What’s laser hair removal?

Laser hair removal is an effective non-invasive method to remove unwanted hair. Laser hair removal was one of the most common cosmetic procedures in the United States in 2016. More than 1,000,000 procedures were performed in 2016. This treatment can be an effective option for people with excessive body hair looking to reduce or eliminate hair from large and small areas.

Laser hair removal
A medical specialist (a doctor, physician assistant or registered nurse) cleans and disinfects the area before the procedure. Numbing gel may be used if the treatment area is very sensitive. To prevent laser damage to the eyes, everyone must wear protective eyewear.

After the numbing gel has absorbed, the medical specialist will focus a beam high-energy light on the area. The procedure will take longer if the area is large. While small areas may take only a few minutes, larger areas like the chest may take up to an hour.

Patients report feeling a bit like a rubber band snapping, or a sunburn-like sensation. The smoke puffs can leave behind a sulfurous odor as the laser energy evaporates the hair.

How to prepare for laser hair removal
Before you go to the doctor, make sure you have read all instructions. These instructions will improve the efficiency of your procedure and decrease the chance of side effects. These are some of the most common suggestions:

Avoid the sun for several days prior to the procedure. Tanned skin shouldn’t have laser hair removal.
Avoid irritating the skin.
Avoid waxing and plucking.
Avoid taking anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, which can increase bleeding.
You should not perform the procedure if you have an active infection such as a cold sore, bacterial skin infection or other type of infection.
You might also consider applying a skin-bleaching product to dark skin.

Laser hair removal
These are the areas that should be targeted:

Back
Shoulders
Arms
Chest
Bikini area
Legs
Neck
upper lip
Chin

What is the process of laser hair removal?
Laser hair removal uses concentrated light to target hair follicles. These are tiny cavities in the skin that allow hair growth. The laser is absorbed by the hair’s follicle and attracted to its melanin pigment. The hair then vaporizes immediately.

Lasers attract the pigment in hair, so people with darker hair and lighter skin are best candidates for laser hair removal.

Patients with darker skin should be treated with a laser which detects hairs against the skin.

People with lighter hair are less suitable candidates. They also have a lower chance of experiencing drastic results because the laser is not able to focus on non-pigmented hair. Laser hair removal is ineffective for white, blonde, and gray hairs.