Laser Hair Removal

Everyone has unwanted body and facial hair. How you remove unwanted hair has always been a personal decision, whether through waxing, shaving, plucking, or use of chemical creams. However, these solutions are often time-consuming and produce only temporary results. If you are ready to permanently reduce unwanted hair, laser hair removal may be right for you.

What is Involved?

During the procedure, the area to be treated is cleansed and the hair is shaved. Your physician might apply a topical anesthetic to help make the treatment more comfortable. A highly concentrated laser beam is directed on the treated area. Without damaging the surrounding tissue, controlled pulses of light are absorbed by the hair follicles, which is then damaged. Because the laser affects hair follicles in the growth phase, more than one treatment may be necessary to disable hair follicles that subsequently enter the growth phase. After treatment the area is cleansed and a sunscreen is applied.

Treatments are most effective on medium to dark hair on any skin type. Multiple treatments (we recommend 8 to 10) are needed to achieve permanent hair reduction, since all hair follicles are in different phases of their growth cycle at any given time, and therefore become vulnerable at different times.

Most patients feel a warm sting as the laser penetrates the hair follicle. Many people describe the sensation as the snap of a rubber band against their skin. To minimize the discomfort, a cool gel is applied to the skin before treatment.

To learn more about removing unwanted leg hair, see our laser hair removal brochure.