Laser hair removal is becoming the gold standard for permanent hair removal. Unlike shaving, waxing, or electrolysis, laser hair removal techniques allow a person to optimize treatment and achieve permanent hair reduction. The main question is....are all laser hair removal techniques the same?
Laser hair removal works by a process known as selective photothermolysis, wherein a laser is directed on the skin and hair to destroy the hair follicles. The way it works is simple. Each laser is programmed at a specific wavelength, much like a frequency/wavelength or station you have on your radio. Each wavelength will get absorbed by a different color. So, in the case of laser hair removal, we use a wavelength that gets absorbed by black color. Since the unwanted hair follicles have black pigment, they are selectively heated and destroyed. The skin, which is much lighter in color, will not respond. This process becomes more difficult in darker skin types in which case the skin and the hair will absorb the laser energy.
Top 5 tips:
1) Make sure the practitioner understands your specific skin type and hair color. It is always a good idea to speak with the physician prior to letting anyone perform laser hair removal on your body. If the physician is not available to speak with you, you might want to consider another location.
2) Speak to the physician about risks and how they manage them. If they don't know the answers, be wary. Laser hair removal is extremely safe but there are recognized risks that should not be underestimated. Speak directly to the doctor about how complications like pigmentation, poor results, burns, etc.. will be managed on your particular skin type before you undergo treatment.
3) Ask the laser center about anesthesia prior to the procedure. Options include cooling sprays, ice packs, and numbing medications. There have been problems associated with compounded numbing creams and self-made numbing creams from a doctor's office. Make sure the creams used are packaged correctly and are commercially available with a prescription. These are generally the best types.
4) Discuss pre-procedural instructions, including shaving, waxing, etc... before the procedure. I generally do not have patients shave the day of laser hair removal. Instead, our Santa Monica office asks patients to not wax for one month and shave five days prior. That way, the tips of the hair shaft are visible during the procedure and serve as a gauge for treatment.
5) Discuss intervals of treatment. Should you come every 4 weeks, 6 weeks? This is never uniform and should be individualized per patient.
6) I know I said 5 tips, but here is an extra.... Do not ever feel intimidated or pressured into buying series of treatments up front for a procedure you are not comfortable with. Price should not dictate how you are treated in a physician's office. Go with your hunch and most of all 'buyer beware.' The best treatments are done in a professional medical setting, not in a rinky dink med spa in a shopping center.
Raffy Karamanoukian, MD Kare Plastic Surgery & Skin Health Clinic - karemd.com karemd.com
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