Laser Hair Removal
The demand for intense pulsed light (IPL) hair removal and laser hair removal treatments are at an all-time high. This is not surprising, considering that traditional hair removal via electrolysis and waxing is painful and expensive. Light-based hair removal permanently reduces unwanted facial and body hair, in fewer treatments and with more comfort than is possible with traditional procedures.
Understanding Hair Growth
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The hair follicle’s active growth phase is called anagen. During this phase, the hair contains an abundance of melanin. Catagen is the regression phase when the lower part of the hair stops growing but is not shed and the follicle is reabsorbed. The resting phase is called telogen, during which the old hair falls out in preparation for the development of new hair.
Hair follicles grow and regrow in a cycle, and even the most sophisticated removal treatments can only disable those follicles that are active at the time of treatment. For complete hair removal, treatments must be repeated five to six times at 2 – 4 week intervals for facial hair, 4 – 6 weeks for body hair and 8 weeks for leg hair, systematically disabling the follicles as they go into their active phase.
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| Unwanted Hair | With Laser Treatment | Hair Shaft and Follicles are Disabled |
| Before | After |
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CONDITION TREATED: Excess hair growth on any area of the body except under the brows.
RESULTS: After 4 – 6 treatments, patients have a 50 – 80% reduction in hair growth. The remaining hair is lighter in color, thinner in diameter, softer and grows slower, so is much more manageable.
TREATMENTS CONSIST OF: 5 – 6 treatments are optimal. Our hair grows in 3 phases and the laser only targets the actively growing hair. So we want to target all three phases, then come back and target them all again.
TREATMENT INTERVAL: Areas on the neck and face can be treated every 2 – 4 weeks. Areas on the arms and torso can be treated every 4 – 6 weeks. And areas on the legs can be treated every 8 weeks.
TREATMENT TIME: Depends on the area of the body treated.
RECOVERY TIME: Minimal. May have some slight pinkness or feel as though you've had a mild sunburn for a few days.