At New England Cosmetic Surgery & Laser Center in Weymouth, MA, we understand the frustration of unwanted hair. That’s why we are excited to offer laser hair removal: a safe, effective way to manage unwanted hair. If you are tired of having to remove unwanted hair regularly, keep reading to discover everything you need to know about this treatment.
What Areas Can Be Treated With Laser Hair Removal?
Laser hair removal can be used to treat virtually any region of the body with unwanted hair. Often, women use this treatment to remove unwanted hair on their back, underarms, forearms, thighs, calves, and bikini area. Men commonly target chest and face hair with laser therapy. However, it can also be used to remove unwanted hair from the neck and shoulders.
What Areas Don’t Qualify for This Treatment?
While this treatment can be used virtually anywhere, it is not universally applicable. For example, you cannot use laser hair removal to thin out your eyebrow area or eliminate ear or nose hair. Additionally, you will not be able to receive this treatment if you are experiencing any skin irritation, like a sunburn or infection, in the targeted areas. During your initial consultation, we will review all of the contraindications with you to verify that your areas of concern qualify.
How Should I Prepare for This Treatment?
We will advise you on all preparation guidelines during your initial consultation. Avoiding sun exposure is one of the most important preparation steps because we can’t perform your treatment if your skin is irritated. It is also essential that you do not use any topical products or get any skincare treatments that have the potential to irritate your skin.
Moreover, you should not use any topical medications or take any drugs that increase your sensitivity to light. Also, you should shave your treatment area the morning of your treatment if you don’t shave it the night before. Just take care to use sharp razor blades and shaving cream to mitigate the risk of skin irritation. Furthermore, you should arrive for your appointment with clean skin that is free from any cosmetics, and loose, comfortable clothing.
What Are the Benefits of This Treatment?
It Provides Long-Lasting Results
One of the most compelling benefits of this treatment is that it provides long-lasting results. The heat emitted by the laser light energy burns the active hair follicles to death. Generally, you should not expect your skin to produce new hair follicles to replace the dead ones. However, certain medical conditions and other factors can result in unwanted hair growth in the treated areas.
It Is Convenient
People also love this treatment because it is extremely convenient. The laser can destroy several hair follicles at a time, so you can treat several large areas in only an hour. If you are targeting a small area for unwanted hair removal, the laser portion of your treatment can take as little as five minutes.
It Is Safe
Laser therapy for unwanted hair removal is also incredibly safe. The laser hones in on the highly pigmented hair follicles, burning them to death without damaging the less pigmented surrounding skin. Additionally, the laser can be calibrated to be safe and effective for people with any skin tone and hair color. If you have dark skin, you don’t have to worry about the laser bleaching or otherwise discoloring your skin.
It Is Comfortable
The comfort of this treatment is another thing to love about it. If you don’t opt for the application of a topical numbing cream prior to your treatment, your treated area will feel warm. However, you shouldn’t expect to feel any pain.
How Many Treatment Sessions Will I Need to See My Desired Results?
There are many factors that impact the number of sessions required for you to achieve your goals. Among these factors are the color of your hair, the tone of your skin, the area being targeted, and the thickness of the hair. Generally, you can expect to need six to eight treatment sessions spaced approximately four to six weeks apart. However, if your goal is only to thin out hair in an area, like your jawline, you may only need a couple of treatment sessions.
How closely together your treatment sessions can be spaced depends on how quickly the hair follicles in your targeted areas cycle through the hair growth stages. Laser therapy is only effective when the follicles are in the active stage of the growth cycle, so you won’t be able to come back for a follow-up session until you notice new hair growth in the areas.
Schedule Your Initial Consultation Today
As long as your skin is not irritated, laser hair removal can be used to stop unwanted hair growth in virtually any area, including the bikini region. However, it cannot be used everywhere, including the upper eye area, nose, and ears. If you are sick and tired of all the time and money you are spending to keep your skin hair free, schedule an evaluation with us now at New England Cosmetic Surgery & Laser Center in Weymouth, MA.