What are the various methods available for removal of unwanted hairs?
Mechanical methods of hair removal provide only temporary results. These include shaving, waxing, threading, bleaching, hair removal creams & epilation. These methods remove the hair but leave the hair follicles intact. The hair re grows within one to four weeks in most cases.
Electrolysis is able to provide long-term hair removal using electricity. However this method is painful, time-consuming & can sometimes causes folliculitis, infection or scarring if done by unqualified persons like beauty parlours.
Why is laser the treatment of choice for hair removal?
Lasers remove hair for good, giving you a long-lasting, permanent hair reduction. In only a few treatments (most laser companies recommend six to eight to get clearance) laser can clear your skin of the unwanted hair that has bothered you
Laser has another advantage, in that you NEVER AGAIN have to let the hair grow out a few days before your treatments in order to get it to work, as you do with the other methods.
How does laser remove hair?
Hair removal lasers emit a light at a specific wavelength that is known to be absorbed by the melanin pigment (color) in the hair follicle, in short pulses- without damaging the surrounding skin. The light is converted to heat energy, which in turns disables the hair follicle so that it will not produce another hair.
What makes a Vikini (Diode laser) hair removal treatment safe and comfortable?
In Vikini they use an Advanced Contact Cooling System™ to protect your outer skin during a laser hair removal treatment. The laser’s light emerges through a sapphire crystal window that is pressed against your skin, to instantly remove the heat that gives you a little “pinch” feeling as the laser pulses. It also emits a patented smooth pulse of light, which delivers a continuous energy level without characteristic spikes in energy that in some of the other lasers cause a sharp sting. You experience minimum discomfort during Vikini laser treatment, and many of our clients report that the sensation is much more comfortable than waxing, electrolysis, or even tweezing!
VIKINI Laser is FDA approved laser machine.
What areas of the body can be treated with laser hair removal?
Vikini hair removal laser can safely treat any body part except for the small area inside the bony ridge of the eye socket.
Are some people better candidates for laser hair removal than others?
Laser hair removal works best on individuals with light skin and coarse, dark hair (brown and black) hair. We have had superb results with individuals with all ranges of skin colour and hair colour – even blonde, red, or light brown hair, except for white hairs.
How long does a laser hair removal treatment take?
A number of factors determine the length of time for a treatment. With Vikini laser hair removal laser, we plan for adequate time to go as slowly or as fast as is comfortable and appropriate for each client. The size and “topography” of the area treated factors into the time required, as does the amount of preparation. As a general rule, legs and backs take an hour to an hour and a half, while an upper lip or the tops of ears may require eight to 10 minutes. The front of the neck or underarms can take as little as 20 minutes.
Why does it take a number of laser hair removal treatments to clear an area of excess, unwanted hair?
Hair grows in repeating cycles, and only in the actively growing phase does the hair contain enough pigment to absorb sufficient energy to disable the hair follicle. When hair is in the dormant phase, it has little or no pigment, and it cannot absorb the laser light. With Vikini Laser we disable all of the hair follicles with actively growing hair in the treatment area. A few weeks later, some of your dormant hairs will have moved into the actively growing stage, and you will come in for a treatment to disable those. As this cycle gets repeated, you experience increasing reduction of hair.
What causes hair growth?
Heredity and ethnic background constitute the primary causes of hair growth. Superfluous or excessive hair growth in women often results from normal biological changes that they undergo throughout life, such as puberty, pregnancy, menopause and old age. Any one of these changes may cause an increase in hair growth in areas that never had hair before, or cause a small to moderate problem area to worsen. Other causes of hair growth can be associated with certain medications, stress and obesity. More serious causes can be an abnormality in the endocrine system, such as irregular menstrual cycles; ovarian disorders, such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS); adrenal and thyroid abnormalities. If you suspect any of these conditions – or if during your skin evaluation we suspect any of them – we will always recommend that you seek a medical evaluation.
Why do temporary hair removal methods such as waxing and tweezing stimulate hair growth?
Waxing, tweezing and depilatory creams are among the top offenders for stimulating hair growth. When a hair root is pulled at or tugged on to remove it, a blood supply rushes to the area nourishing the hair follicle. When this process is done regularly the result is growth of very coarse, deep rooted hairs. Most clients are surprised to learn that years of waxing and/or tweezing have played a role in making the hair growth worse.
Why would I choose laser hair removal instead of electrolysis?
Simple: time and comfort. While electrolysis is very effective, it works by inserting a tiny needle into each hair follicle, one at a time, and delivering a jolt of electricity and/or radio frequency energy. In contrast, the size of the treatment window on the laser head allows the laser to disable many hair follicles in a single pulse. We can treat an entire upper lip in five to nine quick pulses, while an electrologist would take up to hundreds of precisely placed “zaps” to cover the same area. Just think of the time commitment involved in larger areas, such as a back, bikini or full legs! In addition, you experience a less painful sensation with the laser.
What preparations are required before laser treatment?
First you should schedule an appointment for consultation to check your skin, hair type & to rule out any hormonal irregularities. We will check out for any skin problems, what medications you are on, if any, whether you have scarring tendency or for any history of having blisters-cold sores (Herpes Labialis) near the mouth etc.
Test patches may be required to determine the best laser settings.
For best results:
- Avoid all forms of tanning for 4-6 weeks prior to laser treatment & use a sunscreen regularly
- Waxing, tweezing, plucking & epilation for 4 weeks prior to treatment. You can remove the unwanted hair by shaving or by hair trimmer.
- On the day of treatment avoid all cosmetics & deodorants on the area to be treated. The area has to be shaved before treatment.
Is laser hair removal uncomfortable, or even painful?
You may experience a small but manageable sensation (tingling sensation) that we describe as a “pinch” or a “zap” when we pulse the laser. There is no bleeding or open wound. Most of our former waxing, stringing and electrolysis clients report that the discomfort is far less than those methods of hair removal. Stress, fatigue, caffeine, your menstrual cycle and pain tolerance may also influence the level of comfort – or discomfort – that you feel. Earlier lasers did give more pain, where we had to use topical anaesthetics or ice to reduce the pain. Vikini laser has in built sapphire tip which cools the skin, during & after treatment so that you don’t experience much pain.
What happens after the laser treatment?
The skin becomes slightly red & puffy like sunburn. This will usually disappear in a few hours. If there is any dryness you need to apply moisturising cream for few days. You can do your normal work immediately. After 2 weeks of laser treatment, burnt hairs will come out of the skin. This is not re growth as you can pluck them out without any pain.
You have to avoid sun exposure & use sun screen lotion every 4th hrly for at least 6 weeks after treatment.
Is it safe? What are the potential complications?
Laser hair removal has been extensively studied & considered to be safe & effective. This procedure has been approved by US FDA for permanent hair reduction. Rarely skin might get burnt while using laser, causing mild scabs, which will heal within few days. For these burns, you need to apply steroid creams for few days to heal quickly. Temporary dark or white spots can occur in some dark skinned individuals. These effects generally disappear within few weeks.
Is it permanent & how many sitting are required?
Hair growth is cyclical & the laser light destroys only follicles which are in the growth phase during each treatment. Four to six treatments or more may be required depending on the area, skin type, hair density etc.
Retreatment intervals may be 4-6 weeks or when first hair re growth appears.
The laser hair removal treatment produces long term improvement of thick hairs thro progressive hair reduction. Laser hair removal achieves permanent hair reduction not permanent hair removal. Patients usually report that the hair re growth is slower, finer in texture & sparser after laser treatment which is cosmetically acceptable.
Why is laser hair removal so much more expensive than the other methods of hair removal?
That is a myth: laser is NOT more expensive, especially when you factor in the value of your time. Certainly there is an up-front expenditure for a series of laser treatments – but you quickly get a return on your investment, all the while achieving your goal of hair removal! We have developed a simple-to-use tool to help you to calculate and compare the costs of your hair removal method with Vikini laser treatment costs. Here is an actual example: a prospective client who gets Brazilian waxes every five weeks pulled out her calculator during her consultation. She asked the total cost of eight laser hair removal treatments (the usual maximum required for clearance) , and after pushing a few buttons determined that it would take only two years and eight months for her to have spent the same amount of money on waxing. She would then be 38 years old, and would have to continue for 30 to 40 more years of waxing every five weeks to achieve her goal. The best part? If she chose laser, she could be hair free two years earlier in that two years and eight months of waxing expenditure!