are answered. Also not every hair is suitable for laser and hence based on the analysis a treatment plan is formulation keeping in mind any hormonal imbalances which an individual might be having.

Step 2: A small area of skin is treated with the laser to know how the skin responds to the laser. This is called the laser patch test. This also benefits the client as they know what the actual treatment would feel like.

Step 3: once the Dermatologist is convinced that there is no adverse reactivity of the skin to Laser, the actual treatment session can be given. This comprises of first shaving the area to be treated, then applying a cooling gel to cool the adjacent skin and also using liberal quantities of ice if required on the treated area to cool down the skin temperature and then working with the laser on the part.

Step 4: Once the process is done by our trained practitioners, a sunscreen is applied to the treated area and the post care instructions are handed over to the client.

Skin - Post procedure

There might be a transient redness on the treated area after the procedure which usually subsides within an hour after the procedure. The person can resume the normal activities immediately after the procedure and the laser hair removal of small body parts can be carried out as a lunch time procedure. It is advisable that the person use a medicated sunscreen regularly after the procedure daily twice so as to maintain the skin.

A few days after the laser session, the person might observe thin hair growth on the treated area which falls off in a few days after the treatment. Slowly, over the next 4-6 weeks the hair growth slowly starts and but it is thinner than the original state before starting the treatment. As the hair grows it is time for the next session of laser.

In this way the gap between the successive sessions keeps increasing and on an average 6-8 session of laser is required to treat an individual area.

Maintenance – Will I Never Get Hair Again?

The laser hair reduction reduces the hair growth in the treated area significantly but the person has to understand that it is hair reduction and not hair removal. All of us have got very fine hair known as the vellus hair throughout the body except the palms, the soles and the lips. The treated area may still require maintenance sessions once in a while ranging from a laser session once every 4-6 months.
During the treatment phase which typically consists of 6-8 sessions of laser spread approximately at every 4-6 week intervals, if a person desires to go for hair removal for some specific occasion, then they can either go for shaving or threading. They should avoid bleaching the hair as it would make the laser ineffective as laser relies on melanin for its efficacy. Waxing should be avoided as it can cause damage to the skin.

During the maintenance phase when a person takes laser sessions 2-3 times a year, they can go for any method of hair removal if need be which is highly unlikely.

Special Conditions

Not every person having hair growth on the face has some hormonal imbalance. It is only in some situations like very severe hair growth, hair growth in non routine areas usually associated with irregular menses that a person needs to be evaluated for underlying hormonal imbalances the commonest being Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and Hypo-thyroidism. In these conditions, it is advisable to start the treatment of the underlying condition simultaneously along with the laser hair reduction.

Side Effects

A lot has been written on the web regarding the side effects of laser hair reduction, but the fact remains that laser hair reduction is really safe provided it is done by an experienced technician under the supervision of a Dermatologist. Contrary to popular misconception, laser hair removal is not painful, at least not as painful as waxing is and even if a person is very pain sensitive, the procedure can be done by applying a topical anaesthetic cream before the procedure and using lot of cooling during the procedure.

Every case is unique and proper patient selection plays an important role in the final outcome. Also in laser hair reduction, we concentrate more on the thickness of the hair rather than the length of it. So if a person has very fine but long hair, he is not an ideal candidate for laser hair reduction.

Also the modern machines have a lot of safety features incorporated in them and hence are unlikely to cause a burn on the treated area. But still selection of the centre is important- a centre with trained technicians and at most priority to hygiene is very important.

Why Us?

Here at Elite Hair Studio, we have highly experienced Dermatologists and Skin Practioners who have performed several  Hair Reduction sessions in the past. They have dealt with many cases from simple to complicated and know what works and what does not. The equipment we use is the best in industry and most of all it is painless to ensure customer is comfortable during the therapy. Click here to reserve an appointment today and we are sure you will not be disappointed

Before & After Hair Removal Images

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Underarm Before

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Upper Bikini Line Before

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