Most people live with the endless struggle to control unwanted body hair, a problem that can be embarrassing, depending on the amount and location of hair. Most methods of removing unwanted hair are inconvenient and often painful. Traditional options for hair removal include messy creams, hot wax, and razors that may leave behind uncomfortable bumps. The problem with methods like cutting, plucking, and waxing is that they produce only temporary results. Hair grows continually, which means that it must be constantly managed. At Rendon Center for Dermatology and Aesthetic Medicine, we offer a better solution: revolutionary laser hair removal for women and men.
What Does Laser Hair Removal Involve?
Our patients are treated with the most advanced technology for laser hair removal, the Light Sheer Diode Laser. This laser can achieve the desired goals for both men and women who want to experience smoother, hair-free skin. This advanced medical procedure targets hair follicles using intense pulses of laser light. As the melanin, or dark pigment in hairs, reacts to this light, the follicle is rendered incapable of further hair production.
How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?
Body hair grows in a cycle during which there are both resting and active phases. Laser treatments destroy actively growing hairs that are present in the follicles. Because hairs in the resting phase are not affected by laser light, treatments must be scheduled with precise timing.
For long-term results from laser hair removal, a number of sessions must be completed. Many of our laser hair removal patients maintain their smoothest skin with an annual maintenance treatment.
How Long Does a Laser Hair Removal Treatment Take?
Each session for laser hair removal will last according to the size of the treatment area. Small areas of treatment, such as upper lip hair removal, will take only a few minutes, whereas larger areas of skin, such as leg hair or back hair removal, will need more time.
What Our Patients Have to Say
"Always great. Almost no wait for my appointment. Everyone is super nice and helpful." - G. R.
Why Choose Laser Hair Removal Over Traditional Hair Removal Techniques?
Laser hair treatment produces results much more quickly and far more comfortably than electrolysis. This is because laser energy can affect many follicles at once, rather than one at a time.
Is There Any Downtime After a Laser Hair Removal Procedure?
The professionals at the Rendon Center for Dermatology and Aesthetic Medicine in Boca Raton provide quick, comfortable laser hair removal that requires no downtime.
Who is a Good Candidate for Laser Hair Removal?
There isn’t a person out there who doesn’t have unwanted hair somewhere on their body. That’s even more the case in sunny South Florida where we’re donning a swimsuit so often. Basically, everyone is a great candidate for laser hair removal. Unwanted hair could be an area as small as the upper lip for a woman, or it could be a man’s entire back. Today, trends are to have less hair. Toward that end, some men are removing hair on their chest. Women are going beyond the bikini line all the way to full Brazilian.
Laser hair removal works best when there is good contrast between the patient’s skin color and the color of the unwanted hair. That said, the technology of our lasers allows us to treat all skin tones and hair colors. When there is less contrast, we simply lower the energy in the pulses delivered.
The only people not eligible for laser hair removal are people who have keloid scars or healing problems like hypertrophic scars. Those with active skin infections should not have laser hair removal. Pregnant women are also not eligible. There are certain other exceptions that we will discuss with you during your consultation.
What are the Benefits of Laser Hair Removal?
Removing unwanted hair through the usual means is so tedious. You pluck, wax, shave, or apply harsh depilatory creams to get rid of the hair, and then a couple weeks later it comes right back. Who doesn’t love that?
By removing up to 90 percent of your unwanted hair permanently, you won’t spend so much time and money shaving, plucking, and so on. Your skin will be happy it won’t continually have a case of razor burn. Ingrown hairs will be a thing of the past. It just makes life so much easier.
People sometimes wonder if the cost of laser hair removal is worth it. Studies have found that over a lifetime, the average woman spends over $10,000 on various hair removal methods, such as shaving or using harsh depilatory creams. That number is $23,000 for a lifetime of waxing. Compared to those numbers, laser hair removal is a bargain.
How Should I Prepare for My Laser Hair Removal Session?
As mentioned above, laser hair removal works best when there is a high contrast between the color of the patient’s skin and his or her hair color. So, avoiding the sun is important before your appointment. That’s hard to do here in Boca, but it’s important for successful removal of more hair. Here are the things we want you to do prior to your laser hair removal session at our 13th Street offices:
- Avoid sun exposure — If you have a tan, you need to let it fade before coming in for your session. As a rule, we advise patients to not have any sun exposure on the areas with unwanted hair for 4-6 weeks prior to their session.
- Avoid plucking, waxing, and electrolysis — For the laser energy to get down into the follicle, the hair needs to be actively anchored in the follicle. Plucking, waxing, and electrolysis all disturb the follicle. Shaving is fine, as it doesn’t affect hair in the follicle.
- Clean your skin — The treatment areas need to be free from cosmetics, lotions, and creams. If you’ve applied deodorant and are having your underarms treated, we will remove it prior to your session.
- Certain skincare products — Certain anti-aging skincare products can cause irritation when interacting with the laser energy. These include alphahydroxy acid, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and others. We’ll discuss these with you and tell you want to avoid for a few days before and after your appointment.
Is Laser Hair Removal Permanent?
The FDA has approved various lasers, such as our Light Sheer diode laser, for what it calls “permanent hair reduction.” This points to the vagaries involved with trying to permanently get rid of all of your unwanted hair.
It’s virtually impossible to get rid of every unwanted hair across a treatment area. There are two reasons for this.
First, laser energy is only effective in damaging hair follicles when the hair is in the anagen, or growth, phase. But hair can also be in the catagen (transitional phase between growth and rest) or the telogen phase (resting). In the catagen and telogen phases, the hair is already on the path to being shed. The hair is no longer receiving any nourishment from the follicle and it may have already separated from the follicle. This is why laser energy applied to hairs in these phases can’t get down into the follicle. The human body has around five million individual hairs on it, and each hair operates independently. When you look at those numbers, catching each unwanted hair in the growth phase isn’t easy.
Second, damaged follicles can rebuild sometimes with hormonal changes, and partially damaged follicles can heal and begin to grow hair again.
So, how much hair can you permanently get rid of? It’s from 85 to 90 percent in the treatment areas.
Is Laser Hair Removal Safe?
The FDA approved the first lasers for hair removal in 1995, but lasers had been in testing two decades prior to that. Over nearly three decades of commercial use, lasers have proven to be incredibly safe and effective for removing hair. And laser technology continues to improve to better handle lighter hair colors and darker skin tones.
The most common side effect after having laser hair removal is some redness and possible slight swelling on the treatment areas. This usually passes within a few hours. There is a risk of burning the skin, but that is usually only a problem with inexperienced operators that do laser hair removal as a sideline. At Rendon Center our staff is highly trained and experienced with laser hair removal. This ensures your comfort and the most successful hair removal.
Schedule a Consultation Today!
If you are ready to enjoy silky smooth skin without the chore of shaving, plucking, or waxing, call Rendon Center 561-750-0544 or fill out the form on this page to book a consultation for laser hair treatment with one of our experienced dermatologists today.
