Ask Emma

Laser hair removal is definitely the way forward. Clients are often put off by the cost of laser hair removal, but consider it an investment.

How much do you spend for you ongoing waxing treatments? Wouldn’t you rather permanently reduce that unwanted hair growth, not have to worry about the constant regrowth and in the long term have extra cash in your pocket? Yes you may pay a little more initially for your laser treatments then your waxing treatment, but unlike the ongoing regular waxing sessions, having completed your initial course of laser treatments, a couple of sporadic single sessions will suffice to maintain results.

Before your first treatment you should always have a detailed consultation with your therapist, followed by a patch test to ensure that you are suitable for the treatment. It also allows the therapist to gage which settings suite your skin and hair type. This is extremely important. Personally I always like to leave it at least 24 hours after a patch test before carrying out the first treatment to allow any abnormal reaction to appear.

During the consultation, never lie. These questions are asked for a genuine reason and mislead information can result damage to your skin! Ask all questions and never ever lie or withhold information. For medical reasons, some clients are not suitable for laser hair removal. Following this some have approached a second clinic with the same intention, failing to disclose that same information, so as they would be allowed to continue with treatment. This is extremely dangerous and not at all advisable. If you are not suitable for treatment, you are not suitable for treatment. At the end of the day, it’s your skin being treated.

In one single treatment, sixty to ninety percent of the hair in the anagen stage of the hair growth cycle is successfully treated. This is why you need to have a course of treatments, to eventually reach the majority of the hair growth. Do not think of it as permanent hair removal, think of it as permanent hair reduction. To date, there is not treatment for the permanent complete hair removal, so do not be mislead by any clinic who tells you otherwise.

Each and every one of us is different, therefore we each react differently to the treatment. Some people notice a reduction after one treatment, however generally it is after the third or fourth treatment before you see a noticeable difference. Initially you will notice the hair grows back slower after each treatment as the treatment slows down the hair growth. Then you will notice the hair growth grows back patchy. You will need a course of treatments, which are usually sold in a course of six. The average is six to ten treatments, however some people often need up to ten or twelve treatments.

Many people get tongue tied and flustered when explaining how the treatment works. To simplify, the light that comes out of the handpiece of the machine travels down through the hair shaft, to the root of the hair, where if is growing from. It heats up to a certain temperature, cortorises it and kills it off so it us unable to grow in that area again. The hair is not removed there and then, but as it grows out and away from the surface of the skin, it falls out of the follicle and doesn’t grow back again.

Before your treatment your therapist will shave down the area to be treated. The reason for this is so there is no loss of heat from the hair lying above the surface of the skin and the heat travels directly to the root where the hair is growing from. In between treatments you may shave the area (or with facial and bikini areas etc you may trim down with a scissors). Never ever wax or tweeze as this will stimulate the hair growth and disrupt the entire course of treatment. Depilatory creams are not recommended as they tend to cause sensitivity on the skin. Your skin will already be slightly sensitized, why add to it? Do not bleach the hair growth. The laser light targets the pigment of the hair, if there is no pigment in the hair, it will not be successful. This is why light, blonde, white or grey hair types are suitable.

The production of Meladine and similar products mean that clients with blonde, grey and white hair can also benefit from laser hair removal. It is a topical melanine solution that is sprayed onto the area to be treated numerous times a day for a period of time leading up to and during your treatment. Like with the laser treatment it targets the hair and does not affect the surrounding skin. The actual hair shaft will not alter in colour because the colour is deposited directly into the follicle of the hair, meaning only the hair lying below the surface of the skin will darken in colour. This is quite an expensive method and I would only recommend it to clients who are extremely persistent on reducing the unwanted air growth. I have recommended it to some of my clients and it has worked quite well but makes the overall treatment less cost effective.

Before, during and after your treatment you should always ensure you avoid direct sun exposure, solariums and be sure to wear a high SPF to avoid pigmentation and damage to your skin. Follow your therapists ;  advice on aftercare carefully. Any good clinic / salon will give you a post treatment advice leaflet outlining the do’s and don’ts.

Many clients are eager to have their treatments close together, i.e. two a month. This is completely pointless. The hair takes approximately a month to complete the hair growth cycle. You should have one a month initially. As we aim to reach the hair in the anagen stage each time, reducing the hair growth each time, we want to make sure we eventually reach the majority of the hair in the anagen stage to eventually reach the majority of the hair growth. With time the hair growth slows down after a few treatments, so depending you the individual the  therapist may ask you to come back every five or six weeks to reach the hair in the anagen stage.

The big question ; “does it hurt?” No it does not. It is slightly uncomfortable and not by any means a relaxing treatment, but personally I think waxing is more uncomfortable. I describe it to my clients as a mild tingling sensation, similar to an elastic band snapping against your hand. Some pulses feel slightly more uncomfortable than other but overall it’s a fast, clean, comfortable and an extremely effective method of permanent hair reduction.

IPL (intense pulsed light) and UPL (ultra pulsed light) are also effective in the permanent reduction of unwanted hair, however from extensive experience in working with many different laser, IPL and UPL machines I feel that laser is more effective for hair removal and IPL and UPL are excellent for photo rejuvenation and acne treatment. Other laser machines are available for photo rejuvenation and acne treatments. As a general rule I would sooner opt for laser treatments.

Since having laser hair removal, I have never ever looked back. It is by far the most advanced and effective way to treat unwanted hair growth. Be sure to have a patch test and discuss the procedure in detail with your therapist prior to treatment. Shop around as prices may greatly vary.