Laser Treatment Tips

The perfect candidate by far is the fair skinned person with a dark, course hair. The closer you are to this combination the better your results tend to be. Sallower tones and/or finer hair can be more difficult to treat and may require more treatment whilst darker skin tones with light fine hair may not get satisfactory results.

Medication which are not contraindicated but can interfere with the success of the treatment include but are not limited to the contraceptive pill, HRT, or eltroxin. This is because they can  cause activation or suppression of hormone levels which interfere with hair growth. Hormonal issues such as thyroid, PCOS, hirsutism to name a few can make treatment more difficult and in most cases only offer relief as a control measure.

Each person is unique in how much body hair they grow. The number of treatments within a course is only approximate and based upon clinical trials which see the average number of treatments yielding an average reduction of hair growth. Some individuals have many more cycles than the average and so treatment may go beyond the initial suggested course.

It is important to note that the additional “Top ups” recommended on completion of the initial suggested course are really extended treatments for those who have more hair cycles. Frequency between treatments can vary from 4-10 weeks intervals. The average interval of treatment is 4 (face)-6 (body) weeks is again based on clinical trials and varies with each individual.

Certain areas of the body have proven more irregular regarding cycles of hair growth and this must be considered when courses are being carried out.

The face (for women) is extremely irregular and it is almost impossible to predetermine the number of treatments required for the reduction of hair. The main reason for this is that generally speaking “terminal hair” (dark or strong hair) is unusual as facial hair in women and is considered a male trait. However, hormone shifts in the body can see a rise in Androgens and in particular the male dominant hormone, Testosterone. Testosterone can signal changes within the hair root and the hair can become darker and more noticeable. The cycles can be irregular with hormonal shifts fluctuating sporadically and so it can be difficult to treat conclusively.

The natural occurrence of hair follicles populating the face can be more than 10 times in comparison to that in the body. There can be thousands upon thousands of hair follicles with the potential to grow when hormones fluctuate. With each cycle you are treating only the hairs that are actively growing in that cycle, so the remaining dormant hairs are untreated in that session. With each cycle we can target more hairs as they become active and this process continues until there are no hairs left and so, no more cycles. However, each cycle on the face could have as little as 2% of the total hairs active which means there is still 98% which has to be treated. If this was the rate of hairs active in each cycle, the number of cycles (sessions) will be considerably more.

If we compared the rate of hairs active in each cycle on the body it is generally considerably higher. Some cycles can have 15-20% of hairs active and treatable so by treatment number 6 you can possibly have treated up to 90% of the hairs. This success is down to the regularity of each hair cycle on the body and the higher number of hair follicles “available” to treat in each cycle.

In order for your laser to be successful and assuming all of the above factors have been considered, the candidate must be compliant with their treatment and will have carried out at least the initial recommended number of treatments. Compliance means that the candidate follows the protocol as the laser technician has prescribed. For example, the interval between each body treatment is generally 6 weeks and so each cycle should be treated at this rate. Postponing treatment longer than what is recommended means that you may miss a cycle and those hairs will be left untreated and will return months later. If a candidate regularly misses treatments, it will be much more difficult to acheive results. It is also important to carry out at least the minimum number of treatments to see results and so having one or two treatments will not result in significant hair reduction.

Lastly but by no means less important the choice of technology is crucial when looking for the best results in hair removal. IPL systems just do not match the efficiency of a proper Medical Grade Laser which uses the gold standard wavelenghts of Alexandrite and ND Yag. See our comparisons with Laser and IPL under FAQ’s pages.

If you are planning on investing in Laser Hair Removal or indeed if you have had it in the past with less success you should consider the above factors. With that said, once you are a suitable candidate and you have sat through a well informed consultation, Laser is without doubt the most efficient and effective mode of permanent hair reduction on the market to date.