There are no two ways around it: hair removal is time-consuming, messy, and imperfect. This is especially true when you shave or try to use at-home wax kits. With the latter, you can add painful to the list of undesired effects! What, then, is the answer? Laser hair removal from Bala Aesthetics & Medispa in Bel Air, MD. It’s cleaner, more effective, and longer-lasting than other methods. Results can, in fact, be permanent.
Despite what you might read or hear, the results of laser are permanent – with a few caveats. You must attend every session mapped out in your treatment plan so we can get all of the hairs. This explains why some people do not get the full results laser can deliver. They stop attending treatments and, later down the road, experience sparse but visible hair growth.
The other caveat is this: once the hair follicle is destroyed, it cannot re-grow hair. If it’s only damaged, however, hair may come back. That hair will be thinner and lighter than before, but it will grow nonetheless. This explains the need for multiple treatments and the potential for touch-up sessions at a later point.
Although rarely discussed, maintenance sessions can help eliminate all the hair from a treatment site. These can be delivered quarterly, every six months, or annually after your treatment plan is complete. We’ll discuss this during your consultation, but it’s important to know that they can help in delivering permanent results.
Hair growth can change throughout a person’s life, largely because of hormones. These chemical messengers substantially impact the rate and thickness of hair growth. If a follicle becomes dormant and is then stimulated by a change in hormones – as often happens – it can switch from being inactive to active. The benefit is that it will now respond to treatment, but that means coming in for a touch-up.
The three phases of hair growth play critical roles in laser treatment. The first stage, anagen, marks the time of actual growth. It is also the time during which follicles are active, meaning they will respond to the laser. But the anagen phase only lasts two or three weeks, giving us a relatively narrow window for treatment to successfully work.
Catagen is the second face and distinguishes the time between hair growth and rest. Individual strands shed during this phase, thus rendering most hair removal treatments ineffective. Laser energy in particular cannot reach the follicle once it releases hair. The good news is this stage only lasts about two days.
A less predictable stage, which also marks the third and final portion of the hair growth cycle, is telogen. The hair follicle is dormant throughout this phase, meaning the laser cannot go to work as we need it to. Even more frustrating, the telogen stage may last a few days or several years; there’s simply no way of knowing.
Each individual hair is in a different stage of the growth cycle at any given time. This, then, explains why several sessions are necessary to achieve the hair-free canvas you want. Depending on the treatment site, you may need between five and 10 sessions total. And the hair growth cycle affects the frequency with which you can have sessions; they need to be scheduled around eight weeks apart to give your hair time to move into the next phase.
Waiting longer than eight weeks, however, can give hair too much time, meaning it may move back into the catagen or telogen phase. It is for this reason that missing appointments can negatively impact your results, as we discussed earlier. Conversely, trying to schedule appointments too close together won’t allow your skin the time it needs to heal. In short, we’re working with a somewhat narrow window and will time your sessions accordingly.
We’d be surprised if you didn’t have questions about laser hair removal and are therefore prepared to give answers. The most common question concerns safety, and we can tell you this treatment is very safe. It became a mainstream therapy in the mid-1990s and has only grown stronger, better, and safer in the years that have followed.
Additionally, because it’s minimally invasive, you don’t need to worry about downtime. You’ll have aftercare instructions to follow, which we’ll get to momentarily, but your life won’t be disrupted. In other words, you can resume most of your normal activities immediately following your session.
Years ago, laser hair removal only worked effectively on patients with light skin and dark hair. The reason was owed entirely to the laser design, in which it couldn’t detect the presence of light hair and was therefore ineffective. But with advances in technology, lasers can now remove hair on patients of all skin tones. We simply adjust the wavelength frequency to suit each patient’s individual needs.
Most patients see substantially less hair after their first treatment, and results continue to build with each subsequent session. Your final results, however, won’t develop until all of your sessions are complete. You can shave between treatments to remove those hairs that haven’t yet been targeted, but you’ll notice the need to do so will gradually diminish until your skin is completely smooth.
We’ll conduct a consultation before proceeding with laser hair removal and give you individualized instructions at that time. In general, however, you can expect a few broad guidelines. Staying out of the sun is the foremost recommendation we make to all patients. A tan increases your risk of skin lightening after treatment and can also alter your results.
If you presently have a tan, it’s important to wait until it completely fades before scheduling your session. We can review your skin during the consultation and determine when it’s appropriate to proceed with treatment.
You can shave before treatment, but you cannot wax or pluck because both techniques disturb hair follicles. This, in turn, can interfere with treatment. We’ll likely ask that on the day before your session, you shave with a new razor that hasn’t yet been used. This enables the laser energy to easily reach your follicles and also ensures no bacteria linger and cause a skin infection.
It’s also ideal to shower right before treatment. We ask, however, that you omit lotions, perfumes, moisturizers, and sunscreens. These can irritate the skin after it’s exposed to the laser.
The best clothing for your appointment is loose-fitting and comfortable. Tight or abrasive clothes can rub the skin and heighten sensitivity. We may also apply a topical soothing ointment after treatment that can stain, so you shouldn’t wear your best outfits.
We’re going to circle back to this all-important topic: avoid sun exposure. We’ll go so far at this point as to say you need to get serious about sun protection once you have treatment. Too much sun exposure can irritate the skin. The same is also true of tanning salons, which you’ll need to avoid for two weeks. When you are going outside, sunscreen should be your constant companion, and it will need to be reapplied often.
For at least a few days after treatment, you’ll also want to avoid topical beauty products. Just like sun exposure, beauty products can irritate the skin, so skipping them altogether is the best option. This means cosmetics, body washes with fragrance, and deodorant, depending on your treatment site. You can resume these products after about 48 hours.
Also for 48 hours, you should trade hot showers for cool. Hot water may be too much for sensitive skin, whereas cool water will soothe and help promote healing. The same goes for hot tubs and saunas, which are off-limits so your skin isn’t damaged. Last but not least, set the heating pads aside so you don’t irritate healing skin.
You’ll notice a lot of hair shedding after your first session. Not at first because it takes some time for the damaged/destroyed follicle to release its hair, but within about four weeks, the hair will begin to rapidly fall out in substantial quantities. You can expedite this process and protect your skin by exfoliating.
The key is to do so in a safe manner, which means using a mild scrub and warm washcloth. Then you can simply wipe the treated area in circular motions. Repeat this several times per week but no more so you don’t overwork the skin.
When you compare laser hair removal bali to many other treatments, you instantly see it’s less painful. Waxing is one of the most painful treatments out there, and laser is widely recognized as being far more comfortable. It also delivers longer-lasting results so you don’t have to repeatedly endure that pain.
And thanks to the hand-held wand we use, this technique is also incredibly precise. We can treat large areas like the legs as well as small, delicate areas like the upper lip. The eyebrows, bikini line, and hairline are just a few other places laser is commonly used.
If you’ve ever had one of these small, red, painful bumps, you know how uncomfortable they can be. Although ingrown hairs can strike anyone, some patients are more prone to them than others. And all the serums, oils, and moisturizers that promise relief rarely deliver. The beauty of laser is that it destroys hair at the root, ensuring ingrown hairs are things of the past so you can at last enjoy smooth and clear skin.
We like to point out these benefits because they’re significant. When you add up the money spent on razors, shaving creams, waxing appointments, and depilatory creams, you realize that laser will save you cash in the long-run. The greatest savings, however, is in time. Women spend more than 1,700 hours throughout a lifetime shaving, and men spend over 1,000. Imagine what you can do with that time once it’s restored.
If you’re even thinking about laser hair removal bel air MD, you should know it’s a treatment that makes sense. Permanent results, smoother and softer skin, and a savings of both time and money are just a few of the benefits you’ll see. Schedule your consultation today by calling Bala Aesthetics & Medispa in Bel Air, MD.
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