Laser Hair Removal Services Los Angeles: Humans are covered in around five million hair follicles. Overgrowth of hair can happen on the body and face for so many Americans. Laser hair removal is an easy way to get rid of that issue. Hair will grow on the entire body to protect it. Nevertheless, having too much hair growth can be an unsightly problem for both women and men. Hirsutism is when there is immoderate growth of hair on the body, like on the chest and face. Even though this condition happens to women most of the time, men are not immune to it.
Due to this condition, many will consider laser hair treatments to fix their excessive hair rowing. Shaving, tweezing or waxing to remove unwanted hair can be a hassle. Dr. U will remove unwanted hair effectively and safely using lasers. Thanks to the advancement of technology, most people can experience safe laser hair removal.
How Does Hair Grow?
Hair follicles lie approximately 1 – 5 millimeters under the skin surface, depending on the location of the hair on the body. Found at the bottom of the hair follicle is a bulge. Just above the bulge is the bulb. These are the follicle areas that control hair growth and are the areas that need to be selectively damaged to stop future hair growth.
Type of Hair
Vellus Hair – Known as peach fuzz, this light-colored, and fine hair is seen on both sexes and grows in most places on the body.
Terminal Hair refers to fully developed hair, which is generally longer, coarser, thicker, and darker than vellus hair. Terminal hair can be various colors, such as black, brown, blond, red, gray, or white.
Color of Hair
Melanin is the color that determines hair color. Darker colors, such as brown and black hairs, contain a type of melanin called eumelanin. The darker a hair is, the more eumelanin it has. Blonde and red hair contains pheomelanin. Since pheomelanin isn’t able to absorb laser energy and eumelanin, blonde and red hairs are harder to treat than brown or black hairs.
What Are The Methods of Hair Removal?
While we all have hair on our bodies, those considered “hairy” have more terminal hairs and/or large, dark hairs. Most of the hair on the body does not serve a purpose, and when its removal is desired, it is usually for cosmetic reasons. This has created a great demand for both permanent and non-permanent hair removal treatments.
Non-Permanent Hair Removal
- Shaving
- Tweezing
- Waxing
- Sugaring
- Threading
- Depilatory Creams
Non-permanent hair removal either cuts the hair off as it leaves the skin (shaving), pulls the hair out by the follicle (tweezing, waxing, sugaring, and threading), or chemically dissolves the hair (depilatories). While these methods are cheap, they are not permanent and require regular upkeep. They can also be uncomfortable.
Permanent Hair Removal/Reduction
- Electrolysis
- Laser Hair Removal
- Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Hair Removal
A small metal probe is inserted into the hair shaft and down to the follicle during this process. The follicle is zapped with an electrical current and is very effective. The downsides of electrolysis are the time requirement, pain, and cost. Also, due to the growth cycle of hair, you will still need multiple treatments in each desired area for permanent removal. Laser and IPL hair removal are the most popular permanent hair reduction methods due to their speed, ease, efficacy, and relative cost-effectiveness.
What is Laser Hair Removal?
Laser hair removal assists ladies and men who have an overgrowth of hair removed from the body. Some may have thicker, darker hair in certain “normal” places. The common areas for excessive hair can be:
- Arms
- Face
- Legs
- Neck
- Chest
- Hirsutism
People tend to have peach fuzz, also known as vellus hair, all over their bodies, but excessive hair growth is caused by terminal, axillary, or androgenic hair. The hair that covers the entire body and acts as a mechanism for protection is vellus. Hair that is thicker and darker in normal areas is called axillary hair or terminal hair, depending on where it is on the body.
Androgenic hair grows as body hair thicker in people, commonly during puberty. Depending on someone’s sex, it can also appear in certain areas. Androgenic hair is affected by androgen levels. Androgen is a hormone that is found in both males and females. Women have less androgenic hair than men, also in fewer places. This is because men have higher levels of androgenic levels, like testosterone, in their bodies. Hypertrichosis (also called Ambras syndrome) means that hair will grow excessively all over the body.
Hirsutism most often affects women who tend to have large levels of androgens or those that have hypersensitivity to androgens. Warning factors include:
- Cushing’s disease
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
- Tumors in the ovaries
- Congenial adrenal hyperplasia
- Excessive growth hormone
- Insulin resistance
- Specific medications
- Obesity
Choose A Qualified Medical Provider, Not A Spa or Salon
The qualifications for performing laser hair removal will vary across different states. Some states do not even have any requirements. California has very strict regulations. The only professionals who can perform laser hair removal include:
- doctors
- physician assistants
- nurse practitioners
- registered nurses
The Medical Board of California, the California Board of Registered Nursing, and the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology are working to prevent laser technicians from performing this procedure. Also, employees cannot perform laser hair removal if they are not higher than registered nurses.
A board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon, on the other hand, is required to have a thorough knowledge of cosmetic lasers to pass their residencies and board exams. They are in a better position to understand how a particular laser energy wavelength will react with your skin to avoid overheating and injury. Someone with just a cosmetologist license, for example, may understand how hair grows and its general physiology. But they will not know how to tailor safe parameters for everyone’s unique skin type. Also, someone who is unqualified will not understand other medical factors that could stand in the way of safe and effective treatment. These may include factors like hair length and menstrual cycles. Severe skin burning may be an unfortunate consequence without proper expertise.
Benefits of Laser Hair Removal with Dr. U
Laser hair removal can help remove unwanted hair from the leg, underarm, bikini, face, arm, and other areas. Precision is just one of the many benefits of getting laser hair removal from Dr. U. The lasers will easily target coarse, dark hair without harming any skin around it.
Dr. U also offers a speedy laser hair reduction process. Each laser pulse will only take a fraction of a second and treat many hairs simultaneously. The laser will target an area that is the size of a quarter every second. Treatment for small areas like the upper lip will be less than a minute, while large areas, like the back or legs, can be up to an hour.
Getting laser hair removal is also more predictable than other methods. Most patients will experience permanent hair loss after having three to seven laser hair reduction sessions.
Laser Hair Removal Services Los Angeles:
Laser hair removal is performed through the process of selective photothermolysis (SPTL). In this process, an extremely particular structure or area gets targeted but doesn’t harm the area’s tissue. For this process to work, certain things need to be applied:
- Right colored hair
- Use of an appropriate wavelength
The selected substance (human-made or natural) chromophore must take in the laser energy so that it can precisely get to where it needs to go. To get the laser photon absorbed, the hair on the shaft, which is dark, is necessary for laser hair removal. The energy will enter the follicle this way. The hair follicle becomes permanently damaged due to an inflammatory reaction. The small growth structures can not create new strands of hair.
Two types of melanin exist:
Pheomelanin – responsible for creating blond or reddish hair colors shades
Eumelanin – responsible for producing brown or black hair
Because laser wavelengths get taken in by darker colors, it is recommended that people with Black or dark brown body hair get hair removal procedures.
The FDA defines laser hair removal as the permanent reduction in the number of hairs on the skin. It’s vital to know that hair follicles that are independent tend to have independent cycles of their own. It’s important to remember independent hair follicles have cycles of their own different from the others. As a result of this, some will be experiencing anagen, while others in a more transitional phase like catagen and others in the rating phase telogen.
Every session with Dr. U will address visible and growing hairs. Thus laser hair removal treatments will not be able to stop the growth of new hair. Several hair reduction sessions are necessary so that all the desired hair is removed.
What Is the Gentle YAG laser?
The Gentle YAG laser uses the 1064nm wavelength to affect hair follicles. This energy is safe to use on all ethnicities:
- Asian
- Hispanic
- Indian
- African American
- Caucasian
- Middle Eastern
The skin’s melanin easily absorbs laser energy. People who have more melanin or are darker can be at risk for scarring and overheating. The safest choice would be the 1064 wavelength, as it doesn’t affect the skin in the surrounding regions and will only treat the hair follicles. The areas where the laser hair removal may safely remove the excess hair are areas like:
- arms
- face
- legs
- back
- underarms
- bikini areas
There is a cooling handpiece that comes included with the Gentle YAG laser system. The cooling handpiece assists with decreasing the sensation of intense heat to allow patients to feel more comfortable. Skin reactions are avoided with this cooling effect.
Before and After Laser Hair Removal Services with Dr. U Los Angeles
As you can see, this patient received great results after her laser hair removal treatment.
This patient was able to greatly reduce the number of hairs on his upper arm.
Laser Hair Removal Treatment FAQ
What is the cost of laser hair removal treatment?
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average cost for laser hair removal is $235 per session. The cost varies, depending on the size of the area being treated and the time required for treatment.
What are the benefits of laser hair removal over other methods of hair removal?
Laser hair removal is quick and effective. Unlike shaving, waxing, depilatories, and tweezing, laser hair removal provides long-term growth delay and permanent hair reduction. Where electrolysis treats a single hair, one by one, laser hair removal can cover large areas.
What does laser hair removal feel like?
Laser hair removal is usually a bearable experience. The procedure is often likened to a rubber band snap, and patients rate it on the lower end of a 1-10 pain scale. If you tend to have sensitive skin, doctors can always apply a numbing gel before treatment.
How long does treatment usually take?
Depending on the area, laser hair removal can take only a few minutes or over an hour. Areas such as the bikini line, upper lip, chin, and underarms usually require less than 20 minutes for treatment.
Can I return to work and normal activities immediately?
Yes, you can return to your normal activities immediately. After laser hair removal, the treated area may feel like a mild sunburn for 24 hours or more. Slight redness and swelling are normal and are actually an indicator of a good clinical response. You can apply make-up to the treated area shortly after treatment.
Why is laser hair removal better than electrolysis?
Electrolysis can permanently remove body hair, but it can take up a lot of time and cause a lot of pain. Laser hair removal is a much faster and more comfortable hair reduction option.
How many treatments are required?
This varies from patient to patient. In general, lighter skin patients will require 3 to 6 treatments, and darker skin patients will require 4 to 8 treatments, with 4 to 8 weeks between each session. On average most patients can expect to achieve a 50-90% permanent removal rate.
Laser hair removal is a great option for many types of patients. If you have any questions that were not answered in the section above, click the button below to ask Dr. U himself.
References
- Eremia S, Li CY, Umar SH, Newman N. Laser hair removal: long-term results with a 755 nm alexandrite laser. Dermatol Surg. 2001 Nov;27(11):920-4.
Further Reading:
Read about leg vein removal and prevention.
