While getting a laser hair removal is an exciting occasion, there are a couple of things that you need to know and consider so you’ll know what’s going on before, during, and after the procedure as well as a realistic expectation regarding the treatment. Read through the most commonly asked questions that we compiled right here for your reference.
Here are some questions that my patients frequently ask:
With any laser-based treatments, there are bound to be side effects to be expected including this treatment. Side effects that are commonly observed among patients include discomfort, swelling, redness, or even skin crusting at the treated area that is pretty much mild and will go away in a few days.
Serious side effects happen such as damaged skin or infection are rare if the procedure is done by a dermatologist or a trained staff to handle the equipment. To prevent such unfortunate events, you need to follow exactly what the instructions dictate, both before and after the procedure to ensure your safety.
After arriving for your laser hair removal appointment and getting the treatment started, the staff will have the area to be cleaned thoroughly and apply a numbing cream thirty to sixty minutes before the treatment starts (this is especially if you have sensitive skin or your pain threshold is low). Once you’re seated comfortably, you’ll be given a pair of goggles to protect the eyes during the procedure. Your skin is held taut during the treatment, and you can expect to have mild, jabbing pain similar to a rubber band snapped to the skin, with a lingering sulfur-like smell due to the burned hair follicles.
The length of the procedure largely depends on the total area to be treated, per session. For example, treating hairs at the upper lip or small patches on the face will take minutes while the legs might take an hour.
As the skin at the treated area is considered to be fragile, the after-care is important to ensure your skin stays healthy and strong to prepare for the next session (because of this reason, it’s a common practice to have multiple sessions schedule a month apart).
Keep the treated skin away from direct sunlight and the same thing applies to tanning beds and sun lamps, preferably for a few weeks. keep the skin thoroughly moisturized while recovering.
It is to be expected that the area will swell and mildly painful similar to a sunburn. If that’s the case, use a cold compress and apply hydrating lotion regularly afterward to calm the skin. But rest assured laser hair removal procedures generally don’t have any specific downtime and you can continue with daily activities as long as you take extra care and caution at the treated area.
Although results may vary from each individual, you can expect results immediately after the first treatment as much as 20% of changes after the treatment, with most of the hair burned and fall off after the procedure. The remaining is due to the potential reasons that some of the hair is still in the resting phase that it doesn’t come out to the surface, the hair that grows again in the same place (although it should be noted in most cases it’ll grow thinner), or perhaps some may be resistant to laser treatments that extra sessions are needed to burn the particular hair thoroughly. Hence, it’s common to see patients having two to five sessions scheduled in their appointments.
After the whole session is done, you can expect to remain hair-free for as long as years. Even if the hair regrows it’ll likely be less noticeable and pluck or two should do it.
Call 9930993600 to book your consultation with Dr Niketa Sonavane.