Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal is the process of removing unwanted hair by means of exposure to pulses of laser light that destroy the hair follicle.

Unwanted hair growth remains a therapeutic challenge and there is a need for an effective, safe, and non-invasive treatment modality capable of removing hairs on a longterm basis. Excess hair growth covers a broad range of severity and may present as hypertrichosis or hirsutism. Hypertrichosis means excess hair growth at any body site, whereas hirsutism presents as excess hair growth in women at androgen-dependent sites. However, hair removal treatments are for a large part performed for cosmetic reasons to people with normal hair pattern.

Several traditional treatments are offered for hair removal including shaving, plucking, waxing, chemical depilatories and electrolysis. None of these treatments are ideal as the efficacy is limited, painful and tedious, and there may be a risk of side-effects such as skin irritation, infection, allergic and irritant dermatitis as well as scarring. The available lasers and light sources operate in the red or near-infrared wavelength regions: ruby laser (694 nm), alexandrite laser (755 nm), diode laser (800–810 nm), Nd:YAG (neodymium:yttrium-aluminiumgarnet) laser (1064 nm), and noncoherent intense pulsed light (IPL) (590–1200 nm). The mechanisms by which these devices induce selective damage to hair follicles are based on the concepts of selective photothermolysis. The red and near-infrared wavelengths allow for selective absorption by melanin combined with deep penetration into the dermis and pulse durations shorter or equal to the thermal relaxation time of the hair follicles (about 10–50 ms) confine the thermal damage to the hair follicles.

HOW LASER HAIR REMOVAL WORKS

Regardless of which area you’re looking to de-fuzz, laser hair removal can help. In a matter of minutes, hair follicles are destroyed with minimal discomfort. Using highly concentrated energy, hair follicles are targeted and pulses of light are emitted. The laser’s energy is attracted to the pigment of hair, the same way sunlight is attracted to darker clothing. For this reason, laser hair removal work best on those with dark, coarse hair and a fair complexion. However, people without this combination can still get great results. Unlike many of our competitors, COSMETIQUE offers multiple types of lasers to treat a variety of skin types and complexions, including those with darker skin tones. Everyone’s skin is different, which is why we will customize your treatment package during your consultation to ensure you achieve the best results possible. During the session, many compare the feeling of the laser’s pulse to the snap of a rubber band. Over the course of the next 1-3 weeks, the treated hair falls. The process requires a series of treatments, but results can be seen after just the first time, proving how effective even just the initial treatment can be. With every treatment you’ll progressively see fewer and fewer hairs return. Finishing the entire series of treatments is crucial, as that ensures that you see the highest degree of permanent hair reduction. Stop worrying about the constant upkeep and start enjoying the freedom of silky smooth skin, year-round.
Why to consider Laser Hair Removal?

If you’re not happy with shaving, tweezing, or waxing to remove unwanted hair, laser hair removal may be an option worth considering. Laser hair removal is one of the most commonly done cosmetic procedures in the U.S. It beams highly concentrated light into hair follicles. Pigment in the follicles absorb the light. That destroys the hair. If you struggle with removing unwanted hair, you’re not alone. Many find it difficult to keep up with the time-consuming, ineffective hair removal treatments that they’ve performed their whole lives in the hopes of maintaining a hairless body. But hair removal doesn’t need to be so challenging. At COSMETIQUE, we’ve mastered the process of laser hair removal and stand behind it as one of the best ways to achieve permanent hair reduction. In fact, we’ve already performed thousands of hair removal treatments, and the number just continues to grow as more people discover all of the benefits of our offerings. THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A LASER HAIR REMOVAL PROVIDER:

The medical degree and experience level of the treatment provider
The number of years the company/clinic has been in business
The quality of the hair removal equipment (lasers)
The ability to safely treat all skin colors
Convenient locations
Lifetime Membership
Accurate Pricing to procedure completion

Researching the best laser hair removal value should be as quick as the treatment itself, so don’t wait! Contact us now for the best combination of experience and value in laser hair removal… and get started with your first treatment on the day of your purchase!

Benefits of Laser Hair Removal
Lasers are useful for removing unwanted hair from the face, leg, arm, underarm, bikini line, and other areas.
Benefits of laser hair removal include:
Precision.
Lasers can selectively target dark, coarse hairs while leaving the surrounding skin undamaged.
Speed.
Each pulse of the laser takes a fraction of a second and can treat many hairs at the same time. The laser can treat an area approximately the size of a quarter every second. Small areas such as the upper lip can be treated in less than a minute, and large areas, such as the back or legs, may take up to an hour.
Predictability.
Most patients have permanent hair loss after an average of three to seven sessions. How to Prepare for Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal is more than just ”zapping” unwanted hair. It is a medical procedure that requires training to perform and carries potential risks. Before getting laser hair removal, you should thoroughly check the credentials of the doctor or technician performing the procedure. If you are planning on undergoing laser hair removal, you should limit plucking, waxing, and electrolysis for six weeks before treatment. That’s because the laser targets the hairs’ roots, which are temporarily removed by waxing or plucking. You should also avoid sun exposure for six weeks before and after treatment. Sun exposure makes laser hair removal less effective and makes complications after treatment more likely. What to Expect During Laser Hair Removal
Just before the procedure, your hair that will be undergoing treatment will be trimmed to a few millimeters above the skin surface. The laser equipment will be adjusted according to the color, thickness, and location of your hair being treated as well as your skin color. Depending on the laser or light source used, you and the technician will need to wear appropriate eye protection. It will also be necessary to protect the outer layers of your skin with a cold gel or special cooling device. This will help the laser light penetrate the skin. Next, the technician will give a pulse of light to the treatment area and watch the area for several minutes to make sure the best settings were used and to check for bad reactions. When the procedure is completed, you may be given ice packs, anti-inflammatory creams or lotions, or cold water to ease any discomfort. You may schedule your next treatment four to six weeks later. You’ll get treatments until hair stops growing. Over the next month, your treated hair will fall out. Wear sunscreen for the following month to help prevent temporary changes in the color of the treated skin. Blisters are rare but are more likely in people with darker complexions. Other potential side effects are swelling, redness, and scarring. Permanent scarring or changes in skin color are rare. Costs of Laser Hair Removal
The cost varies widely, depending on factors that include:

Size of the area being treated and time required for treatment
Number of treatments required
Whether a doctor or someone else is performing the procedure
The part of the country where you are having the procedure Ask for a consultation to get a better idea of the cost for your particular case.

How to Prepare for Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal is more than just ”zapping” unwanted hair. It is a medical procedure that requires training to perform and carries potential risks. Before getting laser hair removal, you should thoroughly check the credentials of the doctor or technician performing the procedure.

If you are planning on undergoing laser hair removal, you should limit plucking, waxing, and electrolysis for six weeks before treatment. That’s because the laser targets the hairs’ roots, which are temporarily removed by waxing or plucking.

You should also avoid sun exposure for six weeks before and after treatment. Sun exposure makes laser hair removal less effective and makes complications after treatment more likely.

What to Expect During Laser Hair Removal

Just before the procedure, your hair that will be undergoing treatment will be trimmed to a few millimeters above the skin surface. The laser equipment will be adjusted according to the color, thickness, and location of your hair being treated as well as your skin color.

Depending on the laser or light source used, you and the technician will need to wear appropriate eye protection. It will also be necessary to protect the outer layers of your skin with a cold gel or special cooling device. This will help the laser light penetrate the skin.

Next, the technician will give a pulse of light to the treatment area and watch the area for several minutes to make sure the best settings were used and to check for bad reactions.

When the procedure is completed, you may be given ice packs, anti-inflammatory creams or lotions, or cold water to ease any discomfort. You may schedule your next treatment four to six weeks later. You’ll get treatments until hair stops growing.

Over the next month, your treated hair will fall out. Wear sunscreen for the following month to help prevent temporary changes in the color of the treated skin.

Blisters are rare but are more likely in people with darker complexions. Other potential side effects are swelling, redness, and scarring. Permanent scarring or changes in skin color are rare.

Costs of Laser Hair Removal

The cost varies widely, depending on factors that include:

Size of the area being treated and time required for treatment
Number of treatments required
Whether a doctor or someone else is performing the procedure
The part of the country where you are having the procedure
Ask for a consultation to get a better idea of the cost for your particular case.

Primary principle-Selective Photothermolysis (SPTL)

The primary principle behind laser hair removal is selective photothermolysis (SPTL), the matching of a specific wavelength of light and pulse duration to obtain optimal effect on a targeted tissue with minimal effect on surrounding tissue.

Lasers can cause localized damage by selectively heating dark target matter, (melanin), in the area that causes hair growth, (the follicle), while not heating the rest of the skin.
Hair removal lasers selectively target melanin: Melanin is considered the primary chromophore for all hair removal lasers currently on the market..
Laser works best with dark coarse hair. Light skin and dark hair are an ideal combination, but new lasers are now able to target dark black hair even in patients with dark skin
Limitations of selective photothermolysis (SPTL)
However, Laser hair removal of blond and white hair is a complicated task with often unsatisfactory results as a result of a lack of laser-absorbing chromophore.

Common treatment locations

Laser hair removal is used to reduce unwanted hair. Common treatment locations include legs, underarms, upper lip, chin and bikini line. However, it’s possible to treat unwanted hair in nearly any area — except the eyelid or surrounding area.

Risks

Laser hair removal doesn’t guarantee permanent hair removal. Some hair could be resistant to the laser treatment or grow again after treatment — although the new hair growth might be finer and lighter in color.

The most common side effects of laser hair removal include:

Skin irritation. Temporary discomfort, redness and swelling are possible after laser hair removal. Any signs and symptoms typically disappear within several hours.
Pigment changes. Laser hair removal might darken or lighten the affected skin, usually temporarily. Skin lightening primarily affects those who have darker skin, especially if an incorrect laser is used at an incorrect setting.

Rarely, laser hair removal can cause blistering, crusting, scarring or other changes in skin texture. Other uncommon problems that can occur include graying of treated hair, or paradoxically, hair might begin to grow excessively in or around treated areas.

Laser hair removal isn’t recommended for the eyelid or surrounding area, due to the possibility of severe eye injury.

How you prepare

If you’re interested in laser hair removal, choose a doctor who’s board certified in a specialty such as dermatology or cosmetic surgery and has experience with laser hair removal. If a physician’s assistant or licensed nurse will do the procedure, make sure a doctor supervises and is available on-site during the treatments. Be cautious about spas, salons or other facilities that allow nonmedical personnel to do laser hair removal.

Before laser hair removal, schedule a consultation with the doctor. The doctor may use this visit to:

Review your medical history, including medication use.
Discuss risks, benefits and expectations, including what laser hair removal can and can’t do for you.
Take photos to be used for before-and-after assessments and long-term reviews.
At the consultation, discuss a treatment plan and related costs.

The doctor will also offer specific tips to prepare for laser hair removal. For example:

Stay out of the sun. A tan increases the risk of side effects, such as skin lightening. If you have a tan — either from sun exposure or sunless tanning products — wait until the tan fades completely before undergoing laser hair removal. Some doctors recommend staying out of the sun for up to six weeks before laser hair removal.
Avoid plucking, waxing and electrolysis. These hair removal methods can disturb the hair follicle and interfere with laser hair removal.
Shaving is OK, however, since it preserves the hair shaft and follicle. In fact, shaving is recommended so that the laser doesn’t target hair above the skin, potentially causing burns.

What you can expect

Before laser hair removal, the hair in the treatment area might be trimmed with a pair of scissors. You’ll also be given special goggles to protect your eyes from the laser beam. The doctor might apply a topical anesthetic to your skin to reduce any discomfort during treatment.

During the procedure

The doctor will press a hand-held laser instrument to your skin. Depending on the type of laser, a cooling device on the tip of the instrument or a cool gel might be used to protect your skin.
When the doctor activates the laser, the laser beam will pass through your skin to the tiny sacs (follicles) where hair growth originates. The intense heat from the laser beam damages the hair follicles, which inhibits hair growth. Some discomfort in the skin is possible, and you’ll likely feel a sensation of cold from the cooling device or gel.

Treating a small area, such as the upper lip, might take only a few minutes. Treating a larger area, such as the back, might take several hours.

After the procedure

You might notice redness and swelling for the first few hours after laser hair removal.

To reduce any discomfort, apply ice to the treated area. If you have a skin reaction immediately after laser hair removal, the doctor might apply a steroid cream to the affected area.

After laser hair removal, avoid sun exposure — both natural sunlight and tanning beds. When your skin has healed, use sunscreen whenever you’re in the sun.

You might also prepare yourself for possible hair shedding in the first few days and weeks after treatment. This can sometimes be mistaken for hair re-growth.

Results

Results of laser hair removal vary greatly from person to person, and might depend on what area of the body or face is treated.

Multiple treatments can prolong the duration of hair loss — up to years in some cases — but hair re-growth is still possible. For best results, you might need four to six treatments spaced around six weeks apart. Additional periodic maintenance treatments — perhaps once every six to 12 months — might be needed as well.

What about home lasers?

In recent years, lasers that can be used at home for hair removal have become available. These devices might cause modest hair reduction. But there aren’t any large studies comparing how effective these devices are compared to laser hair removal done at a doctor’s office.

Additionally, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers these home laser hair removal devices as cosmetic, not medical, which means they don’t get the same level of scrutiny as other medical devices. Currently, there haven’t been any large, long-term studies on how safe and effective the home machines are.

If you choose to use a home laser hair removal device, follow the instructions that come with the device to help reduce the risk of injury, especially eye injuries.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q-DOES THE LASER HAIR REMOVAL CAUSES SKIN CANCER?

Laser hair removal does not cause cancer.

Q- SHOULD I BE WORRIED ABOUT “RADIATION” TO MY SKIN?

No. There are two basic types of radiation, (1) Non-ionizing radiation, and (2) Ionizing radiation. Hair removal lasers produce “non-ionizing” radiation which is simply the radiation of light, and is FDA approved for your skin. Ionizing radiation which represents x-rays, ultra-violet and nuclear radiation is a completely different type of radiation, and is not produced by hair removal lasers.

Q-WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?

Everyone’s pain tolerance is different. Many people describe laser hair removal to feel like a rubber band snapping against the skin. Compared to waxing and other forms of hair removal, the treatment has very little discomfort. If you do find it uncomfortable, our healthcare professionals can prescribe a numbing cream for the skin.

Q-WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN IPL AND A LASER?

IPL stands for “intensed pulsed light” and is not a laser. While IPLs can be effective for some cosmetic procedures, our experience supports the more powerful, yet safer and faster use of the laser for a more permanent solution to hair removal.

Q-WHAT IF I HAVE DARKER SKIN? WILL LASER HAIR REMOVAL STILL BE EFFECTIVE?

Yes. The Alexandrite laser is often used on those with light skin and the YAG laser is best used on individuals with uneven-tonedarker skin tones. COSMETIQUE employs both of these lasers. Laser hair removal can be performed on virtually any skin color and hair type, but hair color is the most important factor. Our multiple types of lasers allow us great versatility for accommodating the wide variance in hair and skin color. Dark hair is treated most effectively while treatments performed on red, blonde, and gray hair are generally less effective. During your initial consultation, your skin type, hair color and skin sensitivity will help our staff determine which machine you’ll require. Both offer beautiful, smooth results that you’ll love.

Q-WHAT ARE THE MOST POPULAR AREAS FOR LASER HAIR REMOVAL?

The most popular areas are female facial hair, bikini line hair and back hair for men.

Q-HOW LONG HAS LASER TECHNOLOGY BEEN IN USE?

The laser was first used in medicine in 1961, nearly 50 years ago! Laser hair removal began about 15 years ago, but has advanced significantly in the past 8 – 10 years.

Q-ARE HOME LASER HAIR REMOVAL DEVICES DIFFICULT TO USE?

No. Home laser hair removal gadgets such as the Tria laser or Silk’n home hair removal systems are by necessity, low powered devices made for home use by those with the correct skin tone, and with no formal training or previous laser hair removal experience.

Q-WILL USING A TRIA HAIR REMOVAL HOME DEVICE SAVE YOU TIME?

No. When using home laser hair removal systems like the TRIA home laser device, laser hair removal treatment on anything but the smallest of treatment areas will take a considerable amount of time. A reason for this is because systems like the TRIA home laser hair removal device use smaller treatment heads than what’s used on professional laser hair removal machines such as the GentleLASE© or GentleYAG©. Another reason is because professional lasers are powered by 220V whereas systems like the TRIA run on a small battery.

Q-WHAT KIND OF TREATMENT RESULTS CAN BE EXPECTED FROM A HAND-HELD HOME HAIR REMOVAL DEVICE COMPARED TO GETTING LASER HAIR REMOVAL AT COSMETIQUE?

By necessity, laser hair removal devices for the home are low powered devices which are designed to be safe for non-medical users with no formal training. These are hand held, battery powered units, requiring frequent recharging and which cost a lot. Compare these to our professional lasers, with specific wavelengths for both light skin and dark skin and which are operated by specially trained medical professionals. These devices weigh over 80lbs. They are high powered, so that they can be fast, and they require special electrical outlets.

Q-HOW IS LASER HAIR REMOVAL DIFFERENT FROM ELECTROLYSIS HAIR REMOVAL?

Laser hair removal is much faster. Electrolysis hair removal requires more time because it’s a process that treats only one hair at a time, whereas laser hair removal treats many hairs per every laser pulse. Laser hair removal for an area like the underarms for example can be treated in only 20 minutes.

Q-IS THE ALEXANDRITE LASER THE BEST CHOICE FOR MY SKIN AND HAIR?

The Alexandrite laser is considered by many in the field of laser hair removal to be the gold standard laser. This is true if you have a lighter skin type. The Alexandrite laser uses a longer wavelength for penetration to the hair follicle and energy that is particularly attracted to melanin – the target for hair removal. However, if your skin is darkly pigmented you will get the best results with a laser specifically designed for your skin type – the YAG laser. COSMETIQUE employs both of these lasers to meet our patients requirement.

Q-CAN WE CALL IT A LUNCH TIME PROCEDURE?

Laser hair removal is a lunch time procedure. There is no recovery time. Patients can return to work or play immediately. These lasers do not remove skin, so the risks are very low. As with any procedure, we have an informed consent that explains all the possible risks.

Q-HOW OLD DO YOU HAVE TO BE FOR LASER HAIR REMOVAL?

There is no age limit, but we never treat toddlers. Young people that are not finished growing will develop new hair as they grow, and will require touch ups to maintain the results. We currently do not treat children under the age of 13. Older people usually have gray hair that will not respond to laser.

Q-I HAVE DARK SKIN BUT I AM TIRED OF SHAVING AND DEALING WITH SHAVE BUMPS AND INGROWN HAIRS. WOULD LASER HAIR REMOVAL WORK FOR ME? IS IT SAFE FOR ME SKIN?

Yes. COSMETIQUE has two distinct lasers: one for lighter skin, and one for darker skin. No matter how dark the skin, our GentleYAG© laser is considered the gold standard for treating unwanted hair on darker skin types. Its longer wavelength safely bypasses the skin and targets the melanin in the hair shaft, destroying the unwanted hair follicle. You will love your results!

Q-HOW MANY LASER HAIR REMOVAL TREATMENTS WILL I NEED?

Well, it varies from person to person. The correct assessment can be made only after a thorough dermatological evaluation. More specifically, especially in females, increased hair growth over the face and body could be secondary to some hormonal imbalance which must be taken care along with the laser hair removal. In some patients only 5-6 treatments are needed while in others 12 or more treatments may be required.