Laser technology for hair removal has been available
for about 10 years. There are 4 main devices in use
today. They are the Alexandrite laser, the Diode
laser, the Yag laser and the IPL device. All have their
advantages and disadvantages in removing hair. The
important point to remember as a consumer is that
lasers and IPL devices are medical devices, but
unfortunately in Canada, are poorly regulated. This
means, in some cases, non-medical personnel can
acquire and operate lasers despite not having the
training to adequately assess contraindications and
treat complications. Be wary of laser providers who
claim they can treat your skin if it is tanned. Lasers
can and will burn the skin in some instances
particularly if the skin is darker
toned or is in any way tanned. Why? Because a
laser's target is the melanin (pigment) in hair follicles
and since lasers can't tell the difference between the
pigment in a hair follicle or the pigment due to darker
skin or a tan, an inexperienced operator can heat
normal skin thereby burning it. It is therefore very
important to have only experienced personnel
working in a medically supervised environment
perform any laser treatments on your skin. Done
properly, with the right equipment, laser hair removal
can be safe, and highly effective ridding you of the
need to constantly have to shave your legs,
underarms, bikini areas etc.
If you are planning laser hair removal treatments, it is
important that you do not pluck or wax the area to
be treated for a least 1 week prior to treatment. The
hair follicle needs to be present for the laser to do
it's work. It's best to shave the area to be treated 1-
2 days before a laser hair treatment. Most laser hair
removal treatments are spaced about 4 weeks apart
since this is the time needed for all treated hairs to
fall out. Be wary if the laser provider recommends
laser treatments sooner than 4 weeks apart. You
may end up being treated more often than is
required. Lasers treat only those hairs in the growth
phase of their life cycle, and since only a portion of
hairs in any given area are actively growing, it will be
necessary to wait for dormant hairs to resume their
growth cycle before resuming treatments. It takes a
fair degree of expertise to assess the need for follow
up laser hair treatments. At Sanders Medical we use
an Alexandrite laser for hair removal as it is fast and
highly effective. Our staff is highly trained and very
experienced in laser hair removal and more
importantly there is medical backup to ensure safe,
expert and professional treatments.
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