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Am I a Candidate for Laser Hair
Removal?
Both men and women seek laser hair removal services to have
unwanted hair removed. Hair removal is commonly
done on the hairline, eyebrow, top of the nose, lip, chin, ear
lobe, shoulders, back, underarm, abdomen, buttocks, pubic area,
bikini lines, thighs, face, neck, breast, arms, legs, hands,
and toes. Laser works best on pale
skin and dark coarse hair. The closer you are to this combination
(i.e. the lighter the skin and the more coarse and dark the
hair), the better the results will generally be. |
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Is Laser Hair Removal Permanent?
The general opinion is that laser hair removal
is permanent, and the Food and Drug Administration approved
it as “permanent reduction,” but doesn’t work on everyone.
Generally, this means that you shouldn’t expect laser to remove
every single hair from an area. Most people need to follow
up with electrolysis treatments for any remaining hairs for
complete clearance as hair becomes too fine for laser to target
and you reach diminishing returns. Most will also need touch-up
treatments 1-2 times a year after the initial set of treatments
for any new growth your body develops with age.
It has also been observed that some people
seem to be non-responders – this is not confirmed and reasons
are not known as not enough research has been done in this
area. Keep in mind that it's also difficult to judge whether
someone’s lack of results is due to the person’s potential
underlying medical condition that causes continuous growth
and makes it seem like laser isn’t working, whether the treatment
wasn't performed properly, or whether for some people it just
doesn't work and we don't know why. Basically, you can’t determine
this for yourself unless you try it. In addition, results
also depend on many variables involved, including the tech's
experience, type of laser used and how settings are set, etc.
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A set of at least 6-8 treatments at specified
intervals are generally necessary to achieve substantial hair
removal with laser. |
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How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?
Lasers are optical devices which produce intense
coherent, collimated and mono-chromatic beams of light. A
laser consists of an active medium such as a crystal, gas
or liquid that amplifies light when excited by an external
energy source (a flash amp or electric discharge, for example).
When the appropriate medium is employed, the laser can be
fine-tuned to generate a very narrow band of light wavelengths
(such as the individual colors of the visible spectrum).
Lasers designed for permanent hair reduction
emit wavelengths of light designed to be absorbed by the pigment
in the hair (melanin). If the surrounding skin is relatively
light compared to the color of the hair, then the entire energy
of the laser will be concentrated in the hair shaft, effectively
destroying it without affecting the skin or follicle. Hair
removal lasers target the dark pigment in the hair. That’s
why laser hair removal works best on light skin (so laser
passes right through) and dark coarse hair (has most pigmen |
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What Should I Expect Before and After Treatment?
You should shave the area to be treated
1-3 days before treatment . No waxing or removing hair with
the root with any other way is allowed 4-6 weeks before and
throughout the course of treatment as hair needs to be in
place to be targeted by laser. The area should be shaved as
closely as possible so that laser can target the most energy
towards the hair follicle and not waste energy on the part
of the hair above the skin’s surface. If your hair is the
type that you can’t see where it was right after you shave,
make it a bit easier on your tech not to miss the spots you
want treated by shaving 1-3 days before so the outline of
where hair is growing is just VERY slightly visible.
After treatment is completed (underarms
take under 10 minutes, back treatment can take 1 hour or so),
you should apply aloe vera to soothe the skin for a few days.
Within 2-3.5 weeks, you should experience shedding of all
treated hair. At first, hair will look like it’s growing back
in, but it is just coming through the skin to shed. Shedding
starts at about 1.5 weeks and can last until 3.5 weeks post-treatment
or so. Exfoliating and/or scrubbing gently in the shower with
a loofa can help speed up the process. After shedding finishes,
you might experience little black dots still “stuck” in the
skin. These are commonly referred to as “pepperspots” and
will shed eventually, but might take a bit longer. Exfoliate
to help those out as well.
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After shedding occurs, you should experience
a hairfree period for a few weeks, until next set of hair that
was dormant before starts to come in. Once you have enough to
justify one, go in for another treatment. This usually happens
within 6-10 weeks post-treatment. Patient continues this process
until he/she has reached diminishing returns and the remaining
hairs are too fine for laser to target, or until you have reached
you desired reduction. |
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How Many Laser Treatments Will I Need and
How Far Apart are They Scheduled? Most
people need at least 6-8 initial treatments spaced 6-10 weeks
apart. This is because hair grows in 3 phases and is killed
in the first “anagen” active growing phase. Several treatments
are needed to target ALL hair in the active growth phase.
Approximately 6-10 weeks after every treatment, additional
treatment is required to eliminate the hairs that came out
of the dormant phase and are now active. After 6-8 treatments
or so, patients should experience a considerable percentage
of hair reduction. |
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Is Laser Hair Removal Painful? In
one pulse, the laser can remove all the hair on a patch of
skin the size of a nickel (depending on the specific laser
spot size ranging from 9-18mm on average – i.e. the “head”
of the laser from which the power is coming with every pulse).
Everyone’s pain threshold is different, but generally laser
hair removal is not much more painful than waxing, but the
sensation is different. It resembles a rubber band snapping
against the skin for a quick second with each pulse |
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What Are the Possible Risks and Side Effects
of Laser Hair Removal? The possibility
exists that some side effects or complications can occur given
various variables, including:
Normal
· Itching, during treatment
· Redness for up to 3 days
· Swelling (around mouth of follicle) for up
to 3 days
· Pain, tingling, or feeling of numbness (cold
spray)
Rare
· Crusting/scab formation (on ingrown hairs)
· Bruising
· Purpura (purple coloring of the skin) on
tanned areas
· Infection
· Temporary pigment change (hypo-pigmentation
or hyper-pigmentation)
Side effects occur infrequently and, as a rule, generally
are temporary. If any of the above last for more than 3 days,
make sure to contact doctor Rustamova. There is a possibility
that settings were set too high and the technician needs to
know in order to adjust on your following treatment. |
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What are the possible causes of excessive
hair growth and how can it affect my treatments? The
causes of excessive hair growth pattern are many and varied,
including:
· Heredity
· Pregnancy
· Glandular and/or hormonal imbalances (possible
PCOS condition for women), including diseases causing these
effects
· Insulin resistance issues
· Reactions to certain medications
· Normal aging processes
· Excessive temporary removal methods
like waxing, tweezing, creams and depilatories, etc
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How do I Determine my Fitzpatrick Skin Type?
In 1975, Thomas B Fitzpatrick, MD,
PhD, of Harvard Medical School, developed a classification
system for skin typing. This system was based on a person's
response to sun exposure in terms of the degree of burning
and tanning the individual experienced. For successful removal
of hair, wrinkles, veins, sun spots, and scars using LASER
technology, it is necessary determine your correct skin type.
TYPE I: Highly sensitive, always burns, never
tans.
Example: Red hair with freckles or Albino
TYPE II: Very sun sensitive, burns easily,
tans minimally.
Example: Fair-skinned, fair-haired Caucasians
TYPE III: Sun sensitive skin, sometimes burns,
slowly tans to light brown.
Example: Darker Caucasians, European mix
TYPE IV: Minimally sun sensitive, burns minimally,
always tans to moderate brown.
Example: Mediterranian, European, Asian, Hispanic, American
Indian
TYPE V: Sun-insensitive skin, rarely burns,
tans well.
Example: Hispanics, Afro-American, Middle Eastern
TYPE VI: Sun-insensitive, never burns, deeply
pigmented.
Example: Afro-American, African, Middle Eastern |
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Is it true that laser hair removal can cause
more hair growth than what I started with?
This occurrence HAS been reported by
consumers on various forums, although it has not been medically
proven or confirmed. It is a rare occurrence and usually seems
to happen when treating woman’s face or men’s back/shoulders/upper
arms – usually when treating SPARSE SINGLE HAIRS or FINE VELLUS
hairs and at lower settings. |
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Can I just reduce the density of hair on
an area instead of removing it completely?
Yes, this can be achieved with having
only a few treatments instead of the complete set of 6-8 and
by an experienced technician who is careful not to miss areas
during treatments. |
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How Much Does Laser Hair Removal Cost?
Price per 1 treatment:
Full face - $250
Upper lip - $100
Chin - $100
Underarms (both) - $150
Regular bikini - $150 (definition at each clinic is different
– ask!)
Brazilian bikini - $250
Half legs (both) - $250
Half arms (both) - $250
Butt - $200
Back - $300
Chest - $150(ask for definition)
Abdomen - $150 (ask for definition) |
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Laser Hair Removal Center New York, Perlane
Treatment in New York. Central
Park Medical specially trained laser specialist for Laser
Hair Removal and Perlane Treatment in New York. Look for the
center with the most experience, and best results for Perlane
Treatment and Laser Hair Removal Center New York. |
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