People who are interested in laser hair removal near Oakville, Ontario are in luck, because there are some fine establishments in this city which are dedicated to providing professional laser hair removal service. If you’re tired of plucking, tweezing, shaving, or waxing, and you want some permanent results which will allow you to achieve lasting results, Oakville laser hair removal might be the best possible solution for you. It’s a process which involves minimal discomfort, yet achieves results that are very long-lasting, and might require follow-up treatments only after several years.
Once you’ve gone through a hair removal Oakville process, the hair in any affected area will only grow back much less sparsely and more finely, if it comes back at all. That means you can count on having much lower involvement with any future hair removal procedures, whether they be Oakville laser hair removal, or any at-home processes you might choose. For a more or less permanent solution to unwanted hair growth in almost any location on your body, you should definitely give laser hair removal a try.
Benefits of Laser Hair Removal
As opposed to any other method of hair removal, laser hair removal provides some distinct benefits which everyone can appreciate. For one thing, it’s extremely effective, and has proven so reliable that the FDA has approved it as a method for permanent hair reduction. It might be necessary to undergo several treatments so as to catch hair growth in the appropriate stage, but once that happens, the process is extremely effective.
It’s also very precise, since it only targets hair follicles rather than the skin in the affected area. Once hair follicles become heated in this matter, they are prevented from going any further. The process itself is fairly simple, and might only take one minute for small areas, or up to 30 minutes for larger areas on the body. Once it’s over with, there’s no cleanup necessary and no downtime for the patient.
There’s no discomfort involved for the patient, since for most people it’s experienced as a gentle snap against the skin. When you consider the minimal discomfort of laser hair removal compared with the pain associated with waxing, there’s no contest. Laser removal can also reduce ingrown hairs which come about through waxing or shaving, and if any hairs do grow back after laser removal, they’re always finer and sparser.
How does laser hair removal work?
All laser hair removal procedures have the same basic elements, which are centered around flashes of bright light being emitted on areas of the body which have unwanted hair. These light flashes penetrate the skin and target the melanin in hair follicles, and the melanin then absorbs the light which effectively destroys the hair follicle. Depending on the size of the light source being used, it will be possible to treat larger or smaller areas on the body where hair needs to be eliminated.
It will always be necessary to undergo between four and six treatments of laser hair removal, since hairs of the body are in different stages of growth, and there is only one stage where the laser process is powerfully effective. That makes it necessary to undergo several treatments so that all the hairs can be caught in that ideal development stage, where it is easiest to have them destroyed. It may be necessary to have future follow-up sessions, but any hair which grows back will always be less thick.
Laser Hair Removal vs Wax and Shaving
Three of the most popular methods for hair removal are shaving, waxing, and laser hair removal. Some people prefer shaving simply because it’s quick and easy, and causes no discomfort whatsoever. However, shaving will only remove hair for a few days at best, and it will immediately start going back after the shaving process is finished.
Waxing is a bit more painful, but it can leave your skin smooth for up to several weeks before you have to repeat the process. The good thing about waxing is that it’s just as effective on any type of skin, and for persons of any ethnic background. Laser hair removal works by targeting the contrast between light skin and dark hair, so it won’t be as effective for instance, on persons with dark skin and dark hair.
While results are at least semi-permanent or permanent with laser hair removal, it won’t be as effective for people of all ethnic backgrounds and all skin types. To find out if you’re a good candidate for laser hair removal, you should consult with your local clinic.
How to Prepare for Laser Hair Removal sessions
In order to get the most out of your laser hair removal session, there are a few things you should do to prepare. First of all, you should be freshly showered and there should be no lotions or creams on your skin prior to the session. Any of the areas which are to be treated during laser hair removal should be shaved within 24 hours of the session, but you should not do any waxing or tweezing.
It’s best if you avoid any sun exposure to the area to be treated, and no ultraviolet tanning beds should be used within two weeks of your scheduled session. Don’t use any topical creams or other products which might trigger photosensitivity in the areas to be treated, especially within three days of your scheduled laser hair removal session. Make sure not to have any dermal filler injections, chemical peels, Botox injections, or micro-dermabrasion in the areas which will be treated, for at least two weeks before your laser hair removal session.
What to expect during Laser Hair Removal appointments?
If it has been determined that you’re a good candidate for laser hair removal, an initial session will be scheduled for treatment. A technician will ask some questions of you to make sure there are no indications in your health history which would interfere with laser hair removal. At this session, you can express to the technician exactly what your objectives are with hair removal and which areas you want treated.
That treatment area will then be cleansed and prepped for laser hair removal, and the technician will talk you through the process so that you aren’t surprised by anything which happens. During the laser hair removal process, you’ll have to wear protective eyewear, as will the technician conducting the session. All areas which are not being treated must be covered with some kind of protective clothing or sheeting. Depending on the size of the area being treated, the entire procedure will take less than 30 minutes, and may only take a minute or two.
How long does it take for recovery after laser hair removal?
There’s likely to be some redness or swelling in the area which was treated after your session, and this may persist for a couple days afterward. You might also experience a sensation similar to a sunburn after treatment, and this can be alleviated by aloe vera or over-the-counter hydrocortisone. It is normal for patients to recover from laser hair removal within just a few days of treatment, since any swelling or redness will generally subside by that time.
As long as you don’t engage in improper activities, e.g. sun-tanning, excessive heat, saunas, hot tubs, or extreme workouts, you should not have any scarring or skin texture changes. Recovery is generally so quick that you will be ready for your next session within four weeks, if the area to be treated is around the face. For trunk areas, follow-up sessions can be every six weeks, and for the legs, every eight weeks.
What are some of the Risks when it comes to laser hair removal?
Like most medical procedures, laser hair removal does involve a few risks, all these are generally minimal for most patients. As previously stated, there might be some mild swelling or redness around the hair follicles of the area being treated. It’s also possible that changes in the skin pigment might occur, especially for people who have darker skin.
These are usually temporary changes which revert back to their normal condition within a few days of treatment. There are some other temporary conditions which might occur after a laser hair removal session, such as crusting, blistering, or scarring on the area which was treated. In terms of any discomfort felt during the actual laser hair removal session, the worst discomfort reported by any patient has been the sensation of having a rubber band snapped against the skin.
Costs of Laser Hair Removal for different body parts
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the typical cost for a session of laser hair removal is in the neighborhood of $400. However, there are a number of factors which will heavily impact this cost, beginning with the size of the area being treated and the amount of time it takes to conduct the treatment. Keep in mind that several sessions will always be needed for truly effective laser hair removal, so the prices quoted below are reflective of individual sessions, and not the total cost of the process.
Sessions addressing the neck or face will be between $600 and $900, sessions treating your arms will be between $350 and $500, and when treating the bikini area it will cost between $350 and $500. Sessions dealing with the lower legs will cost between $600 and $850, sessions treating your back will be between $600 and $900, and those sessions which treat chest hair will cost between $350 and $600.
How long does a laser hair removal last?
It will be helpful to understand the stages of hair growth when trying to predict how long it will be before hair grows back on affected areas. The four different stages of growth are anagen, which is the growing phase, catagen which is a transitional phase, telogen which is a resting phase, and exogen which is a shedding phase.
At any one time, the hairs on your body are going through all four of these different phases, and laser hair removal is most effective during the anagen or growing phase. This is exactly why it takes several sessions to accomplish laser hair removal, because not all the hairs in any given area are in that growing phase at the time of treatment.
You will definitely see hair re-growing while you’re undergoing successive laser hair removal treatments, because many of the other hairs in that area will be reaching the anagen phase where they can be effectively treated by laser hair removal. Once you have been through all the necessary treatment sessions, you should have caught all the hairs in that treatment area during the anagen phase, so that all hairs will no longer be growing there.
At this point, you can expect that there won’t be any regrowth of hair for many years, and in some cases removal might even be permanent. If any hair does grow back, it will be much thinner and sparser, and would only require quick follow-up treatments.