Unwanted and/or excessive hair can be embarassing for some and may have an effect on ones self esteem. Imagine always having smooth skin and no maintenance! Known areas of unwanted hair appear on both men and women. Laser hair removal is proving to be a popular and effective way of removing hair. Other forms of hair removal – such as electrolysis, depilatory creams or waxing can be used. Each has its own limitations as to its effectiveness and ease of use. Laser is the only permanent method of hair reduction. Also a large area can be treated at one time making hair removal quicker and cost effective.

With laser hair removal you can feel confident not having to worry about unwanted hair when you want to show a bit of skin. You will always look great, your skin will always look smooth and sexy. No more growing out hair waiting to get waxed or electrolysis.

• To enhance physical appearance
• To increase self-confidence and enhance self image
• To look great. Your skin will always look smooth and sexy. No more growing out hair waiting to get waxed or electrolysed
• To save money – over time laser hair removal costs less than most other hair removal methods
• To save time – you will never need to find time for a wax or electrolysis again
• To eliminate hair growth – ingrowing hair can cause discomfort, infections and self consciousness.

All body areas can be treated for laser hair removal with the exception of the immediate eye area including the following:
 

Leg
Shaving legs for most women has to be incorporated into an already busy maintenance programme. Regrowth of unwanted hair within one or two days can feel very course and not feminine. Waxing this area is time consuming and requires regular appointments for most of the life of the female.

Bikini/Genital area
Shaving or waxing this area presents similar problems to the legs - it is more painful to wax this area and ingrowing hairs occur more frequently. It is possible to remove all the hair in this area or just the hair which would normally be exposed outside of the line of the bikini. The choice is up to the individuals preference.

Facial
Excessive Hair on the face can sometimes be attributed to a Hormone Imbalance and Genetics can also play a key role in this factor. As the face is constantly exposed to the public, excessive facial hair is often embarrassing for most women. Facial Laser Hair Removal is a wonderful way to remove unwanted hair which will eliminate the need for waxing and tweezing. Electrolysis can be performed to remove hair permanently if there is no pigment (colour) in the hair.

Chest area
Chest hair can appear on some females and also in the areola. This can be easily treated by Laser Hair Removal providing the hair has some colour.

Body Laser Hair Removal
It is not unusual for woman to experience excess body hair on any part of the body, including but not limited to Arms, Under Arms, Feet, Toes and the Buttocks.

Back area
Hair on the back can be more than just an aesthetic issue. Occasionally the hair can become irritated, and itchy, and the hair follicles may become infected. The discomfort is worsened with exercise, warm weather and associated sweating.

The hair presentation can vary from very dense to sparse. Either way, laser hair removal can be extremely helpful in reducing, or eliminating, undesired hair. As with other areas of the body, the type of laser used must be chosen and applied to the patient carefully to receive the maximum potential outcome.

Other options, such as shaving, waxing and using depilatory creams, have limitations on the back. Since the back is difficult to reach, the help of an assistant is almost always necessary when shaving or applying depilatory creams. Of these three hair removal approaches, waxing offers the longest time for hair-free skin-lasting several weeks. But waxing the back can be irritating to skin, which can even result in pigmentation of the skin and, of course, can be a fairly uncomfortable procedure.

Laser hair removal for back hair may not be perfect, but there are important advantages for every patient. Several potential lasers and light sources are available, each having a specific benefit for the patient, depending on the patient's skin colour, hair colour, hair thickness and hair density. Those physician offices offering the greatest selection of lasers, and other light sources, will increase the likelihood of having the best choice for the patient and the best final outcome.

One laser session can cover the whole back and is relatively well tolerated by the patient. In four to six treatment sessions a permanent reduction in the majority of hair can be achieved. With continued treatments, most hair may become permanently smaller or totally eliminated. Even those patients with thicker, coarse hair may have a significant permanent thinning of the diameter of many of the hairs, in addition to achieving a reduction in hair density. Those hairs that remain may be much less of a concern to the patient. This is especially important to those patients who have recurrent irritation from their back hair. The use of the laser, and other light sources, have allowed for a real advance in the treatment of these patients.

Before treatment patients should stop waxing, tweezing and electrolysis treatments for approximately 6 weeks. Patients should not sunbathe.

The best candidates for laser hair removal are those patients with light skin and dark hair, the more closely an individual’s skin tone matches his/her hair colour the less likely he/she is to benefit from laser hair removal.

Due to the fact that a laser targets melanin, the more melanin an individul has in his/herhair, the more effective a laser will be. Therefore, someone with grey, red or blonde hair is not as good a candidate for laser hair removal.

In addition, the move melanin in your skin, the darker it looks. Since the laser does not distinguish between melanin in hair and melanin in skin, the more melanin present in the skin, the more the laser is going to target the skin rather than the hair. Therefore, someone with darker skin is not a good candidate for laser hair removal.
 

Planning

Pre-visit and during consultations the surgeon will try to evaluate your physical-mental health and any medical conditions. In order to obtain the best results it is important that you are honest with the surgeon, that you advise any previous surgeries, if you are taking any medications, herbal supplements, vitamins or other drugs and if you smoke. Be sure to discuss your expectations and goals. The surgeon is here to guide, advise and explain to you how the surgery will be performed, possible alternatives that may offer better results, the risks and limitations of each as well as details of follow up and after care.

The Procedure

• While the process in itself is considered to be very safe, individuals opting for laser hair removal should preferably follow the following pre-treatment tips.

• Laser treatment should be avoided when you have suntan or sunburn

• Theough not necessary, shaving before the treatment quickens treatment time. Shaving should be done to a degree where only a shadow or stubble remains visible.

• Bleaching or plucking should be stopped for a couple of weeks before the treatment.

• If you are likely to suffer from cold sores or have genital herpes, start taking appropriate medicines before the treatment.

How does laser hair removal work?

Laser hair removal is the use of laser energy to produce long-term hair reduction. This is accomplished by producing heat in the hair, which is transferred to the hair follicle, which in-turn produces inflammation, and this inflammation sends a signal to the hair follicle to go into the resting (telogen) phase. Hair in the growth phase (anagen phase) is also destroyed.

A laser is a device that produces light of a single colour or wavelength. In dermatology, these lasers produce pulses of high-energy light that is taken up by the desired target. In the case of hair removal, the target is the melanin pigment contained within the hair shaft. Each pulse lasts about one second which may produce a stinging feeling.

The tricky part of laser hair removal is targeting the hair shaft without damaging the melanin pigment in the surface of the skin. Thus the laser light has to be on long enough to heat the hair, but not too long to allow that heat to spread to the surrounding skin causing damage. In addition, the darker a patient’s skin, the more difficult it is to avoid injuring the surface of the skin while treating the hair. For this reason, there are three main types of hair removal lasers that are used today, and depending on the thickness of the hair and the colour of the skin, one laser may provide benefits as compared to another.

One of the more common problems you see in darker skinned patients, particularly when the hair is curly is pseudofolliculitis. Pseudofolliculitis is bumps in the area where the hair is and that problem improves very rapidly following laser treatment. In fact, after a single laser treatment pseudofolliculitis can improve tremendously even though all of the hair is not removed.

Post procedure and general precautions after laser hair removal include:

• Most people leave the session with a bit of a temporary rash or ‘sunburn-like’ reaction, a cold compress can be applied to help any discomfort.

• Minimal use of make up and maximum use of moisturiser

• Use sun block of SPF25 or more for a couple of weeks after treatment

• If needed the only other acceptable hair removal method during the treatment regimen is shaving

• Be aware that hair will continue to shed up to three weeks after the treatment. Help the hairs out by using a loofah or washcloth.

Laser hair removal is accomplished in a series of sessions generally done monthly or every other month. The average number of sessions to achieve over 80 percent permanent hair reduction in 80-90 percent of good candidates is approximately 4 to 7 sessions. In between these monthly sessions some of the hair will regrow as hairs cycle. Hairs that may have been dormant during your previous laser hair removal sessions may now be in the growth phase. This is where the need for multiple treatment sessions arises. Multiple sessions ensure that all the hairs are subjected to the treatment. These hairs may be shaved by the patient between sessions if desired.

It is important to keep scheduled appointments as each one will target certain growth cycles.

Many patients find that maintenance sessions done once or twice a year are ideal for keeping hair at bay after completing the initial treatment. This depends on the area being treated and on the individual. The results vary from person to person. In minority of patients who are good candidates hair loss may only be temporary and complete regrowth may occur. The complete regrowth is generally seen in white or blonde haired patients.
 

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