The Ultimate Laser
Hair removal
Guide Part 1
All you need to know before your next treatment…
Hello there!
Welcome back to our blog or if this is your first time here, we’re glad you found us. We present fresh and up to date information each week regarding aesthetic, corrective and cosmetic services. At our Medi Laser Clinic, we focus on everything from Botox, Dysport, and Juvederm to Teeth whitening and tattoo removal. Numerous and a diverse range of patients discover us online via platforms such as Google and Bing. When a typical client first calls our answering department the patient may have done some preliminary online research that may or may not have been accurate. With that said we’ve noticed some misinformation out there about laser hair removal and we wanted to clear some of that up with this guide. Last month we discussed Hair Removal Pros and Cons with our fans and the feedback was excellent. So, let us take a look at some of the laser hair removal facts you’ll want to know before and after your first session.
The Ultimate Laser Hair Removal Guide
2020 Part 1!
Before Treatment and Treatment Areas
Consultations.
For this first section, I asked one of our consultation technicians to discuss things patients would want to know before their treatment. Here’s what I’ve found. I started by asking one technician about proper skincare before their hair removal session. The tech noted that patients will want to understand this phase because it can be very beneficial to the process. Skincare is important to inform clients of pre-care do’s and don’ts including pre-treatment regimens.
Clients will want to wash and exfoliate the skin prior to treatment which leads us to an important issue with laser hair removal skincare which is skin topicals. A big no-no before laser procedures, skin topicals such as liquid lotions and potions, self-tanners and bronzers must be removed before any laser procedure can be performed. And why, you might ask. For the same reason, make-up must be removed prior to treatment. This is because the laser is targeting a darker pigment than the skin (i.e. the hair follicle) and if there’s makeup visible to the laser it can burn the epidermis (surface of the skin). We provide a full pre and post-care section on our website that you may want to read.
The tech also went on to discuss other preparations before the treatment which included mentioning that clients must fully shave with razors, clippers or cut with scissors the treatment region the day of the procedure, one day before after a few sessions, or/and even 2-3 days before as several sessions occur. Your laser technician will further help you with your particular schedule as treatments move forward. No waxing bleaching or plucking the hair at least one week before the laser process. Furthermore, patients must end the use of applications like Hydroquinone, Retin-A, Accutane, retinol products, photosensitizing prescriptions or treatments at least 7 days before your laser procedure.
Treatment Areas
Regarding treatment areas, one question that typically comes up is “which area can be treated with laser hair removal?”
“Excluding the area under your eyebrows (or inside the orbital rim), essentially any area can be treated with our acclaimed laser hair removal systems”. More discussion revealed that laser hair removals safe, effective, and fast treatments that can be conducted on the face, neck, underarms, upper and lower arms, bikini line, legs, back, lip, chest, and other areas.” Additionally, they stated clients should avoid having your laser hair removal treatments over tattooed areas, but recommend making the area hairless BEFORE you get the tattoo there. This may cause a fading or in some cases scarring on the tattoo. Moreover, it’s necessary to avoid laser procedures during pregnancy. And lastly, avoid areas that had been treated with fillers such as Juvederm, Restylane, or Radiesse.
Professionalism, Safety and the Fitzpatrick Scale
Fitzpatrick Scale!
When discussing safety clients usually want to know, “Can laser hair removal work on darker skin colors or even on tanned skin?” This question is one of the main points of study when becoming a Nationally Certified Laser Technician in the form of the Fitzpatrick Scale. The Fitzpatrick scale refers to a method of classifying skin types formulated by Thomas B. Fitzpatrick in the mid-1970s. Lasers utilized on skin types one through five on the Fitzpatrick scale conveys the best reduction in hair. When treating the darkest skin tone, such as type six, a higher risk can occur if not done with the utmost care. Fortunately, our lasers can adequately and carefully treat all skin types with a broad range of hair colors, diameters, and depths. Some of our top lasers include Candela, Palomar Icon, LyraScope, Syneron, Cynosure Vectus, Lumenis Lightsheer and other Diode Lasers.
Professional and Safe…
At our clinic, we utilize our medical and professional staff to handle darker skin colors. We generally lower the joules of the laser, accompanied with longer pulse (width) will prevent damage to the skin. Selectively targeting dark coarse or uniform brownish hairs our laser systems are best in class which provides dependable and affordable treatments. Every pulse can treat many hair follicles at the same time which is unlike other methods such as Electrolysis which treats single strands of hair. While we’re on the topic of Electrolysis treatments which many say is slightly painful let’s discuss an all too common question about laser hair removal which is “Is laser hair removal painful?” Well like millions of people online and in our local community they’ll testify that laser hair removal for most people feels like a rubber band connecting with your skin. Personally, I believe the slight discomfort is really not that bad and luckily we do test spots which are recommended and can be requested before your full treatment.
Being Tan?
Now for the other part of the question about treating tanned skin and whether or not it’s recommended. Okay, firstly treating tan skin is possible with care. However, and that’s a big “however” you should avoid being tan before your treatment because the risk of damage to the skin is much greater during this period. At our practice, we will reschedule the patient for a later date if they are tan. As a general rule, you should withdraw from sun exposure at least six weeks before the hair removal session.
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