Tag: laser hair removal

Laser hair removal. What’s it all about and how can you help it be successful?

Laser hair removal can be a magical thing. We take a laser with a specific beam link to specifically target the juicy root bulb of the hair follicle in it’s active phase and voila! Hair falls out and stays gone! I’m talking permanently gone! It beats a lifetime of painful waxing in my book any day.

So, as I mentioned, laser hair removal is effective when it targets the juicy root bulb of the hair follicle when it’s in its active phase of growth. Well how often is that? For all hair from the waist up, it is about every four weeks. With all hair below the waist, it is about every eight weeks. About how many sessions does it take, depending on the hairiness of the patient, to remove it completely and permanently? It takes an average of six of those monthly or bi-monthly session per body part. It is not a one and done scenario so if you are expecting that, you will be disappointed. Now if you are hairy like a bear or wolf, it may require more. The laser can only do so much

How do you increase the success and decrease the discomfort of your hair removal sessions? First, come on time at the proper intervals. Second, have yourself shaved to the point that there is only a few mm of hair sticking up above the skin surface. Third, have you skin absolutely bare with no lotions, potions, or tanners or cleansers. If there are any substances on your skin, it can confuse or worse, intensify the beam and you will get burned. This is why it’s important to read all those papers and follow the instructions.

I would also advise that you get an actual consult with a test spot before you pay for laser hair removal. This way you can get a small spot treatment with the laser, observe for 24 hours and make sure there is no skin reaction and that the settings picked are appropriate.

Lastly, not every laser can treat every skin type. All lasers are not created equal. Skin types 1 thru 3 and Asian skin type 4 require a shorter Alex beam. Darker Hispanic, Indian, and African American skin types are type 5 and 6 and require the longer Yag beam. Without using the proper beam, the laser could get confused between the patient’s skin pigment and the pigment of the hair. Then, skin damage or burning could occur.

Hope this clears things up. Here’s to being hair free!

Dr. Katz

Waxing Versus Laser Hair Removal

Ok, so I want to be clear that what I am about to say comes from 8 plus years experience and thousands of patients treated. So, here we go.

Lately I am seeing all these ads about waxing and how amazing it is. Then I think about what we do at my office and I gotta tell ya, there is no comparison. Let’s talk about waxing for a minute. Waxing. Does it hurt? Yes. Does it ever stop hurting? No probably not. Ripping your hair out of your skin probably never stops stinging and hurting. Do you have to do it over and over? Yes. Is there ever truly an endpoint? Probably not. Is it expensive? Yes. It really adds up over the years.

Now let’s talk about laser hair removal. My office has been offering whole body laser hair removal for all skin types male and female for the last 8 years or so. We have treated thousands of patients successfully without complications. My patients tell me that at first it can feel like rubber bands flinging against your skin for a second, but most of them refuse numbing, which we do offer. I feel like that’s a good thing. Also, we haven’t had anyone that it didn’t work on that I am aware of. The fact that it works on all skin types is a plus as well. In addition, all the procedures are provided by nurses or physicians in a proper sterile environment with proper pre- screening and all the consults are free. To add to that we even have lifetime specials that are reasonably priced that include any possible touch ups for years. I guess I just want to convey that I think laser hair removal is more effective, can be permanent, works for all skin types, is practiced in a safe environment and is actually affordable. That is all.

Dr. Katz