Laser hair Removal 101

IPL Laser Hair Removal 101

Looking for a way out of excess hair growth and or lessening the amount ?

Than IPL laser is your best friend

Causes of excess hair growth

• Aesthetic - most often related to ethnic background or heredity
• Medical - related to endocrine disorders resulting in androgen over production. Common signs include irregular menstrual cycles, acne, alopecia, hirsutism.

So why have IPL laser hair removal?

•  non invasive
•  faster session times
• suitable for small & large body areas
•  minimal maintenance
•  long term reduction of hair
• It reduces the amount of ingrown hairs
• up to 80- 90 percent reduction 

A common question often asked by my clients, is why do I require more then one treatment?

The reason a course of IPL laser hair removal is recommended, is because it’s important to catch hair in the Anagen stage of growth or the active stage.

Not all follicles grow hair at every given moment. Active follicles grow hair in cycles and at an avg rate of about 0.33mm per day.  Dormant follicles do not grow hair but can become active at any time due to hormonal changes and other reasons.

When the hair is fully connected to the blood supply, it is impossible to tell at what stage the hair growth is at, so a course of treatments will remove the hair when it is at it’s most active.

IPL Laser Hair Removal Explained

IPL only treats dark coarse hairs, it will not treat white, blonde, grey or red hair.

This is because the light is attracted to the melanin pigment in the hair follicle. The light energy absorbed in the follicle is transformed into heat which coagulates the follicle. 

Each pulse takes less than a second, small areas include the underarm, lip and chin which can take minutes to treat, areas such as the the arms, legs, chest and back may take 30 minutes or more.

At our spa we recommend between six to twelve treatments and then regular maintenance, over time treatment will be pushed out to just a couple of times a year, exactly how much depends on the clients hormonal hair growth.

I believe honesty is the best policy with my clients, unlike many un-reputable companies…

I always explain IPL hair removal is not permanent, we aim to get 80 to 90% reduction of unwanted hair, so my clients are under no false illusions about their future treatments.

Preparing for Laser Hair Removal

• Before undergoing a hair removal treatment you must not PLUCK, TWEEZE or THREAD for 6 weeks, as this stimulates hair growth, turning it from fine vellus to coarse terminal hair
• Ideally you don’t want to be WAXING because IPL targets the root of the hair which is temporarily removed by waxing
• It is really important that you are wearing no FAKE or GRADUAL tan, or that the areas being treated have not been directly EXPOSED to the sun, because IPL is attracted to pigment in the skin
• Ideally the LENGTH of your hair should be a few millimeters above the skins surface before treatment, so shaving 24-48 hours before treatment is recommended
• So you get the most from your treatment, the IPL light is always adjusted to your particular colour, thickness, and location of hair

Laser Hair Removal Consultation

Below are a list of questions you can expect to be asked before treatment:

1. What areas are you interested in having treated?
2. What do you normally do for hair removal?
3. In the last two weeks have you been in the sun or had fake or gradual tan on the area to be treated? If the answer is yes the treatment cannot be performed, as laser light is attracted to pigment in the skin.
4. How long ago did you have hair removal?
5. Have you waxed or plucked in the last four weeks? Again if the answer is yes, this may indicate that your hair will grow back quickly, drawing blood to the hair follicle.
6. Before a treatment can be performed, hairs must be no longer than two mm’s as obviously hair must be showing above the surface in order to target the hairs.
7. You are allowed to shave or trim between treatments, but no plucking, tweezing, waxing or threading.
8. Are you aware of any hormonal imbalances you may have, such as PCOS?
9. Are you pregnant? Diabetic? Cancer? Epilepsy?
10. Are you currently on any medication? If you are on accutane for instance you cannot have laser for six months, as this medication thins the skin.
11. Due to the intensity of the heat it is normal for the skin to appear a little swollen and red after; It is important that you avoid heat treatments such as the sauna, direct heat and the gym for 24 hours after treatment.
12. It can take up to two weeks for the hair to completely fall out of the follicle, so you need to be exfoliating from the following day.

Important Laser Information

IPL is a medical treatment and should not be taken lightly, because if administered incorrectly there is a real potential to do harm.

Anyone, whether trained or not can legally operate an IPL or laser machine; A scary thought when some of the side effects include burning, pigmentary changes including hypo-pigmentation, hyper-pigmentation, scarring and reactivation of herpes viruses.

I don’t write this to scare you, because IPL does have fantastic results, and in the right hands it is safe and effective and the results are far superior to conventional methods of hair removal.

It’s your skin, so you need to make sure the hands that administer your treatment are well trained……

Because ultimately many adverse reactions can be minimised, especially with the correct use of wavelength for the person’s skin and hair type and by using a cooling system on the skin.

Ensuring you have a thorough consultation and are offered sound post-treatment advise is also key, if the treatment is to be administered safely.

Live Well, Be Healthy and Take Time to Renew Yourself,

Renu U Aesthetics.