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If you are tired of shaving or waxing unwanted hair from areas of your body and dealing with the negative side effects such as cuts, stubble, and razor burns, then laser hair reduction might be a great choice for you. Laser hair reduction is an effective option for women and can be used in many areas of the body, such as your legs, bikini line, underarms, or face. At drs skin care in Hamilton, ON, Dr. Rahul Shukla, and the highly skilled aesthetician have worked with many patients to help them achieve beautiful, smooth skin and say goodbye to the daily use of razors.
Laser hair reduction works by using a laser that emits pulses of light to target the hair follicles. When the laser light hits the pigment in the hair, it destroys the follicle so that new hair no longer grows there. At drs skincare, we use the powerful Triton laser, which consists of an alexandrite, diode and ND:yag laser, allowing us to treat all colors of hair quickly and efficiently. Your sensitivity to the laser will vary depending on your body and the area being treated, but most people compare the feeling of the laser to a rubber band snapping. About one to three weeks after the treatment, the hair will fall out of the follicles that were targeted.
Because you need to target the hair follicles that are currently active in the growth cycle and different hair follicles are at different stages in the cycle at any given time, multiple treatments are needed to target as many hair follicles as possible. Typically, after four to eight treatments, most of the hair follicles will have been treated and the majority of your hair will be gone. However, there will still be some hair follicles because the laser hair reduction process cannot fully eliminate all the hair follicles.
Laser hair reduction is safe and does not harm your skin. Some redness may occur, but it will usually go away within a few hours. You may need a maintenance treatment about once every year to maintain your smooth skin if new, fine hairs start popping up. If you go through a major hormonal change, you may need to get a few maintenance treatments done because your hair follicles can re-grow when large hormone shifts occur.
There are a number of areas on the body that women get laser hair reduction treatments on. It can be used on any area of the body that grows hair, but the most common treatment areas for women are:
The number of treatments you will need depends on the area of the body that you are targeting and your hair color and skin type. Larger areas of the body, such as your legs, will require more treatment than smaller areas such as the upper lip.
All colors and types of skin can be treated with laser hair reduction, such as light, tanned, or dark skin, but in general, you will achieve the best-looking results if there is high contrast in colors between your hair and skin. If you have light skin and coarse, dark hair, then you may achieve better results. This is because the light in the laser is attracted to the pigments in the hair when there is a deeper contrast between the hair and skin. Blonde and red do not respond as well because they lack the pigments that absorb the laser light. We do not treat gray hair, as reduction is minimal due to its lack of pigmentation.
In patients where hormone abnormalities may exist, we often refer to our colleagues in endocrinology to identify any underlying cause that may be triggering hair growth before proceeding with treatment. This helps you achieve better results and identify possible health issues.
The best way to get started with laser hair reduction is to call the drs skincare office at (905) 524-1712 and schedule a consultation to determine if laser hair reduction is right for you.
The drs skincare office is conveniently located in Hamilton, ON and laser hair reduction treatments can be done over your lunch break. Call us today to schedule your consultation!
Dr. Rahul Shukla is a modern dermatologist staying in line with the advancements in the field by being a member in numerous associations. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Brock University, and later attended medical school at McMaster University, and completed dermatology residency at University of Toronto. He is Board-certified in dermatology, in both Canada and in the United States.
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