The Truth About Laser Hair Removal

This is the time of year everyone is thinking about hair removal options.  We often find many of our clients have been given the wrong information or heard horror stories – but don’t fear, below are all the facts you need to know regarding laser hair removal, so you can decide with confidence if it is the correct treatment for you.

Types Of Laser
Commonly misconceived as “Laser” – there are in fact many different types of permanent hair reduction – laser being only one of these options – and is in fact now out of date.

Laser
Laser uses a solid beam of light to heat up the hair follicle and destroy it. This method requires local anesthetic cream before the treatment can be performed, ice packs are also used after each treatment to reduce pain and swelling. This procedure can be incredibly painful and causes severe trauma to the skin and surrounding tissues. Laser can NOT be performed on darker skins as it can cause burning and permanent scarring.

IPL
IPL is a light technology that has been developed from laser, this technology uses the same light frequencies as laser, however it is not a solid beam of light. IPL stands for Intense Pulse Light which means the light is not constantly on the skin – instead it pulsates on and off the skin.  The pulsing light stops the skin from over heating and burning. This version can take anywhere from 6-18 treatments to achieve satisfactory results.

SPL – The treatment used at Platinum Skin Centre
SPL is the newest and most advanced version of permanent hair reduction. SPL stands for Square Pulse Light and again this technology uses the same light frequencies as Laser and IPL. The difference here is that the way the light penetrates the skin is much more advanced than both Laser and IPL. Much faster results are achieved and less trauma is caused to the skin and surrounding tissues. Unlike IPL, you will only require an average of 4-8 treatments to achieve your desired results.

How It Works
Permanent hair reduction is achieved when the hair follicle is destroyed. For this to happen, the light from the laser crystal is absorbed by the hair follicle, which in turn heats up and is destroyed, therefore the hair cannot regrow back into that follicle. To prepare for your SPL treatment you will need to shave the area the morning of your treatment, as the therapist treats the area using with the laser, you may experience a flicking sensation and some heat. This feeling will only last for a second. The treatments on average take 5-20 minutes depending on the size of the area and are repeated on a monthly basis.

Precautions
Some medications that cause light sensitivity can prevent you from having laser treatments, so you will need to check with your therapist. Once you have had the treatment you will need to protect the area from the sun for a minimum of 2 weeks.