LASER HAIR REMOVAL

We all have hair ... and most of us spend many, many hours of our lives getting rid of it! Imagine if you could take back all those hours you've spent shaving, waxing and tweezing stray dark hairs that ruin your look. Better yet, imagine if that silken smooth, hairless look could come without all the pain of 6-weekly bulk hair follicle violence!

At The Clinic, we use the established, safe and very effective method of laser hair removal to help free you from the bonds of wax and razors for the rest of your life. You can have laser hair removal done on just about any area of your body, and it results in a permanent reduction of hair. With enough sessions, you can kiss body hair a not-so-fond goodbye!

Laser hair removal involves the use of very specific wavelengths of light energy, which are naturally attracted to the pigment in your hair follicles. The light energy destroys the follicle, making it unable to regrow hair.

Laser hair removal is different to all other hair removal methods because it results in a permanent reduction of hair. It is far more effective for hair removal than IPL, which uses incoherent light and is less targeted.

The main benefit of laser hair removal over any ordinary household hair removal method is that results are permanent; the vast majority of follicles that are 'disarmed' by the laser remain disarmed forever. That means you win the war on body hair!

Laser hair removal is often compared to hair removal with an IPL machine. Compared to hair removal with an IPL machine, laser hair removal produces more reliable results and has far fewer side effects, risks and complications. It can also be performed on more delicate areas, since the laser is selectively attracted to the hair over the skin.

There are some mild side effects that usually occur with laser hair removal:

• Swelling and redness
• A burning sensation similar to sunburn, lasting for around 30 – 60 minutes after the treatment

Occasionally there are more longer-term complications. However, these are usually reported from clinics that are not supervised by doctors and nurses. We routinely recommend several products and techniques that reduce your risk of developing complications like:

• Hyper- or hypo-pigmentation; a long term (around 1-6 month) darkening or lightening of the skin in the treated area. If you develop long term hyper-pigmentation, this can be treated in-house with other methods.

More than one laser hair removal treatment is always needed, because each hair is at a different stage in the growth cycle at any given time, and the follicle will only attract the laser at certain times.

Additionally, there is a significant amount of individual variability. It can take between 4 and 8 sessions to start achieving your lowest possible hair regrowth level.

The usual procedure for patients looking to smooth their body with permanent hair reduction is:

• You'll speak with the nurse about your background and medical history at your free initial consultation
• We'll ensure that laser hair removal will suit your skin type.

At your laser hair removal appointment:

• You will have ensured that the treatment area is not waxed or plucked for at least four weeks prior to the consultation, so we can catch the greatest number of hairs in their active growth phase and be freshly shaved.
• Our nurse will use the handpiece of the machine to work through your treatment area in a systematic manner

The procedure takes 10-60 minutes in total, depending on the size of the area to be treated.

Most people say that laser hair removal is mildly painful, and the sensation is usually likened to that of having a rubber band snapped against your skin. We use Candela GentleLASE machines, which fire a spray of cryogen immediately prior to the laser firing; this greatly increases your comfort level. Local anaesthetic is not usually required for laser hair removal.

Without local anaesthesia, we would rate the pain of laser hair removal at around 1.5/10.

Some redness and swelling might persist for up to 2 days after your appointment. Over the next weeks, it will appear as if the hair is growing but it is simply the dead hair being expelled from the follicle. Your follow-up appointments are usually scheduled 6 weeks apart.

Please see the 'Preparation and Post-Procedural Care' tab for more information on preparation for laser hair removal and post-procedural care.