Start Off Your Summer with Laser Hair Reduction
Start Off Your Summer with Laser Hair Reduction
It’s official – the days are getting longer, the weather is warming up, and summer is right around the corner. With long, hot days and weekly beach trips right around the corner, what better way is there to prepare than by getting laser hair reduction? There are so many benefits to investing in laser hair reduction treatments (especially when you live in the Sunshine State), and we’re breaking down everything you need to know, from what you can expect in your laser hair reduction process to how to keep your skin as healthy as possible after treatment. Let’s get started.
A Brief Explanation of Laser Hair Reduction
Laser hair reduction is exactly as it sounds: a small laser is used to target individual hair follicles, intentionally damaging them so that they are no longer able to produce hair. The laser is attracted to the pigment color of the hair. Laser hair reduction will not work on gray, white, light blonde, or red hair. The hair color has to be darker in order for the laser energy to seek out and destroy the hair follicle. This treatment isn’t just noninvasive; it’s also relatively painless. It can take anywhere between six to 12 treatments for your desired effect to be achieved, but once it is, you can rest assured that you won’t have to deal with painful, inconvenient, or time-consuming hair removal on the treated area again. Patients with darker skin tones will typically require more treatments. The reason for this is that the laser energy settings cannot be as high so as to not burn their skin.
What to Expect During Treatment
Laser hair reduction is not nearly as painful as some might expect. This is because a cooling mechanism is built into the laser handpiece that is used during treatment, making it so that patients cannot feel the laser’s energy during the treatment. The feeling has been compared to the sensation of a slight rubber band being snapped across your skin: it is something similar to a slight pinch. Most patients don’t feel much of anything.
When you arrive for your laser treatment, expect to be given a pair of goggles to wear throughout the duration of the process in order to keep your eyes protected. It is likely that your laser technician will ask you to make sure that the treatment site is shaved in preparation for your appointment. Depending on the size of the area you are getting treated, the process can take anywhere from a few minutes (for small areas like the upper lip and sideburns) to about an hour (for large areas like the back or legs). In either scenario, a laser handpiece is used to target the follicles as precisely as possible.
What to Expect After Treatment and How to Care for Your Skin
Once the laser procedure is over, it can be normal to experience some swelling or tenderness in the treated areas. Itching and irritation can also be common, and you can apply a cold compress or hydrocortisone cream to help. Avoid showering with hot water, though warm water is fine, for about 72 hours after treatment. You should also try to avoid working out for about 5 days after your treatment. It is very important to not use spray tanning, tanning beds, chemical peels, stronger skin care products, and to avoid direct sun exposure to the treated area.
All in all, laser hair reduction is a relatively painless, non-invasive procedure that allows you to go about your life quite normally within a day of receiving it. By being proactive about getting laser hair reduction now, you can make sure you’re ready to spend as many days in the sun as you want by the time summer has arrived.
It’s never too early to prepare for summer in Florida, and what better way is there to do that than by getting laser hair reduction. Toss out those razors and say goodbye to those pesky ingrown hairs today! To learn more about the procedure and get started, don’t hesitate to schedule a free consultation with us.