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Last Updated: Oct 23, 2019
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Laser Hair Removal - Get Rid Of Unwanted Hair!

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Dr. Punit PratapDermatologist • 17 Years Exp.MBBS Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, MD - Skin,VD & Leprosy
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There is no need to walk around embarrassingly with unwanted lip and chin hair, or to endure your sweaty hairy underarms. There is also no need to painfully and repeatedly wax, thread and pluck your hair lifelong. Permanent laser hair reduction provides a painless solution to these annoying problems. Lasers use focused beams of light which specifically target and destroy hair roots without harming the skin or any other tissues.

Hair can easily and permanently be removed from any part of the body, but most females opt for removal of unwanted hair from the lip, chin, underarms, bikini line, arms and legs . Many males like a clean hairless chest and also a clean back and permanent hair removal with lasers provides them with a fast and safe option.

How do lasers work?

A theory formulated by a number of doctors at the famous Harvard Medical School, called Selective Photo-thermolysis (SPTL) is applied for hair reduction. A variety of parameters like hair thickness, depth of hair roots and skin colour, etc. are considered for calculating the appropriate wavelength and pulse duration of light which will specifically match the targeted hair roots. This laser light is absorbed by the pigment in the follicles, thus destroying the hair roots. No regrowth of hair is expected once the hair roots are completely gone.

Benefits of laser hair removal

  1. Permanent: Unlike shaving, waxing, plucking or threading where you repeat the process lifelong, laser hair removal requires only about 4-6 monthly sessions and then you are set for life.
  2. Precision: Laser can precisely pinpoint the selective dark and coarse hair without causing any damage to the surrounding tissues. Speed: Within a fraction of a second, the pulsed light of a laser can simultaneously treat many hair follicles. It can treat small areas such as the upper lip within a minute, whereas it can take about 1/2 hour to treat the back or the legs.
  3. Effectiveness: The unwanted hair follicles are removed permanently during sessions at intervals of three to seven weeks.

How to prepare for it? 

Lasers should generally be performed under supervision of qualified dermatologists who also have additional specialised qualifications and understanding of laser physics. It is always best to meticulously check the track record of the doctor and the technicians performing these procedures. Six weeks prior to the laser hair reduction procedure, you need to stop waxing, plucking and electrolysis. Avoid a tan six weeks prior to treatment since it is difficult for laser light to pass through pigmented skin.

Expected treatment

Prior to the treatment, the targeted hairs will be trimmed to a few millimeters above the surface of your skin. Your dermatologist will adjust the laser parameters using the onboard computer to exactly match the targeted hair roots. For protecting the outer layers of your skin, a cold gel is applied. Painless pulses of light are then applied to the target areas till the complete desired area is treated. For the chin or underarms, this requires just a couple of minutes. You may feel a bit of warmth when light touches your skin but this is not uncomfortable. Ice packs are applied after the procedure to sooth your skin. The next session is taken up normally after two to four weeks.

Potential side effects

  1. Irritation of skin associated with redness, swelling or discomfort, which subside within a few hours of the treatment.
  2. Temporary pigmentary changes may be observed, such as darkening or lightening.
  3. Underlying hormonal issues can be a cause for unsatisfactory improvement and this should be checked by your gynaecologist or endocrinologist.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

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