Laser Hair Removal: How it Works, Care and Contraindications

Laser hair removal is the best method to end those undesirable hairs of various parts of the body such as the armpits, legs, English, intimate region and beard, definitely.

Diode laser hair removal removes more than 90% of the hairs, with about 4-6 sessions being necessary to completely remove the hairs from the treated region, and only 1 annual session, as a form of maintenance.

How Does Laser Hair Removal Work

In this type of hair removal, the therapist will use a laser device that emits a wavelength that generates heat and acts in the place where the hair grows, damaging it, the result is hair removal.

Before the first session the therapist must properly clean the skin with alcohol to remove any remaining fat or moisturizer, and remove the hairs from the area that will be treated with a sheet or hair removal cream so that the laser can act better in the hair bulb and not the hair itself, in its most visible part. Subsequently the laser treatment begins.

After each area is shaved, cooling the skin with ice, spray or cold gel is recommended, but the most recent equipment contains a tip that allows the area to cool after each laser shot. At the end of each session it is recommended to apply a soothing lotion on the skin that has been treated.

About 15 days after treatment, the hair falls out, giving a false appearance of growth, but these are easily removed in the bathroom with a skin peel.

Does Laser Hair Removal Hurt?

During the treatment it is normal to feel some pain or discomfort, as if you were experiencing pickets in the area. The thinner and more sensitive the person's skin, the greater the possibility of feeling pain during hair removal. The areas where you feel more pain are those that have more hair and where it is thicker, however, it is in those areas that the result is better and faster, needing fewer sessions.

Anesthetic ointments should not be applied before the procedure, so they must be removed before the laser shots, since pain and intense burning sensation on the skin are important parameters to identify if there is a burn, and there is a need for better regulate the laser apparatus.

Who Can Perform Laser Hair Removal?

All healthy people, who do not have any chronic disease, and who are older than 18 years can perform laser hair removal. Currently, even individuals with brown or mulatto skin color can have laser hair removal, using specialized equipment for their skin, which in the case of mulatto skin is the 800 nm diode laser and the Nd: YAG 1,064 nm laser.

Before performing laser hair removal, some care should be taken such as:

• Having the skin properly hydrated because in this way the laser acts better, so you should drink plenty of water and use moisturizers in the days before the treatment;
• Do not perform hair removal that removes hair through the root days before laser hair removal, since the laser must act exactly on the hair root;
• Not have open wounds or bruises in the area where hair removal will be performed;
• Naturally darker areas such as axillary, can be lightened with creams and ointments before the procedure for a better result;
• Do not sunbathe at least 1 month before and after the treatment, or use self-tanning creams.

People who lighten their body hair can have laser hair removal, because the laser acts directly on the root of the hair, which never changes color.


How is the Skin After the Laser Session?

After the first session of laser hair removal it is normal for the exact place of the hair to be a little hotter and redder, indicating the effectiveness of the treatment. That skin irritation disappears after a few hours.

Therefore, after a treatment session it is necessary to take some skin care to avoid staining and dark, such as soothing lotion and avoid exposure to the sun, in addition to always using sunscreen in areas that may be naturally exposed to the sun like the face, neck, chest, arms and hands.

How Many Sessions are Necessary?

The number of sessions varies according to the skin color, color and thickness of the hair and the size of the area to be shaved.

In general, people with light skin and thick, dark hair need fewer sessions than people with brown skin and thin hairs, for example. Ideally, buy a package of 5 sessions and, if necessary, buy more sessions.

Sessions can be done with an interval of 30-45 days and, when the hairs arise, hair removal with rake or hair removal creams is advised, if it is not possible to wait until the day of laser treatment. The use of rake or hair removal creams is allowed since they manage to preserve the hair structure, without compromising the treatment.

Maintenance sessions are necessary because there may be immature follicles, which could still develop after treatment. Since these had no melanocytes, the laser fails to act on them. Therefore, it is recommended to perform 1 maintenance session after hairs come back, which varies from person to person, but almost always happens after 8 to 12 months.

Contraindications of Laser Hair Removal

Contraindications of laser hair removal include:

• Very light or white hairs;
• Uncontrolled diabetes, which leads to changes in skin sensitivity;
• Uncontrolled hypertension because there may be a pressure spike;
• Epilepsy, because it can give rise to an epileptic seizure;
• Pregnancy, over the belly, breast or groin area;
• Intake of photosensitive medications, such as isotretinoin, in the previous 6 months;
• Vitiligo, because new areas of vitiligo may arise, where the laser is used;
• Skin diseases, such as psoriasis, in which the area to be treated was with active psoriasis;
• Open wound or recent hematoma at the site of laser exposure;
• In case of cancer, during treatment.

Laser hair removal can be performed in almost all areas of the body with the exception of the mucous membranes, the lower part of the eyebrows and directly on the genital organs.

It is important that laser hair removal be performed by a trained professional and in a suitable environment, since in case the intensity of the device was not well established, it can cause burns, scars or skin color alteration (light or dark) of the treated region.