Traditional hair removal techniques like shaving, plucking and waxing, provide only temporary relief. Electrolysis often requires years of ongoing treatments. Laser hair removal works by targeting the pigment inside the hair follicle with very little damage to the delicate pores and structures of the skin. Because hair cycles through "growth" and "dormant" phases, and because during the "dormant" phase the follicle has no pigment, at least 2 or 3 treatments will be needed. The number of sessions will vary for each individual. The area to be treated is shaved. A small handpiece, or "wand" is placed against the skin and a burst of coolant is applied as the laser is activated. The handpiece is repositioned and the laser is activated again. The size or the area treated will determine the number of laser "pulses" required. With electrolysis, the operator inserts a needle into the hair shaft with the intention of reaching the follicle, then sends a small electrical charge designed to disable the follicle. The operator then removes that particular hair with a tweezer. Hair removal is much faster with a laser as the laser is pulsed about once per second across the surface of the skin. Each "pulse" of laser light disables a large number of hair follicles. Electrolysis operators can only treat those hairs that they can see and the follicle they can reach through the hair shaft. A laser treats any "active" follicle, even if the hair has not yet reached the surface of the skin, or if the hair shaft is not straight. While some areas of the body are more sensitive than others, most patients report little or no discomfort. For more sensitive patients, anesthetic creams can be applied prior to the treatment. Laser tattoo removal is most successful with black and blue pigments. Other colors such as red, green and yellow are harder to remove. More than one treatment is usually required to remove tattoos. Sometimes, the skin is paler in the area where the laser removed the tattoo. This is called "ghosting". Your plastic surgeon will discuss with you whether surgical removal or laser is a better option for your tattoo removal. Immediately after laser treatment for either tattoo or hair removal, the skin will look pink and slightly swollen, similar to a sunburn. This will subside within a few hours and the skin will return to normal. Occasionally, a patient may have pigment changes, blistering, or scabbing. As with electrolysis, cases of scarring have been reported with laser hair removal, but these are rare. A test spot is sometimes the best determinant of how each individual's skin will react. |