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Issue #1 :
Laser Hair Removal is not for everyone.
Key success factor #1: the hair has to be darker than the
skin on which it resides. Very pigmented skins (dark and black) will
absorb too much energy (light) in the skin rather than in the hair,
consequently they will not be appropriate candidates for Alexandrite
laser treatment. Some laser centers dedicated to hair removal (such as
Advanced Medical Laser, LLC) have invested in
new lasers
capable of treating dark and black skins (phototypes V and VI). When
selecting your laser center, you should call ahead to make sure the
appropriate equipment is available for your skin type.
Key success factor #2: suntan is a contra-indication to Laser
Hair Removal. Waiting 4 to 8 weeks until your skin lightens before
your first session is a great idea. Finally, although Laser Hair
Removal is less expensive than an Electric Hair Removal program, they
both require several sessions. It all depends on the treated area, but
an average budget of $1500 (from $400 up to $4500 over a period
ranging from 9 months up to 22 months) is expected. For more
information on costs and prices, please check our
cost comparison table
and
price list presented
on this website.
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Issue #2:
Laser Hair Removal is efficacious, fast and expensive.
A treatment cost depends on the area treated. Prices per
session in Laser Hair Removal Centers of Excellence are usually
within a similar range and tend to be more affordable than in
stand-alone offices. It’s all about volume and experience. on
average an upper lip should not cost more than $70 (6 minutes) per
session. A man’s back should not cost more than $300 (45-60 minutes)
and finally, woman's half legs should not cost more than $250. The
main reason for these high costs is due to the expensive laser
equipment needed to provide superior results: between $85,000 up to
$160,000 per laser. Some large centers, such as Advanced Medical Laser,
have between 3 and 7 lasers to process all skin types and various
indications.
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Issue #3: Laser Hair Removal is an Aesthetics Medicine procedure
In a Laser Center of Excellence, a laser physician should
operate the laser and be directly involved in your treatment. Setting
the laser parameters is a very important medical step in your laser
program and consequently delegating this phase to a technician or a
nurse is not appropriate. Your laser physician should be properly
trained, having followed a formal post-graduate course or degree in
Laser Medicine. His/her degree should be displayed in the laser
center. The so called training provided by a laser equipment
manufacturer is not appropriate in a Laser Center of Excellence. If a
laser technician performs your treatment, please make sure that it’s
under the direct supervision of your laser physician, after he or she
established the laser settings. It’s a safety issue and a question of
professionalism.
Aesthetics Medicine is usually not covered under any Medical Insurance
Plan.
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Issue #4:
Skin and Hair color has an impact on Laser Hair Removal.
Fair skin makes it easy to remove hair with an Alexandrite
laser. The total number of sessions is lower and results better and
faster than in cases where the skin is pigmented. People with darker
skins may contemplate a Laser Hair Removal Program but only in a
center where the appropriate lasers are available and where
experienced laser physicians are performing treatments. The total
number of sessions will probably be higher and results more difficult
to reach. Each individual requires a specific attention and a
customized treatment.
Dark hair absorbs more laser energy than light hair. Thick
hair is easier to destroy than thin hair. Blond hair (yellow) and red
hair (real one) are almost impossible to treat. Many sessions are
necessary, sometimes too many. Blond hair contains pheomelanin, a low
absorbing pigment while dark hair contains eumelanin, the ideal laser
target.
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Issue#5:
Laser Hair Removal requires several sessions.
Although, you will notice significant results after your
first session, the simple fact that our hair lives according to a life
cycle called the
hair cycle
means that in order to be efficacious, we need to catch hairs at the
right time. That time is the Anagen Phase, the growth phase. Since all
our hair is not in that phase at the same time, we need to repeat the
treatment until all hairs in the Anagen phase have been caught and
destroyed on the desired area.
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Issue #6:
Laser Hair Removal may be performed anywhere on the body except on the
eye.
Eyes and lasers don’t mix. They MUST be protected at ALL
times during a laser session. Your laser physician will cover your
eyes either with wavelength specific eyeglasses or with a pair of
goggles. They will prevent a direct hit to your eyes and protect your
eyes from laser light refraction.
The most frequently treated areas
are:
a) women: the face (upper lip and chin), underarms, bikini, legs (1/2
and full) , neck, nipples and tummy line.
B) men: chest, abdomen, back and shoulders.
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Issue #7:
Laser yields to very long term and even permanent hair removal.
Shaving, waxing, depilatory creaming and even tweezing are
all short-term hair removal techniques. The FDA and EEC Health
Ministries have approved
new lasers
for the permanent hair removal indication. New clinical trials are
frequently published on this subject. Nevertheless, depending on the
laser settings used by your laser physician, your results will be
either long term or permanent. According to the most recent articles,
only the higher settings yield to permanent hair removal. In this
approach, high performance skin cooling and pain management are
obstacles to many laser centers not equipped with the appropriate
lasers and where professional staff may be inattentive to pain
minimization.
Skin cooling is a key part of a hair removal program. This is
why a special cooling unit must be associated to a laser to deliver
refrigerated air or gas during each pulse. The ideal system is the
constant refrigerated sub-zero pulsed air. This system delivers
cooling on the treated area at all times, before, during and after a
laser pulse. This way the skin is kept cool during each laser pulse
and so for the entire laser procedure.
Pain tolerance varies amongst people. Since a cosmetic
procedure is rarely appreciated if it’s painful, a standard (or
mediocre) laser operator tends to provide low energy pulses to keep
his/her client comfortable. The problem is: the more painful is the
pulse, the better are the results. Efficacy is proportional to pain!
Finally, results after each session are cumulative. The more
you treat, the better are the results in terms of hair reduction and
permanency. Nevertheless, each patient is different so results are
neither expected nor predictable. They vary from one person to another
even with the best lasers.
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Issue #8:
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) or Flash Lamps and Lasers are not
equivalent for Hair Removal.
On a technology basis and on pure physics these machines are
totally different. The light produced by a laser is stimulated,
coherent and monochromatic (just one wavelength, specific to its
target: melanin). The IPL machine produces a beam of light in several
wavelengths thus non-specific. At the end of the fiber optic, at the
hand piece level, a color filter is inserted to select the desired
wavelength. The other wavelengths are kept, supposedly, aside.
Although a thermolysis is obtained leading to some hair removal,
published clinical data suggest that final results are different from
those obtained with lasers and tend to be just long term and not
permanent. In addition, the number of sessions tends to be greater
with a Flash Lamp compared to a laser.
Finally, a Flash Lamp is a bit more complicated than a laser
and yields to a higher risk of settings errors. It requires a great
deal of expertise from the operator, preferably a physician, since
hair is not the only target reached by this equipment. A word of
caution: since a Flash Lamp is 1/3rd the cost of a laser, a Flash Lamp
session should not cost you what a laser session would.
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Issue #9:
Sun Tan and Laser Hair Removal do NOT mix.
A tanned skin will “cook” under a laser. It must be said high
and clear. Since we all lose our tan sooner rather than later,
patience pays. Your laser physician will be quite glad to see you
anyway, but with a lighter or fairer skin, he/she will be delighted.
Those who treat pigmented skins with Alexandrite or Diode lasers, take
serious risks or don’t tell people that they minimize their laser
settings. In that case, results will be slow and poor. Many more
sessions will be needed; your wallet will consequently suffer.
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Issue #10:
Precautions must be followed.
a) A diet won’t impact your laser treatment. If you take
beta-carotene, a diet supplement, supposed to facilitate UV exposure,
you should stop it 2 months prior to your laser hair removal program.
b) Teens may undergo a successful laser program.
Nevertheless, if their growth is not finalized, new hair may appear on
a treated area. The impact of laser hair removal on a child or a
teenager’s skin has not been studied; there are no published data on
this subject. Finally, teens comply usually well with this type of
program but children under 12 may not accept it. In any case, a minor
needs to sign an Informed Consent Form and get one parent or legal
guardian to sign it as well. It is recommended to come and support
your teen for his/her first session.
c) People with dark skin (dark brown and black) may undergo a
successful laser hair removal program only with a NdYAG long pulse
laser. Session times are longer than those observed with Alexandrite
lasers (spot size is smaller). Also, program duration usually takes
from one to two additional sessions since this laser is slower to
remove thin hair. Only this type of laser will lead to tangible
results on photo types V and VI.
d) Who should stay away from a laser? People who just got a superb
sun burn or sun tan; blond or red hair people, people
who would be overwhelmed with the relatively high cost of a laser
hair removal program (5 to 9 sessions on average).
e) An adequate evaluation of the laser center where you plan
on going is key. You should check your physician competences and
expertise (years of experience in laser medicine, specific laser
medicine training, post-graduate degrees in laser medicine),
memberships to professional societies. Also, a thorough evaluation of
his/her laser technician is very important. Make sure that your laser
physician sets the laser before each session.
Evaluate the center itself. Is it clean, comfortable, professional
looking, quality oriented? Are people working there welcoming,
attentive to your needs or questions, are they available for you and
willing to help you? Your physician will cover the more detailed
scientific information. Bring the same care to your laser center
selection as if you were selecting your brain, plastic or heart
surgeon.
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