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Women have been shaving their legs and underarms for decades. It’s a cumbersome chore that needs to be done frequently to avoid stubble. Feminine facial hair is even more tedious. Hairy backs have never been considered attractive but nowadays it seems that body hair, in general, is considered unsightly on men as well as women. In an era where all of us seem busier than ever, shaving is time-consuming, and the cost of razor blades over a period of forty or fifty years can really add up. >>
Imagine the freedom of enjoying smooth skin, free of stubble, without the need to shave or wax ever again. It is possible and well worth the investment! This article will tell you some important information you should be aware of before making this life-changing decision.
Unlike shaving, waxing, sugaring or other temporary methods to reduce facial and body hair, laser hair removal doesn’t target the hair itself but instead targets the hair follicle. Energy is delivered beneath the surface of the skin to seek out and permanently destroy the hair follicles, thus disabling their ability to grow hair where it is unwanted. How does the laser do this? By targeting the pigment in the hair.
Because the energy is looking for pigment, the darker the hair, the easier it will be to kill the follicle. If the skin also has pigment, as in the case of darker skin types, it complicates matters. There is an added challenge of how to safely target the pigment in the hair without also targeting the melanin in the skin. The good news is that this challenge can be overcome. There is, however, some bad news. If the hair is very light in colour, or is white, there is nothing for the energy to see. Thus, not everyone is a candidate for successful outcomes.
Did you know that not all hair on your face or body is growing at the same time? Hair grows in phases known as anagen, telogen and catagen. Anagen means it’s actively growing, telogen means its resting and catagen means the follicle is in regression. Unfortunately, if the hair is not in its active growth phase, the follicle cannot be treated with enough energy to permanently destroy it. The bad news is that it will require a series of well-timed treatments to permanently destroy as much hair as possible. An appropriate number of weeks between treatments is needed to allow hair not actively growing to return to its anagen phase. Results vary from person to person, but few are non-responders.
Hair that is finer or lighter in colour will usually require more treatments than thicker, darker hair. Dark, thick hair on light skin will require fewer treatments than dark hair on dark skin. We have seen complete hair reduction in as few as 4-6 treatments for some, but eight or more treatments are required for others. Destruction of all the hair may not be possible. The key to increasing your success and reducing the number of treatments required to get rid of as much hair as possible on any given area is to invest in high-quality treatments and stay timely in the delivery of your treatments.
Hair removal treatments are done with either an IPL (Intense Pulsed Light machine) or various lasers known as Alexandrites, ND Yags or Diodes. Each has its pros and cons, its advantages, risks and limitations. Not all hair removal technologies work equally well. Medical-grade differs greatly from spa-grade and not all technology is suitable for every person. Having a basic understanding of how laser hair removal works and what to expect will save you money, time and possibly disappointment. Choosing a quality provider will increase your success and overall satisfaction.
If you have ever been to Skinpossible’s website, or the clinic itself, you may be aware that Skinpossible has more technology than any other clinic in Calgary. Skinpossible has all the above modalities for hair removal and each is tier-one within its class. Depending on the thickness of the hair, the colour of the hair, the depth of the follicles and how much natural pigment is in your skin, we choose the device that will work best for you.
Lumenis Lightsheer:
Diodes are recognized to have the optimal depth of penetration and energy absorption to target hair follicles. Hair removal with diode lasers generally requires fewer treatments, but the Lightsheer goes beyond that:
Suitable for fair and dark skin types: Lightsheer can safely and effectively treat all but the darkest skin types.
The speed of treatment: The surface area that each pulse covers with the Lightsheer’s high-speed integrated technology is huge by laser standards. People are busy, and the fact that we can treat an entire back or lower legs in only twenty minutes makes it more convenient for our patients.
Comfort: If you’ve ever had laser hair removal you know it can be painful. The high-speed handpiece of the Lightsheer doesn’t hurt. Of course, you can feel it, but most people do not find it uncomfortable!
Fotona Avalanche Frac3 ND Yag:
Expanded capabilities of Fotona’s new Avalanche Frac 3 ND Yag laser hair removal improves the efficacy, and unlike other ND Yag laser treatments which hurt, this treatment is completely pain-free. It is ideal for people from the Middle East and other dark skin types because the wavelength penetrates deeply into the skin to target the deepest hair follicles while by-passing the natural pigment in the skin.
Sciton BBL:
The BBL is an IPL that provides integrated cooling during the treatment. This allows us to set aggressive parameters to seek out hair while keeping the epidermis safe. It’s more comfortable than most lasers and can effectively treat hair that would be missed by other lasers. It is the gold standard for seeing pigment, which allows the BBL to target finer hair and a lighter colour of hair than any other technology. It is suitable for lighter skin types.
