- Conditions, Laser unit
Laser hair removal
What is
What is laser hair removal?
Laser hair removal consists of applying a beam of light to the skin, which is absorbed by the hair pigment (melanin) and conducted to the follicle, destroying it without damaging other tissues.
This is known as selective photothermolysis, producing the destruction of the hair bulb without affecting the adjacent tissues. As the laser only acts on dark areas due to melanin, it is not effective for white or very light hair.
In order to achieve optimal results, it is necessary to highlight some points before starting treatment:
Pigment and thickness
The pigment and thickness of the hair will determine the degree of efficacy; areas of hair may not be treated for total hair removal.
Patient's age
The patient's age influences the result, since hormonal changes and/or problems can alter the hair growth and cycle.
Tanning
The laser treatment can only be performed on light phototypes; it will not work on tanned or very dark skin.
Protección solar
It is important to protect yourself from the sun. The session will only be performed if the patient has avoided the sun for the previous 3 weeks, avoiding it for the following 15 days.
Self-tanners
The session will not be performed if the patient comes with self-tanning products, taking photosensitive medication and/or with products with chemical agents in the area.
Information
Guidelines for body sessions
- Body laser hair removal sessions will be performed every 3 months and it is necessary to come shaved the day before.
- In the sixth session, the patient will be attended without shaving to evaluate the evolution of the treatment and to determine how maintenance will be carried out.
- Maintenance will be performed every 6 or 12 months, depending on the professional’s assessment.
- It is understood as maintenance to treat the areas where there is hair, not the entire area, so it is essential to come without shaving. If the session is performed on the entire area, the price will be that of a complete session, without reduction.
Facial session guidelines
- The first sessions will take place every 5 weeks. Depending on the evolution, the waiting time between sessions will be lengthened.
- Efficacy in this area is slower and complete elimination is not guaranteed.
- It is very important to follow the professional’s instructions.
- The session will not be performed if the hair has been waxed or tweezed in the 3 weeks prior to the session.
- In the facial area, maintenance can be from 1 to 3 per year.
- Maintenance is understood to mean treating the areas where hair is present, not the entire area.
Before the session...
What should I take into account before the laser hair removal session?
In order to achieve optimal results, it is necessary to highlight some points before starting treatment:
- Moisturize the skin to be treated in depth the days prior to the session.
- The hair to be treated should not be plucked at least one month prior to treatment.
- Shave 24 hours before with water and neutral soap in all body areas, except for the facial area, very hormonal areas or advanced maintenance treatments.
- Come with skin clean of make-up, creams, deodorants or any type of chemical products, self-tanning or topical products with photosensitive components.
- Do not expose the area to be treated to the sun for the previous 30 days and do not come with tanned skin or skin pigmented by self-tanning products (or oral tanning products) and avoid bleaching the hair.
* Important: We do not perform male waxing.
* In case of pregnancy or lactation, the treatment will not be performed.
*Advise your therapist of any medications you are taking.
After the session...
What should I keep in mind after the laser hair removal session?
- Avoid deodorant or creams with alcohol or perfume for the first 24 hours.
- Apply aloe vera or any emollient cream.
- Do not exfoliate or rub the waxed area with horsehair gloves or similar.
- It is recommended to wear comfortable clothing and avoid rubbing the treated area for the first 24 hours.
- Do not do sports, saunas or swimming pool during the first 24-48h.
- Do not expose the treated areas directly to the sun for 15 days after the treatment, as long as the skin has not suffered very important alterations or inflammations after the treatment.
- Do not perform hair removal methods before or after the session.
- In case of any redness, inflammation or changes in skin color, go to the center for consultation. Do not self-medicate under any circumstances.
Recommended age
It is advisable to perform the first session between 35-40 years of age, always depending on the patient’s skin condition.
Results in older people are also significant in skin firming and wrinkle smoothing.
Differences with Thermage CPT
Thermage FLX is the evolution of the Thermage CPT that we had at the Clinic until now. We have been using the different generations of Thermage devices since 2004:
- Vibration system with graduation and cooling of the treatment area.
- Application area is larger, covering a larger surface area per stroke (faster).
The most important difference: In the Thermage CPT (old) the doctor measured the impedance at a single point on the forehead (average of the impedance of the whole face). In the Thermgae FLX, the device measures in each 4cm2 grid the impedance of the skin. Therefore, we speak of maximum customization. The treatment is tailored to each square of your skin in real time.
More information
Clínica Tufet, considered one of the 15 best laser hair removal centers in Barcelona according to Elle magazine.
Team
Expert team in laser hair removal
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How to proceed after laser hair removal?
A laser hair removal session leaves the patient depilated for a long time. Around two months minimum.
As soon as the session is completed, the patient can be exposed to the sun after 3 or 4 days, when the skin irritation has subsided.
It is not necessary to wait a month to expose yourself to the sun.
At the end of the session, the area should be kept free of coarse hair for a minimum of 5-6 weeks. If the hair appears before 15 days, it is advisable to perform a review session before 20 days.
The interval between sessions should therefore be wide and increasing from 3 months onwards.
To make the session more profitable, it is good to allow sufficient time for the residual hair to regrow.
When the hair starts to sprout but it is not yet time for the next session, the patient can be kept clean by shaving or depilatory cream.
This allows the patient to remain cosmetically comfortable while allowing a little more time for more active hair to gather.
Since as we do sessions there is less and less hair left and it grows more slowly, the sessions are increasingly spaced out and the patient remains depilated in the meantime.
At the beginning, the interesting interval for female body hair removal is during the first 6 sessions, 3 months. The following sessions can be spaced out depending on the amount of hair and the area to be waxed. In the end the last sessions are done every 6 months or every year to give time for the residual hair to sprout.
Contraindications to be taken into account in laser hair removal
ABSOLUTE CONTRAINDICATIONS
a. Newly tanned skin (sun or U.V.A)
b. Photosensitivity (adverse skin reactions to light exposure) due to disease or drugs.
c. Treatment with 13.cis-retinoic acid (keep untreated for at least 7 months).
d. Ocular area (unless there is protection).
e. Areas with neoplasms.
RELATIVE CONTRAINDICATIONS
a. Skin type V or VI (depending on the photoepilatory system used): skin type V is moderately pigmented skin; skin type VI is black skin.
b. Pregnancy and lactation.
c. High risk of keloid scarring.
d. Decompensated diabetic patients due to risk of lower extremity burn ulcers.
e. Immunosuppressed patients.
f. Patients with recurrent herpes simplex in the area to be treated except for preventive treatment.
g. Areas recently depilated by avulsion (wax, tweezers, electric…) when removing existing hair.
What areas can be waxed?
It is possible to photoepilate any area of the body, although it is true that not all areas will respond in the same way.
At what age can it be started?
Women can start photoepilation after menarche (i.e. their first menstrual period) and men can start photoepilation after puberty.
In specific cases, such as psychological distress due to unwanted hair, it could be started earlier.
How long does a session last?
The duration of a photoepilation session will depend on the extent of the area to be treated.
A small area, such as the upper lip, will require about 5 minutes; areas such as underarms or bikini line will require about 15 minutes of treatment, while areas such as the back or legs will require between half an hour and an hour.
How many sessions are necessary?
The number of sessions that will be necessary will depend on many factors, although they will mainly depend on the body area to be photoepilated, the presence of hormonal disorders, skin color, thickness, depth and color of the hair, follicular density, sex and age.
Broadly speaking, the areas that respond best to photoepilation are the bikini area and underarms, followed by the legs, and the areas that respond worst are any area of the face and neck.
Approximately in the groin and armpits the number of sessions needed does not exceed six. The rest of the body areas will probably require a higher number of sessions.
On the face, we cannot speak of a specific number of sessions since, in most cases, once the treatment is completed, maintenance will be required 1 or 2 times a year.
In men, one of the areas that responds well to treatment is the beard and neck, while one of the worst responders is the chest and back.
Time intervals between sessions
As we have already mentioned, the time intervals between each photoepilation session will depend on the length of the Hair Growth Cycle of each body area (i.e., the time it takes for the hair in a given area to reach the anagen phase) and the number of photoepilation sessions that have been performed.
As a guideline, for facial areas it would be between 4 and 8 weeks while in the rest of body areas between 2 and 4 months. As sessions are carried out, this interval should be gradually increased in a personalized way according to medical criteria.
These intervals between treatments are the minimum recommended, but we can space them much more according to the patient’s needs, that is, the effectiveness of the session performed will not be lost even if you wait a long time to perform the next one, since the hair that we have photoepilated will continue to be photoepilated.
BODY AREAS
UPPER LIP 6 WEEKS
ARMPITS 2-3 MONTHS
PUBIS 2-3 MONTHS
ARMS 2-4 MONTHS
LEGS 3-6 MONTHS
THIGHS 2-3 MONTHS
BREASTS 10 WEEKS
Once treatment is completed, maintenance will be required 1 or 2 times a year.
In men, one of the areas that responds well to treatment is the beard and neck, while one of the worst responders is the chest and back.
Is it painful?
Although it does produce some discomfort, we cannot consider photoepilation a painful method and if we compare it with any other depilatory method (waxing, electric depilation), photoepilation is the least annoying.
A certain “pinching” sensation may be felt but does not require anesthesia and is always well tolerated by all patients.
This discomfort is caused by the involvement of the nerve that innervates the hair at the moment of light discharge.
In any case, the cooling methods used in most photoepilation systems help to reduce discomfort.