WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE LASER HAIR REMOVAL PROCEDURE

Laser hair removal is the same like any other medical treatment, so you may have nervousness and a frightening feeling. Laser hair removal procedure is a cosmetic treatment and normally its process and end results are without any serious effects on your skin and body specially when you are taking this treatment from qualified practitioner and are following their instructions. Below are the details for the process involved in laser hair removal through which you can access what to expect in laser hair removal procedure

First time at the practitioner’s office

As said before, visiting your practitioner for laser hair removal is same as visiting any practitioner for a treatment. If it’s your first time then your level of anxiety may be high, but this feeling is absolutely natural. To overcome this anxiety or nervousness, you should try to keep yourself relaxed. It would be good if you take a friend or a relative with you. Try to think positively about your treatments rather than thinking about any adverse affects.

Another thing that you should keep in mind is to bring any relevant documents that your practitioner has given to you. If you have any upfront or outstanding payments, make sure that you bring the payment with you, this will help you to relieve any stress.

When the procedure is started

Before starting the procedure, the area of your skin to be treated will be washed and prepared using an alcohol and antiseptic solution. The practitioner performing the procedure will take a moment to adjust the laser machine to the right laser light energy settings specific for your skin and hair type.

After taking precautionary steps like wearing goggles, the process will be started. The process takes from several minutes to several hours, depending on the area of the body involved. Laser hair removal uses a low-energy laser. The laser energy passes through the patient’s skin, being absorbed by the pigment in the hair follicle

The laser emits an invisible light which penetrates the skin without damaging it; it is then absorbed by the pigments of the hair follicle. The laser light selectively absorbed by the follicle damages its functions and impairs its ability to fabricate hair. At the level of the pilosebaceous follicle, the laser light absorbed by the pigments is then transformed into heat which damages the hair but not the surrounding skin.

Light at a specified wavelength is delivered from a handpiece into the skin, where it targets dark material (usually the pigment in hair). If you have dark skin and hair, your skin pigmentation will absorb more of the light than a person with little skin pigmentation. In this case, there is the possibility of some increased skin absorbance of the light's energy, which could cause discomfort. To avoid this, the practitioner may cool the skin using cooling sprays or ice packs. This helps keep the surface skin temperature down.

How Does the Laser Feel?

The laser treatment feels like the snapping of a rubber band on your skin. Though the intensity of laser is tolerable for most people, it may be disturbing for some. The sensitivity of your skin determines how much you feel.

Duration of a typical session

As stated before, duration of a laser hair removal session can be from several minutes to an hours and maybe more. The duration of the session depends upon the area being treated. If the removal is for a large area, such as the entire legs, then it would take a greater time as compared to hair removal from upper lip area. The practitioner can tell you the estimated time the session will take before the start of the treatment.

Experiences after the treatment

There are few chances of having any permanent side-effects after a laser hair removal treatment, but there are some temporary side-effects which normally last up to some hours. The skin in the treated area may become slightly red and swollen. The area may feel a little puffy and irritated, like mild sunburn. This is most noticeable around hair follicles. The targeted hair may also feel very thick immediately after the treatment session. Eventually this feeling will dissipate after one or two weeks and at least some of the hair in the treated area should fall out. Not all the hair will be removed in one session and this is why multiple visits are required to completely smooth out the area and remove the hair.