- How Laser Hair Removal Works
- Does laser hair removal hurt?
- Who can do laser hair removal
- How is the skin after the session?
- How many sessions to do?
- Contraindications for laser hair removal
Laser hair removal is the best method to remove unwanted hair from various regions of the body, such as the armpits, legs, groin, intimate area and beard, in a definitive way.
Diode laser hair removal removes more than 90% of hair, requiring about 4-6 sessions to completely remove hair from the treated region, and only 1 annual session as a form of maintenance.
The price of each laser hair removal session varies between 150 and 300 reais, depending on the region where the clinic is located and the size of the area to be shaved.
How Laser Hair Removal Works
In this type of hair removal, the therapist will use a laser device that emits a wavelength that generates heat and reaches the place where the hair grows, damaging it, the result is the elimination of hair.
Before the 1st session, the therapist should properly clean the skin with alcohol to remove any trace of oil or moisturizing cream, and remove hair from the region to be treated with a razor or depilatory cream so that the laser can focus only on the hair bulb and not in the hair itself, in its most visible part. Then the laser treatment is started.
After each region is shaved, it is recommended to cool the skin with ice, spray or cold gel, but the latest equipment contains a tip that allows the area to be cooled right after each laser shot. At the end of each session it is recommended to apply a soothing lotion to the treated skin.
About 15 days after treatment, the hairs become loose and fall out, giving a false appearance of growth, but these are easily removed in the bath with a skin exfoliation.
Watch the following video, and clarify your doubts about laser hair removal:
Does laser hair removal hurt?
During the treatment it is normal to feel a little pain and discomfort, as if there were some stings on the spot. The thinner and more sensitive the person's skin, the greater the chance of experiencing pain during epilation. The areas where you feel the most pain are those that have more hair and where it is thicker, however it is in these regions that the result is better and faster, requiring less sessions.
Anesthetic ointment should not be applied before the procedure because it must be removed before the shots, and the pain and the burning sensation on the skin are important parameters to identify if there is a burn, with the need to better regulate the laser device.
Who can do laser hair removal
All healthy people, who do not have any chronic illness, and who are over 18 years old can do laser hair removal. Currently, even individuals with a brown or mulatto color can perform laser hair removal, using the most suitable equipment, which in the case of mulatto skin is the 800 nm diode laser and the Nd: YAG 1, 064 nm laser. On light and light brown skin the alexandrite laser is the most effective, followed by the diode laser and lastly the Nd: YAG.
Before performing laser hair removal, care must be taken, such as:
- Have your skin properly hydrated because the laser works better, so you should drink plenty of water and use moisturizer on the days before treatment; Do not perform epilation that removes the hair by the roots days before laser hair removal, because the laser must act exactly on the hair root; Do not have open wounds or bruises where the epilation will be done; Naturally darker areas such as underarms, can be lightened with creams and ointments before the procedure for a better result; do not sunbathe for at least 1 month before and after performing the treatment, nor use self-tanning cream.
People who lighten body hair can do laser hair removal, because the laser acts directly on the hair root, which never changes color.
How is the skin after the session?
After the first laser hair removal session, it is normal for the exact location of the hair to become a little warmer and redder, indicating the excellence of the treatment. This skin irritation goes away after a few hours.
Therefore, after a treatment session, you must take some skin care to prevent it from becoming stained and dark, such as soothing lotion and avoid exposing yourself to the sun, in addition to always using sunscreen in areas that may be naturally exposed to the sun. like face, lap, arms and hands.
How many sessions to do?
The number of sessions varies according to the skin color, hair color, hair thickness and the size of the area to be shaved.
In general, people with light skins and those with thick and dark hair need fewer sessions than people with dark skin and fine hair, for example. The ideal is to buy a package of 5 sessions and, if necessary, buy more sessions.
The sessions can be carried out with an interval of 30-45 days and when the hairs appear, it is advisable to epilate with razor or depilatory creams, if it is not possible to wait until the day of the laser treatment. The use of razor or depilatory creams is allowed because they manage to preserve the structure of the hair, not compromising the treatment.
Maintenance sessions are necessary because immature follicles may remain, which will still develop after treatment. As these did not have melanocytes, the laser cannot act on them. It is recommended that the first maintenance session be done after they appear again, which varies from one person to another, but it is almost always after 8-12 months.
Contraindications for laser hair removal
Contraindications for laser hair removal include:
- Very light or white hair; Uncontrolled diabetes, which leads to changes in skin sensitivity; Uncontrolled hypertension because there may be a peak in pressure; Epilepsy, because it can give rise to an epileptic seizure; Pregnancy, over the belly, breast or groin area; Take photosensitizing remedies, such as isotretinoin, in the previous 6 months; Vitiligo, because new areas of vitiligo may appear, where the laser is used; Skin diseases, such as psoriasis, if the area being treated has active psoriasis; Wounds open or recent hematoma at the site of laser exposure; In case of cancer, during treatment.
Laser hair removal can be performed on almost all areas of the body except the mucous membranes, the lower part of the eyebrows and directly on the genitals.
It is important that laser hair removal is performed by a trained professional and in an appropriate environment, since if the intensity of the device is not well established, there may be burns, scars or changes in the skin color (light or dark) of the region treated.
