In What Areas of the Body Can You Get Laser Hair Removal?

Living with unwanted hair on your body can make life difficult during every season. But spring and summer, when everyone wants to bask in the sun and enjoy the great outdoors, can be especially complicated when you feel uncomfortable baring your skin. If you feel like your unwanted body hair is holding you back from being your most joyful self, it’s time to consider laser hair removal at Preventous Cosmetic Medicine in Calgary, Alberta.

Frequently Asked Questions

1: In What Areas of the Body Can You Get Laser Hair Removal?

You can get this laser treatment anywhere on your body where you have unwanted hair except for around your eyelids. Other than that, you can easily remove unwanted hair from any part of your body. Some of the most common areas for treatment are the legs, the bikini area, the armpits, and the face.

But if you have other areas where you have unwanted hair, don’t be embarrassed to talk to your technician about it! At Preventous Cosmetic Medicine, we offer top-tier medical and aesthetic care and are here to take care of all of your needs. Wherever you’re looking to get rid of hair, we are ready to help.

2: How Does This Treatment Work?

During the treatment, a laser emits concentrated pulses of light. The goal is for the laser light to be absorbed by the melanin in the hair, where the light energy is converted to heat energy. The heat damages the hair follicles that grow within the skin and produce hairs. The damage to the follicles inhibits or delays future hair growth.

3: Does This Treatment Work for Every Hair and Skin Color?

The basic laser treatment process depends on the contrast between hair and skin colours so that the pigment in the hair absorbs the light energy rather than the pigment in the skin. While in its early days as a treatment this meant that only people with light skin and dark hair could be treated, technological advancements in laser treatments have made laser removal possible for people with all types of skin and hair.

Individuals who have light skin will generally be treated with an Alexandrite or Diode laser. On the other hand, people who have dark skin will receive treatment with an Nd:YAG laser. Blond, gray, and light red hair can also be difficult to remove because the hair lacks the necessary pigment to absorb the light energy. However, these lighter hair colours can be treated with Intense Pulsed Light lasers.

No matter what colour your hair is or how dark your skin is, you can effectively and safely have your hair removed.

4: How Many Laser Treatments Do You Need?

There are many individual factors that can affect how many treatments you need to remove your hair. Some important factors are the colour and thickness of your hair, the area of the body being treated, the type of laser being used, and the colour of your skin.

Generally, people require 6 to 12 laser treatments to remove their hair.

5: How Often Should You Schedule Your Treatment Sessions?

Generally, appointments are scheduled every 4 to 16 weeks, depending on how fast your hair grows and the area of the body upon which you are having treatment. Hair doesn’t grow at the same rate everywhere on the body. The hair on your upper lip, for example, grows quickly, so you might go in for treatment every two weeks. However, if you’re having hair removed on your back, where the growth cycle is slower, you may only need to come in for treatment every 14 weeks.

6: How Does the Hair Growth Cycle Affect This Treatment?

The hair growth cycle has three stages: the growth phase, the transition phase, and the resting phase. The growth phase, also known as anagen, is the phase during which your hair follicles are actively growing. During the anagen phase, the cells at the root of the hair divide rapidly, so the hair grows and extends to the hair shaft. It’s also during this phase that the hair follicles are most receptive to and affected by the laser treatment.

When you’re planning out your laser treatments, your technician will schedule your treatments to coincide with the anagen phase of growth to give you the best results. At any one time, an estimated 85% of the hair follicles on your body are in the anagen growth stage. By continuing to have treatments, you ensure that each of your follicles in the treated area has been lasered while in the correct stage of growth.

7: Does Hair Fall Out Immediately?

Your hair won’t fall out immediately after your treatment but will tend to shed over a period of days to weeks. It can take some time for your hair thinning to become visible, and it often takes two or more sessions before your hair’s growth cycle begins to slow down.

After having two treatments, you should notice that your hair in the treated area is becoming thinner. As you continue your treatments, you’ll notice that the hair grows thinner and more sparse. Usually, by the time you have 6 to 10 laser treatments, all your follicles will have been destroyed.

8: Does Laser Treatment Offer Permanent Hair Removal? 

Laser treatment offers permanent hair reduction, not necessarily removal. What’s the difference? While you may not be 100% clear of hair in the treated areas, you will experience permanent hair reduction.

Let’s say that you’re having your legs treated with a laser. You might be seeking treatment because you’re tired of having to shave your legs every other day, and you hate the thick, dark, stubbly hair that grows back. When you’re done with your treatments, you’ll notice that instead of your hair growing back quickly every day, it only grows back once a month.

When it does grow back, it won’t be the thick, stubbly hair that you’re used to. You’ll see about one hair grow back for every ten you once had. And when it grows back, it will be thin, weak, and lighter in colour. Rather than having to shave every other day, you can shave once a month, and you may not even need to do that. This treatment lightens and weakens the hair enough that you may feel comfortable not shaving at all since your hair will be soft and barely visible!

9: How Do You Prepare for This Treatment?

The first step to getting rid of your unwanted hair is to schedule a consultation with Preventous Cosmetic Medicine. At our consultation, your doctor will discuss the benefits of laser hair removal and exactly what you can expect from the treatment. Your doctor will ask you about your medical history, including any medical conditions you have currently or have historically had.

They’ll specifically ask about any history of skin disorders or scarring, as well as any past treatments you’ve had to remove hair. They also will take pictures of the area to be treated for before-and-after assessments of the treatment. Your doctor will also give you some specific instructions to help you prepare for your treatment.

Staying Out of the Sun

The treatment can’t be performed on skin that has been recently sunburned, and because the treatment works best when there is a contrast between the pigments in your skin and hair, it’s important you do not tan soon before your treatment. When you do go out in the sun, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF30.

Lightening Your Skin

In addition to not getting a tan, it’s important to avoid any sunless tanning creams that you might usually use. If you do have a recent tan, your doctor might prescribe you a skin bleaching cream to use briefly before your treatment.

Avoiding Other Hair Removal Methods

For at least a month before your treatment, it’s important that you don’t engage in hair removal methods that harm the follicle, such as plucking, waxing, and electrolysis.

Avoiding Certain Medications

Some over-the-counter pain medications, like aspirin, can thin your blood. It’s important that you avoid these medications prior to your treatment. When you discuss your medications during your consultation, your doctor will let you know which medications you take on a regular basis should be discontinued prior to treatment.

Shaving the Treatment Area

While it’s important that you abstain from hair removal methods that damage the follicle for at least a month prior to your treatment, shaving removes the hair above the skin while leaving the follicle intact below the surface. It’s important that you shave the area being treated the day before to ensure that the hair doesn’t absorb the heat and burn your skin.

10: What Can You Expect from the Treatment?

The technician will give you special goggles to wear during each treatment to keep your eyes safe from the light the laser produces. They will also apply a topical anesthetic so you don’t feel anything during the treatment.

The technician will press a hand-held laser instrument to your skin. Once the laser is activated, the beam will pass through your skin and into the hair follicles. The light energy from the laser is transformed into heat energy and damages the hair follicles to inhibit growth.

The time a treatment takes depends on the amount of space being treated. If you’re having a small area, like your upper lip, treated, it might only take a few minutes. If you’re having a large space treated, like your back, it could take an hour to complete.

11: How Do You Care for Yourself Afterward?

You should be able to return to your normal daily activities immediately after treatment. In the weeks between your scheduled treatment, avoid the sun as much as possible and don’t use a tanning bed for at least six weeks after your treatments are done. You should apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF30 daily to protect your skin.

12: What About at Home Lasers?

While there are at-home lasers available on the market, these devices aren’t effective and haven’t been studied for long-term hair reduction. Furthermore, the FDA considers them cosmetic, not medical, devices which means that they are not held to the same standards or inspected with the same level of scrutiny as other medical devices. At-home lasers are known for accidental burns and lack of effectiveness.

If you want to get rid of your hair for good, you need to see a professional.

See Us and Be Rid of the Hair

Living in skin that doesn’t feel comfortable is exhausting. And having to go out into the world with hair that is unwanted can bring up complicated feelings. This easy and effective treatment is the only way to permanently reduce your hair, wherever it is.

To schedule a laser hair removal consultation today, call us at Preventous Cosmetic Medicine, located in Calgary, Alberta.