Where Can You Get Laser Hair Removal?

Are you over having to buy razor blades seemingly all the time? Do you wish you could make burning after using depilatory creams a thing of the past? If so, you may be interested in learning more about laser hair removal, a safe, effective treatment proudly offered at Bala Aesthetics & Medispa in Bel Air, MD. Keep reading to discover where you can receive this treatment, how you should prepare for your treatment, and much more.

Where Can You Get Laser Hair Removal?

You can get laser hair removal virtually anywhere you are concerned about hair growth. For example, women often seek this treatment to finally eliminate leg hair, underarm hair, and hair in the bikini area once and for all. Men usually seek this treatment to finally rid themselves of unwanted chest or back hair that makes them feel self-conscious. It can also be used to remove unwanted hair from other areas, including the:

• Upper lip
• Arms
• Stomach
• Chin

 

Where Can’t This Treatment Be Used?

You cannot use this treatment to remove unwanted hair from your eyebrows. Before your treatment begins, regardless of what areas you are targeting for treatment, we will give you special eye protection to wear. This eye protection is necessary to ensure that your eyes are not damaged from the laser light pulsing so close to your eyes.

How Many Treatments Will I Need to Achieve My Ideal Results?

We can’t tell you how many treatments you will need to achieve your ideal results until you come in for an initial evaluation. Numerous factors affect the number of treatments required for ideal results, including your unique goals and the amount of contrast between your skin tone and hair color. You will need fewer treatment sessions if your goal is to thin out the hair that grows in an area of concern, like your chin.

Your skin and hair color affect the number of sessions you may need because the treatment is more effective when there is a greater contrast. It works by targeting the extra pigmentation present in the hair follicles that are in the active growth phase. However, it is harder for the laser to pick up on this extra pigmentation when your hair is gray, red, or blonde or your skin is dark. If you have pale skin and fair hair, you may need six to 10 treatment sessions.

How Long Will It Take to See My Ideal Results?

Typically, you can expect your treated hair to fall out within a few days of your laser therapy session. From that point on, those destroyed hair follicles will not grow new hair. However, in a couple of months, you may notice new hair growing in the treated area. This occurs because the laser can only treat hair follicles in the active growth stage. The hair follicles that were in different stages of the hair growth cycle are not destroyed during treatment.

Once you notice new hair growth in your area of concern, schedule another laser therapy session. Once again, your skin should shed your treated hair within 72 hours, and you can enjoy silky smooth skin for several more weeks until other hair follicles in your area of concern enter the growth phase of the hair growth cycle.

How Should I Prepare for My Treatment?

Remember, the greater the contrast is between your skin and hair color, the more effective your treatment will be. Therefore, you should prepare for your treatment by taking steps to ensure your skin does not darken before your treatment. In other words, you should not use tanning beds or tanning lotions in the weeks leading up to your treatment. It is also crucial that your skin is not irritated at the time of your treatment.

Therefore, you need to wear sunscreen diligently to mitigate the risk of a sunburn at the time of your appointment. You should also reduce your chance of skin irritation by not using certain skincare products, such as creams or ointments containing retinol, a derivative of vitamin A. It is also highly advisable that you do not wax or tweeze your unwanted hair shortly before treatment due to the high likelihood of skin irritation.

How Long Can I Expect My Treatment Session to Take?

The length of your treatment session is highly dependent on the size of the areas you are targeting for treatment. If you are only concerned about removing unwanted facial hair, like upper lip hair or hair along your jawline, your session won’t take long. In fact, we can treat your upper lip in just a few minutes. On the other hand, if you are removing unwanted hair from your back, chest, and legs, your session will take a lot longer.

Once we have evaluated your areas of concern, we will give you a better idea of how long you should expect your treatment to take. Also, you should keep in mind that the laser zapping your active hair follicles is not the only treatment step. We need to give you your eye protection, and, in some cases, apply a topical anesthetic to the skin to ensure your comfort. It will take a while for the cream to take effect, and it will take a while to calibrate the laser.

Is There Any Downtime Required Following This Treatment?

No, there is no downtime required following a laser hair removal session. Depending on the size of the areas you are trying to treat, you may be able to come in on your lunch break and go back to work afterwards. However, if you’re trying to treat several large areas, you may need to schedule 30 to 60 minutes off from work in addition to your lunch break. Regardless, you are free to return to work once your treatment session is complete.

Nevertheless, you must keep in mind that there are certain recovery steps you must take following your treatment. For instance, your skin will be particularly sensitive to UV rays for a while after your treatment. Therefore, you should be extremely diligent in your use of sunscreen. Also, it is advisable to spend as little time as possible outside between 10 AM and 4 PM when the sun’s damaging UV rays are strongest.

What Other Post-Treatment Guidelines Should I Follow?

Keeping your skin hydrated after your treatment is another key step you must take for smooth, healthy skin. To accomplish this, you need to take a two-pronged approach. First, you need to make sure that the deepest layers of your skin are hydrated by drinking plenty of water. You can tell that you are drinking enough water for optimal hydration when your urine is pale, not clear, or dark.

You also need to make sure the outer layer of your skin is hydrated by moisturizing once or twice per day for a couple of weeks. You should use a moisturizer once daily if your skin is not naturally dry. If you often suffer from dry skin, make sure you moisturize every morning and every night. We recommend finding a fragrance-free moisturizer to reduce the likelihood of skin irritation.

Am I a Good Candidate for This Treatment?

Most people qualify for laser hair removal because the lasers we use are so much more advanced than the lasers used in the past. This treatment is safe and effective regardless of one’s skin tone, texture, or type. It is also safe regardless of one’s hair color, although the amount of contrast between skin tone and hair color will affect how many sessions you may need.

Nevertheless, it is important that you attend an initial evaluation to ensure this treatment will be safe for you. You will not qualify for this treatment if you are pregnant. You also will not qualify for this treatment if you suffer from a medical condition that causes extreme photosensitivity. Also, you should not get laser therapy for unwanted hair removal if you are taking any medications that cause extreme photosensitivity.

Schedule Your Initial Evaluation Today

You can use laser hair removal to get rid of unwanted hair from pretty much anywhere. However, you should not use it to remove unwanted hair from your eyebrow region. Your eyebrows are too close to your eyes for laser treatment to be safe. To learn more about this treatment, including whether you are a good candidate, schedule your initial evaluation with us today at Bala Aesthetics & Medispa in Bel Air, MD.