Laser Hair Removal…Benefits, Procedure and Risks

You must consider laser hair removal if you are just fed up with tweezing, waxing, threading or using epilators to get rid of unwanted hair. It is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic procedures in the US, UAE and Pakistan.

Benefits of laser hair removal

Permanent hair reduction: Lasers are approved for “permanent hair reduction” by Food and Drug Administration of America, whereby permanent hair reduction is characterized by long-term, consistent reduction in the number of hairs regrowing after a treatment that involves multiple sessions.

Accuracy: Laser beam precisely hits dark and coarse hair. Surrounding skin is left intact and undamaged.

Time saving: laser hair removal means you will save lots of your time that you would have wasted on tweezing, threading or shaving weekly and sometimes on every alternate day. Laser sessions are scheduled 3 to 8 weeks apart. It means you will not need to use other measures for as long as 2 months.

Fewer ingrown hairs: laser treatment is reported to cause a significant decrease in number of ingrown hairs or shaving bumps. Due to this feature, laser hair removal is said to be an effective treatment for pilonidal cysts.

Prepare yourself for laser hair removal

• Carefully search a qualified and experienced doctor for having your laser hair removal in Dubai . Also check if the clinic has modern lasers because they offer minimum probability for occurrence of risks.
• Do not wax or tweeze hair at least 2-5 weeks before the treatment. Refrain from bleaching your hair as well.
• You may need to take oral antiviral medication if your doctor prescribes.
• Avoid tanning and excessive sun exposure at least a month prior to your treatment.

The procedure of laser hair removal

On the day of treatment wear clothes that leave the treatment area uncovered or you can wear a loose fitted dress as well. Your hairs will be trimmed just before the treatment and the technician will apply a cold gel. Wear your eyewear properly to protect your eyes if you are getting laser treatment on your face. Your technician will start the treatment after setting the laser parameters according to your skin type and condition. A highly concentrated beam of light will strike the skin surface and penetrate in skin layers. It will be absorbed by the pigment (melanin) in hair follicles and as a result hairs will be destroyed.

After the treatment ice packs or anti-inflammatory creams may be applied to cool down the temperature and avoid any inflammation in the treated area.

Number of sessions required

Multiple sessions are needed for long-term reduction of hair. Number of sessions required vary with multiple factors like type of hair, skin tone, area under treatment, sex of the patient and coarseness of hair. However, patients usually need a minimum of seven treatments. These sessions are scheduled 3-8 weeks apart. A combination of light skin tone and dark and coarse hair is the best blend to be treated with a laser.

Risks and recovery period

• For a few days following treatment the area looks like sunburned. Keeping the area cool with icepacks, creams and lotions would help in regaining the normal condition quickly.
• Blisters are rare and are mostly seen in people who have darker skin tones. You cannot wear makeup if you have blisters on the treated area.
• Common side effects include swelling, redness and scarring of treated area. They disappear with time.
• Permanent scarring and discoloration of skin are rare risks.