Hair Removal
From a few hairs located between the eyebrows to the serious issue of strong (terminal hairs) to the face the end results of using the IPL or Laser hair removal procedure can be truly spectacular, in some cases truly life changing.
How does the procedure work, quite simply IPL or Intense Pulsed Light is delivered by placing the light guide directly onto the area after thorough cleansing and a thin layer of chilled gel has been applied. A short pulse of light is released, this is picked up by the melanin (coloured pigment) in the hair a slight warm ping is felt as the light is absorbed creating heat. Discomfort varies very much from person to person but is usually quite acceptable and the procedure is carried out quite quickly.
The Laser is slightly different in that gel is not required and more time needs to be allowed per procedure as the diameter of the beam can be much narrower than some of the IPL heads.
The IPL / Laser technician is looking for five distinctive end points which evidence successful hair destruction:
- Erythema / redness
- Sensation / the warmth or heat felt in the skin which needs to be 5-6/10
- Singe / the smell of successfully destroyed hair, usually more evident with terminal black/dark brown hairs not so evident with finer, lighter coloured hairs
- Splat, not an overly technical term but aptly descriptive for when the hair ‘splats’ on the skin’ surface
- PFO, this looks like a ring doughnut around where the hair is and stands for peri (around) follicular (the follicle) oedema (swelling)
If we get 1,2 and one of the others you can virtually guarantee total destruction of those hairs.
Having 12 years experience of hair removal I can truly say for body hair that clearance lasts, you may experience some fine new hairs developing over a period of time but usually after a few years.
Unfortunately blond, grey, white, some red hair will not respond due to lack of coloured pigment in the hair, its bulb and surrounding tissue.
There are also four main factors that all clients need to accept:
- The hair needs to be trimmed or shaved to skin level preferably 24 hours before hand to ensure that the heating takes place in the follicle and not on the skin’s surface
- Hairs take 3 to 21 days to fall out
- For facial areas a daily SPF of 30 is essential to ensure un even pigmentation is prevented
- Cosmetic or a real tan are definate no no’s in the areas to be treated as the colour will also pick up the beam of light
Facial hair is the one area where you can not give a fixed time scale for complete clearance as the hair growth is usually hormonally dictated, I usually advise 6-8 treatments then review and advise ongoing treatments and discuss a maintainance plan.
At my clinic we tend to work with the IPL for skin types 1-4 and the Nd Yag Long Pulse for skin types 5-6. We have had some very good results with afro-caribbean skins and facial hair removal as this is such a no go zone even with the most experienced electrologist.
Visible results usually become obvious after treatment 4 and the average number of treatments per body area is usually 8, depending on the presenting condition of the client.
Costs vary from area to area and the guideline is usually from £50.00
Extra costs: All Laser procedures require a full consultation and test patch which comprises a partial treatment, this is an essential requirement to assess whether or not your skin can tolerate the procedure and ensures our medical insurance kicks in.
Consultation and test patch cost is £25.00 allow up to 45 minutes. Treatment can then take place from 48 hours after the test patch.
Post procedure cooling is the most important after care, a cold damp flannel applied at regular intervals should ensure a safe outcome, cooled aloe vera lotion twice daily and avoid all exposure to anything which might increase the heat of the body ie. hot showers or baths.