If you are tired of waging an endless battle with your unwanted hair, you might be excited to try laser hair removal. Shaving or waxing over and over again takes a lot of time and can irritate your skin. At the Center for Women’s Health in Oxford, NC, we provide laser hair removal to patients who want to get rid of their unwanted hair for good.
Many of our patients want to know if this treatment is really permanent. The answer is that, while most people need a touch-up appointment every year, laser treatments offer the most lasting way to get smooth, hairless skin. Read on, and we’ll explain how this treatment works and why the results last so long.
Laser Hair Removal 101
What It Is
This treatment is a popular way to eliminate unwanted hair. Patients love it because it goes deep within the skin to target the source of the hair in a way that is safe and long-lasting. Around the world, millions of people have used this method to get smooth skin and eliminate the hassle of waxing and shaving.
We perform this treatment with FDA-approved, medical-grade lasers that use light technology to permanently alter your hair follicles. The lasers are state-of-the-art pieces of equipment that can do this without damaging your surrounding tissue. In the past, people had to live with their unwanted hair for life. Today, we can tap into the power of light to change all that.
How It Works
Lasers are amazing pieces of equipment that are incredibly versatile in the world of health and cosmetics. They can do everything from blasting away cancerous growths to erasing unwanted tattoos. Many of the results they achieve were unimaginable several decades ago. When it comes to hair removal, they work by heating up the follicles until your body can no longer create a hair.
Melanin, which produces the color in your cells, is an important part of this process. The laser beams are specially designed to be attracted to the color of your hair. As a result, they can have an effect on the follicles without harming your skin. After the hair is heated up, it falls out within a few days. This process makes it unable to grow back the same way it would after shaving or waxing.
The Million Dollar Question: Are the Results Permanent?
After having this treatment, you will enjoy hairless skin that lasts. Once the hairs are treated, the follicles will be changed forever. This does not mean that you will never see another hair, but it will make a huge difference in your routine and allow you to live life without constantly planning for the next time you need to shave or wax.
Rather than a full crop that grows back over and over, you will only see a few stray hairs pop up occasionally. We can easily take care of them with an annual touch-up appointment.
Maintain Your Results Indefinitely
The process of maintaining the results is faster than the initial treatment. Some people only need to come in every other year as opposed to annually. When you compare an annual, 30-minute laser session to bi-weekly shaving or monthly waxing, you can see that this treatment is a game-changer. Most patients find it very easy to keep up their results for as long as they want.
Laser Treatments for Hair Removal Outlast All Other Methods
Hair removal has been part of human culture for thousands of years. Laser treatments are the most lasting solution we have ever invented. Here is why the other methods are temporary:
Shaving
When you shave, the razor cuts your hair at the surface. The hair beneath your skin is still actively growing, and it only takes a few days to erupt again. Some people find that they need to shave every day to maintain their results, and they might not even stay smooth for a full 24 hours. That’s why you often see men walking around with a “5 o’clock shadow”.
Depilatory Creams
Depilatory creams work on the surface level in a way that is similar to shaving. However, instead of cutting the hair, they dissolve it with chemicals. Many people don’t like the smell of these substances, making this approach less popular, and the chemicals can be harsh on the skin.
Waxing
Many people turn to waxing because it provides results that last longer than shaving or using depilatory creams. This is because it pulls the hair out by its root. With the other two methods, the portion of the hair that remains sits just below the surface, where it can quickly grow out again. When you wax, the hair takes a few weeks to come back. The important thing to remember, however, is that waxing does not permanently change the hair. Instead of being gone for good, it will always reemerge.
The Benefits of Laser Hair Removal
The fact that other methods of hair removal need to be repeated creates a world of inconvenience. Some people don’t even think about them, because they are an assumed part of life. Here are some of the advantages you will enjoy when you don’t need to spend time controlling your unwanted hair.
1. You Will Be Hairless All the Time
Of course, this is the whole point of the treatment. Let’s imagine what that actually means for your life. When you wake up in the morning, you will have smooth skin. You can get dressed without making the decision to spend time shaving or choosing an outfit that covers the hair. When you plan for a beach vacation, you won’t need to book a waxing appointment as part of the prep. Best of all, you will never be caught in a situation where you are unexpectedly showing skin only to realize you didn’t shave.
2. You Will Save Time
Chances are that shaving or waxing is a routine part of your life. If you shave, you have to spend extra time in the shower. If you wax, you need to make sure your schedule can accommodate regular appointments. Even if you wax yourself with at-home kits, you need to spend time preparing an area in your bathroom, going through the steps, and cleaning up the mess.
The amount of time you will spend on laser treatments is significantly less. Most areas of the body only require 30 minutes per session. Even larger areas like the legs can usually be done in less than an hour. You will probably need between four and six sessions to finish your treatment. Compared to a lifetime of shaving and waxing again and again, this is not a big time investment.
3. You Will Save Money
Think about all the money that you spend on your hair removal process. People buy razors, shaving creams, aftershave, moisturizers, and more. When you schedule waxing appointments, that’s a regular monthly expense. Laser treatments for hair removal are a good investment because you don’t have to constantly add to your charge when you go to the drugstore or visit the salon.
4. Your Skin Will Show Less Irritation
Human skin wasn’t really made to be shaved and waxed all the time. As a result, lots of irritation occurs with these methods. When you shave, your razor cuts off the hairs and creates blunt ends. When they grow back, they sometimes come in at strange angles, causing ingrown hairs that might get infected. Razor burn is another problem that is very common with shaving. Additionally, your skin can have an allergic reaction to the shaving cream. Finally, everyone who shaves knows that it’s impossible to avoid cutting yourself every now and then.
When you wax, your hairs get yanked out by their roots and hot wax is spread over your body. This doesn’t sound like a relaxing approach to many people. When done incorrectly, waxing can lead to injuries and ingrown hairs. Even when it is done by a trained professional, you will probably experience some discomfort during the treatment.
5. You Avoid All the Repetition
Part of the reason why shaving and waxing cause so much irritation is that they need to be repeated over and over. While your skin might be able to tolerate shaving cream without a reaction, having it applied every other day could cause a problem. Similarly, if you shave over skin that has some ingrown hairs, it can make the problem worse. Laser hair removal is a safe, non-irritating solution that can end this cycle for good.
Frequently Asked Questions About Laser Hair Removal
Q: Is This Treatment Safe for All Skin Types?
A: The lasers are attracted to dark pigment, which is how they find the hair. This used to create a problem for dark-skinned people. Now, however, the technology has advanced and overcome this issue. While darker-skinned people should still avoid certain kinds of lasers, others have the ability to treat everyone.
Q: Why Are Multiple Sessions Needed?
A: You will need multiple sessions to complete your treatment because your hair grows in cycles. The lasers can only treat hairs that are in the active phase. Therefore, while the lasers will eliminate all of the visible hair in a single session, others will come into the active phase and replace them within a few weeks. By scheduling several appointments several weeks apart, we leave time for each group of hairs to grow out and receive treatment. Once this process is complete, you will enjoy your final results.
Q: How Long Is the Recovery Period?
A: Actually, there is no downtime for this treatment. You can go back to work and resume your normal activities immediately after you walk out of your appointment.
Q: Does This Treatment Work for Men and Women?
A: For women, this treatment is a popular way to treat the legs, underarms, bikini area, and face. Men often treat their backs, chests, stomachs, and beards. Some men choose to reduce the amount of hair they have on their faces without eliminating it completely. This can make shaving easier for them.
Discover the Most Permanent Way to Get Rid of Unwanted Hair
Laser hair removal is a solution that almost sounds too good to be true, but it isn’t. It is a highly effective way to get rid of your unwanted hair and prevent it from coming back. Beyond targeting the root of the problem, laser technology allows you to alter each hair at the follicle. Having skin that is constantly free of hair can simplify your life and eliminate the inconveniences associated with shaving and waxing. It is a safe solution that is actually better for your skin because it doesn’t cause irritation.
Contact the Center for Women’s Health in Oxford, NC for more information on laser hair removal. We can help you get skin that stays forever smooth.
