It’s not surprising that laser hair reduction is one of the most commonly requested cosmetic treatments in the United States — after all, lots of people have unwanted hair they’d love to get rid of for good.
Whether you’re a woman who’s tired of daily shaving or a man seeking a smooth, hairless back, laser hair reduction could be right for you.
Lead by Board-Certified Dermatologist Dr. Juan-Carlos Caballero, the experts at Warrenton Dermatology & Skin Therapy Center in Warrenton, Virginia, we can help you get rid of undesirable facial or body hair for good. Before you book your first appointment, however, there are a few essential things you need to know.
Laser hair reduction is a safe, advanced technology that works by targeting the melanin, or pigments, in your hair. When the laser passes over your skin, pulses of energy are absorbed by the pigments, and energy is sent down the hair shaft directly to the follicle that is growing the hair. If the follicle is in an active growth phase, it will be affected by the energy in such a way that it will no longer be able to grow hair!
Although many lasers can be adjusted to accommodate different hair colors, the treatment generally works best on darker, coarse, and textured hair, which contains a higher concentration of pigments that can better absorb the laser’s broad spectrum of energy. It’s typically easier to do away with dark, unwanted chin hairs, for example, than the light peach fuzz along the sides of your face.
Committed to providing the most advanced aesthetic treatments, Warrenton Dermatology & Skin Therapy Center specialists use the Joule™ X BBL™ laser platform to reduce unwanted hair.
Before any laser hair reduction session, you need to prepare the treatment area by shaving. This helps ensure that the energy being delivered is sent directly into the follicle, and not wasted burning up hair on the surface of your skin. You should shave the treatment area one or two days before your appointment (or as explicitly recommended). If you shave too far ahead of your appointment, there will be too much surface hair regrowth, which may lead to less than optimal results.
You can’t pluck, wax or use depilatory cream in the treatment area beforehand because the laser is only effective if it can use a hair shaft to deliver energy to the follicle. Any hair removal method that dissolves or pulls hair out at the root, such as tweezing, leaves nothing behind for the laser to target.
While many people see noticeable results after just one laser hair reduction session, you need multiple treatments to achieve optimal results.
That’s because your hair goes through three phases: growing, resting, and shedding. The laser only targets follicles’ in an active growth phase, so it’s not effective on follicles in the resting or shedding phase. To ensure the treatment gets rid of most of the hair in a specific area, a series of treatments will be necessary and timed to treat follicles as they enter the growth phase.
Although results vary, most people experience a 10-20% reduction in hair after their first laser treatment and further reductions with each successive treatment. To achieve complete results, you can expect to undergo four to six treatments, with each session scheduled four to six weeks apart.
If you’re ready to ditch your razor for good, Warrenton Dermatology & Skin Therapy is ready to help. Call Warrenton Dermatology & Skin Therapy Center at 540-212-7081, or request an appointment online.
