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4 things that can impact the success of laser hair removal

07 Nov 2014

 

Whether you are old or young, a man or a woman, the truth is that shaving can be kind of a pain. In fact, if you spend about 15 minutes shaving three to four times a week, you will spend more than 50 hours a year shaving—that’s more than a full week of work for most people! However, before you decide to get laser hair removal at Simplicity, there are a few things that can affect the success of the treatments.

 

1:  Skin Tone and Hair Color Impact Laser Hair Removal Success

The ideal candidate for laser hair removal is someone with lighter skin tone and coarse, dark hair. While there is new technology that works better on darker skin tones or lighter hair colors, the combination of light skin/dark hair is still preferred. If your hair is particularly soft or fine the lasers may have trouble locating and targeting melanin (the dark pigment) in hair follicles, which is the part that must be destroyed for the procedure to work. Before making a long-term commitment to laser hair removal, discuss your skin tone and hair type with the experienced technicians at Simplicity Laser to find out what options you have.

2: Single Treatments or Short-Term Commitments Don’t Usually Work

For the average person hair grows in cycles, so all the hair on your body is in different growth phases at any given time. For that reason it won’t help much to get a single laser hair removal treatment because that will only target about one-sixth of your total hair in any given area. On average our clients require at least 18 months to reach their clinical end point. By coming in on time on your correct intervals, most clients can reach that clinical end point in 18 months to two years. 

3: Tanning or Sun Exposure Prior to Hair Removal is Not Advised

If you’re planning to go out in the sun before your laser hair removal treatments, make sure to wear plenty of sunblock that has an SPF of 15 or higher. Continually reapply throughout the day to avoid sunburns or suntans. You should also avoid tanning beds for at least six weeks prior to your treatment, and several weeks after. If you have recently been exposed to sunlight or tanning beds, the risk of burning, scarring, or skin damage during laser hair removal increases and can put you at unnecessary risk. While sunscreen is always advised, and staying out of tanning beds is a good idea in general to keep your skin looking young and healthy for many years to come, it is especially important to go sunless before laser hair removal treatments at Simplicity.

4: Preparing Your Skin in Advance

Your laser hair removal technician will usually advise you on how to prepare for treatments a few days in advance. Follow this advice. They may recommend things like shaving the area where you are planning to get laser hair removal one to three days in advance, and avoiding heavy perfumes or lotions the day of the treatment. Do not pluck or wax hairs prior to the treatment, as this removes the root of the hair follicle that the lasers need to target to destroy future growth.

Laser hair removal is a great option for anyone tired of the hassle and/or pain of shaving, waxing, or plucking. Great laser hair removal results can be achieved if you avoid some of the things that may reduce your chance for success.