South Florida is hot, hot, hot. Down here, it's bikini season year 'round. Short shorts and bikinis are in, extra body hair is not. So what's a girl or guy to do?
There are lots of options for getting rid of excess hair. Shaving, waxing, plucking, electrolysis, and depilatory creams are all means of hair removal. However, they can be time consuming, painful, ineffective, and/or irritating to the skin. Enter laser hair removal.
In laser hair removal, a laser beam of a certain wavelength targets the hair follicle and destroys it. I like to call it permanent hair reduction, rather than permanent hair removal. Hair growth occurs in cycles, (see my last blog post: Those Fabulous Tresses for more information), so multiple laser treatments are needed several weeks apart for best results.
Because the laser targets the hair in the follicle, the treatment won't be effective if the hairs are waxed or plucked prior to treatment. Often, shaving is encouraged the day before the treatment. An anesthetic gel is sometimes applied to the area prior to treatment to ensure minimal discomfort. A cool gel, or a cooling tip on the laser is used to protect the skin. The length of time of the treatment depends on the area being treated: an upper lip takes less time than a bikini area.
Usually, the skin will look red temporarily after the treatment. Some crusting may occur. It is very important to protect skin from the sun prior to and after any laser treatment. Tanned skin is at risk for hyper or hypopigmentation (dark spots or light spots), and it's best to avoid any laser treatment on skin that is tan or recently exposed to the sun. Similarly, darker skin types are at risk for pigment disturbances with laser hair removal. Laser hair removal generally is not effective on blond or white hairs.
These days, lasers for hair removal can be found on every corner. You only have one skin: it's wise to see a board certified physician for the best possible results to leave you smooth and (relatively) hairless!
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