What you should know about Laser hair removal treatments

Men and women are fast opting for smooth, hair-free skin these days. Women generally want to get rid of unwanted hair on face, arms, underarms and legs to flaunt a clean and smart look. Men also don’t seem to be lacking behind on the increasing trend to look tidy and hygienic, and frequently opt for removal of hair from the chest, back and arms to get that uber cool look.

So far, they have been opting for waxing, shaving, epilating and threading. These processes are quite time-consuming, messy and obviously painful. Thanks to the advent of Laser Hair Reduction technology, all this pain of these temporary solutions is fast becoming a thing of the past. One can go in for a laser hair reduction process which is effective, pain-free, comfortable, less cumbersome and that is permanent as well.

The Process Involved
Lasers work on the principle of selective heat destruction. The laser light, when absorbed by the black pigment melanin in the hair shaft, selectively heats up the hair shaft and the root, thereby destroying it without any damage to the surrounding tissues or skin. The Gold Standard in laser hair reduction, Lumenis Light Sheer Diode laser, have inbuilt cooling technologies to protect the overlying skin, leaving the skin absolutely unharmed while destroying the hair roots.

The Perfect Target Audience
Practically speaking, anyone and everyone can be a candidate for Laser Hair Reduction, as long as they have pigmented hair. Lasers do not work on white, grey hair, red or blonde. They work the best on thick, dark hair, especially when present on lighter skin types. But with the modern day lasers, the efficacy and safety profile is equally good on darker types as well, including Indian skin. With an experience of thousands of treatment sessions with these lasers, I can easily vouch for their results in Indian skin as well as their safety profile.

The Revolutionary Technology
The Light Sheer system uses 805nm diode laser technology that has become a gold standard for permanent hair reduction. It is a US-FDA approved laser system for permanent hair reduction. It has a very short treatment time. Back or legs can be treated in as short as 20-30 minutes time. In addition, there is no preparation time, no anaesthetics or cooling is required. The treatment is very comfortable and painless and the patients are invariably so happy to be rid of their painful and messy routines of waxing, plucking, threading, etc.

Conclusion
The laser is a beam of the visible spectrum of light. It is not like X-rays or other harmful radiations. Lasers are extremely safe for the body as well as the skin. Light sheer Diode has a host of inbuilt features making them further safe for all skin types. The machine also has the approval of the US-FDA, the highest authority to grant safety and efficacy certification to drugs and medical equipments. However, treatment should not be attempted on patients with any active infections or inflammatory skin conditions, dysplastic nevi, tattoos, active cold sores, open lacerations or abrasions, viral, fungal, or bacterial diseases or a history of post inflammatory hyper-pigmentation.

This article has been authored by Dr Vivek Malhotra, M.D. Dermatologist, Beau Visage Skin Clinic.