Archive for 'Laser Hair Removal Guidebook'
Will Laser Hair Removal Work for Me?
8 January 2008Unwanted hair can be both embarrassing and annoying. If you’re looking for a more permanent solution, laser hair removal may be for you.
Laser hair removal treatment is commonly used in areas such as legs, armpits, upper lip, chin and bikini line. There’s no guarantee the hair won’t come back, but laser hair removal does last for longer periods of time.
Whether laser hair removal will work for you revolves around several factors, most prominently hair color and skin type. Generally speaking, treatment has been found to be most successful on people with dark hair. Light hair, such as blonde or red, contains a pigment that doesn’t absorb laser energy as well and therefore, does not respond as well to therapy. People with dark brown or black hair have the highest rates of response.
No tag for this post.Leg Hair Removal
7 January 2008Leg hair removal will help you to get rid of any unwanted hair on your legs. For many women, the idea of never shaving again would be akin to winning the lottery!
Laser hair treatment to remove unwanted leg hair looks and feels smoother than shaving and can save hours of precious time. For women who wax, laser hair removal can also be more cost-effective (and less-painful) over the long-term.
While it’s not guaranteed to completely eradicate leg hair, laser hair treatment can reduce the amount of hair you have and it can also lighten the color of the hair and make it less noticeable.
No tag for this post.How Should I Prepare For Laser Hair Removal?
22 December 2007Like any procedure, laser hair removal should not be undertaken without a thorough examination of the risks, benefits, costs, and success rates. Before scheduling an appointment, you should discuss with your clinician the factors that determine whether you are a good candidate for laer hair removal.
This initial meeting generally includes a review of your medical history. Be candid about your medical history and any condition you may have or had as well as any medications you’re taking. There are important considerations before undergoing any medical procedure.
No tag for this post.Laser Hair Removal and African American Skin
11 December 2007In the last few years, major improvements have been made to laser hair removal technology, debunking the idea that laser hair removal either doesn’t work for African Americans, or worse, that it results in burning and blistering. Now, we certainly don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, but if you have dark skin and are considering laser hair removal, you still have some homework to do.
Dark Skin and Laser Hair Removal – A Crash Course
No tag for this post.Life After Laser Hair Removal
11 December 2007What to Expect After Treatment
You’ve completed a laser hair removal treatment—congratulations, one down! You’re on your way.
After a session of laser hair removal, you can expect to see redness in the treatment area for the first few hours, as well as slight bumps, caused by swelling of the follicle, that may last for up to 3 days. Unless your skin is extra sensitive, or your treatment area is especially prominent, these should not be very noticeable side effects, so you can comfortably resume your regular daily activities.
No tag for this post.Laser Hair Removal Treatment Areas: It Works There?
11 December 2007First, Understanding What’s Off Limits
Want to know where on the body laser hair removal can be performed? Let’s start with the one place it can’t: beneath the eyebrows. This is especially disappointing to women who would love to retire their tweezers and always have perfectly sculpted brows. However, this area is simply too close to the eyes, and would require removing the standard eye protection worn during laser hair removal treatments. Also, the spot size of many lasers is about the circumference of a nickel, so it’s unfortunately very difficult to pinpoint the laser enough within that small area to shape and sculpt the brows the way most women would prefer. Worried about a unibrow? No problem—the area between the eyebrows is safe. It’s a commonly and successfully treated area.
Brace Yourself — This Might Sting a Little
11 December 2007What Most Say Laser Hair Removal Feels Like
What IS pain? How does one define this elusive term?
…Ah, yes, the question of whether or not laser hair removal hurts is a highly subjective matter.
On the one hand, the FDA has simplified it for us: they prohibit companies from promoting laser hair removal as “painless,” because, well, it’s not. Hair removal lasers use heat to destroy the hair beneath your skin, so the process certainly won’t go unnoticed.
No tag for this post.Classifying Your Skin & Hair for Laser Hair Removal
11 December 2007The “Ideal” Skin & Hair for Laser Hair Removal
The key here is contrast. Because laser light is attracted to dark pigment, the “ideal” laser hair removal candidate has pale skin (so the laser energy can pass right through it) and dark, coarse hair (to better attract the laser). The closer you are to this combination, the more obvious a target your hair follicle will be, the less of a distraction your skin causes for the laser energy, and the more efficient the treatment. If you don’t have the ideal skin/hair combo, though, you don’t necessarily have to write off laser hair removal…it’s just a bit trickier for you. When you identify your skin type, and if your hair is sufficiently pigmented, then a laser professional can determine the best laser and the appropriate settings required for safe, effective hair removal.
A Few Pre-Treatment Tips
11 December 2007First, What NOT To Do Before Your Laser Hair Removal Treatment
* Don’t Pluck!
Prior to a laser hair removal treatment, you must abstain from tweezing, waxing, sugaring, or any other unwanted hair treatment that removes hair from its root. Why? Because there needs to be hair in the hair follicle for laser hair removal to work. Remember, the laser is attracted to the melanin, or pigment, of the hair. For a strong presence of melanin, the hair must be in its anagen, or active, growth phase. If you pluck the hair out yourself, you’ve not only blown your upcoming treatment, but you’ve also disrupted the natural hair cycle, thus your laser treatment regimen.
Choosing a Laser Hair Removal Specialist
11 December 2007State Requirements for Laser Hair Removal Technicians
Laser hair removal is essentially a medical procedure and as such is regulated by state laws. Most state laws follow broad FDA guidelines, but each state has its own approach. That means it’s necessary for you to check to guarantee that a potential technician meets your state requirements. (Just find your state’s website link in that list and click on it. Typing “laser hair removal” into their search feature should give you the information you need.)
State regulations fall into within three broad types. Each type is based on FDA-instituted guidelines that describe different levels of physician involvement.
No tag for this post.