Laser hair removal is one of the most popular med spa treatments available today, but an internet search will give lots of conflicting information about how long it lasts, how painful it can be, and more.
At Form & Function, we’re here to help you make an educated decision about your aesthetics and wellness treatments. That’s why we’ve created this guide that tells you everything you need to know when it comes to laser hair removal near Garden City, NY.
What It Is
Laser hair removal is a med spa treatment that removes unwanted body hair using laser light. While you need multiple treatments to target all your hair, it delivers long-lasting results.
How It Works
Laser hair removal uses laser light to target the tube-shaped sacs at the base of your hair, which are hair follicles. When the light reaches the hair follicles, it converts into heat, which damages the pigmentation within the hair. This creates irreparable damage to the follicle, causing the hair to fall out.
Hair grows in 4 stages: anagen (growth phase), catagen (regression phase), telogen (rest phase), and exogen (shedding phase). Laser hair removal can only cause long-lasting damage to hair follicles when the hair is in the anagen phase, so you will need multiple sessions of laser hair removal near Garden City, NY to target all the hair in the treatment area.
The Process
Consultation
Your first appointment will be a consultation with our Form & Function team. Your provider meets with you to discuss what areas you would like to treat and examine the hair in the treatment area. You can review your options, share your goals, and learn what to expect from laser hair removal near Garden City, NY. Once you feel ready, your provider can help you schedule your first laser hair removal session.
Treatment
For your first treatment session, your specialist will provide you with eyewear to protect your eyes. Then, you will lie down on the treatment table as they use the handheld applicator to administer the laser light to your skin. Our team uses the Fotona laser for laser hair removal, which balances results with comfort. Treatment may be uncomfortable, but tolerable. Most patients describe the feeling of laser hair removal as a rubber band gently snapping against your skin.
Results
You will need to undergo anywhere between 2 to 6 sessions of laser hair removal to accomplish your goals. Your provider may even suggest more, depending on the thickness of your hair and the size of the treatment area. Once you finish your full treatment series, you can enjoy smooth, hairless skin for months! And any hair regrowth you experience afterwards will be thinner, lighter, and much easier to remove with maintenance sessions.
The Fotona Laser
Lots of misconceptions surround laser hair removal, because so many lasers available today can perform the procedure, both older devices and newer technology. Older lasers can have longer treatment times, cause more discomfort, and do not deliver as long-lasting results as newer lasers.
As another major issue, older lasers cannot treat all skin types. Since laser light targets the pigment, or melanin, within the hair follicle, older lasers needed dramatic contrast between the color of the hair and the skin. Those outdated lasers can’t treat those with lighter hair who have less pigmentation. Additionally, they cannot treat those who have a darker skin type, since the light targets the melanin within the hair and the skin, risking burns or discoloration.
That is the reason we use the Fotona for laser hair removal near Garden City, NY. The versatile Fotona laser can help with skin resurfacing, laser hair removal, and more. It uses specific wavelengths of light that are safe for all skin types. Meanwhile, the laser’s high-powered light pulses have greatly improved speed and effectiveness over other lasers, meaning your treatment sessions are shorter and address unwanted hair more efficiently.
What Do You Mean By “Skin Types”?
Skin comes in many colors, but when we discuss “skin types” in medical aesthetics, that specifically refers to the Fitzpatrick skin type scale. The Fitzpatrick scale allows providers to identify how someone’s skin will react to UV radiation depending on how much melanin they have naturally.
While the Fotona laser can treat all skin types, your provider will still examine your skin during your consultation to ensure your skin is healthy and ready for laser hair removal near Garden City, NY.
Pre & Post Care Instructions
To ensure you get the best results from your laser hair removal appointment, we provide you with pre- and post-care instructions before you begin treatment.
Pre-Care Instructions
- Shave the treatment area within 24 hours of your appointment. Do not wax or tweeze the hair.Wear SPF 30 sunscreen daily for 2 weeks before your appointment. This helps protect your skin from UV damage that could prevent you from receiving treatment.
- Do not undergo other laser or exfoliating skin treatments for at least 2 weeks before your appointment—these make your skin too sensitive for laser hair removal.
- Let your provider know your full medical history during your consultation, including medications, previous hair removal treatments, and any history of skin disorders.
- Avoid taking any blood-thinning medications or supplements for 1 week before your appointment.
Post-Care Instructions
- Avoid exposing your skin to direct sunlight for another 2 weeks. When going outside, wear a minimum of SPF 30 sunscreen, making sure to reapply every 2 hours.
- You may experience mild redness or swelling after treatment. You can use a cold compress or ice pack to reduce these side effects.
- Do not undergo other laser or exfoliating skin treatments for at least 2 weeks.
- Make sure to schedule your next appointment before leaving your laser hair removal session. To see results, you’ll need appointments between 4 to 6 weeks apart.
How Laser Hair Removal Compares
We get it—there are plenty of hair removal methods that take less time and cost less. However, each hair removal method has its own pros and cons. Here is a comparison of all the different methods of hair removal.
| Type of Treatment | Duration of Results | Pain/Discomfort | Cost |
| Laser Hair Removal | 3 to 6 months | Minimal | $$$ |
| Shaving | 1 to 3 days | None | $ |
| Waxing | 3 to 6 weeks | Moderate | $$ |
| Tweezing | 2 to 8 weeks | Minimal | $ |
| Hair Removal Creams | 2 to 5 days | None | $$ |
Shaving
Shaving offers a less expensive and faster option to remove unwanted hair, but it does not provide the same lasting results as laser hair removal near Garden Center, NY. Also, it can create uncomfortable side effects like razor burn and ingrown hairs.
Waxing
You can wax hair at home or with a licensed aesthetician. Waxing pulls the hair out—including the root. This can be painful and even cause bleeding, and the results do not last as long as laser hair removal, whether you go to an aesthetician or if you wax at home.
Tweezing
While tweezing can treat smaller treatment areas like your eyebrows or upper lip, it would become tedious to tweeze every individual hair in larger treatment areas, such as your legs or arms. And while it is not as painful as waxing can be, it can still be uncomfortable, especially around sensitive areas of the body.
Hair Removal Creams
Hair removal creams can effectively remove unwanted hair, but they also contain chemicals that can harm your skin. Hair removal creams may contain ingredients that can cause an allergic reaction. Additionally, timekeeping is critical, because leaving hair removal products on the skin for too long can cause chemical burns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can laser hair removal only target hair during the growth phase?
Hair absorbs laser light better during the anagen phase, because hair follicles have the most melanin. Only that increased pigment can absorb enough laser light to damage the follicle. While lasers can affect hair during the other phases of life, hair in the anagen phase will be most impacted, ensuring your results for laser hair removal near Garden City, NY.
What about at-home laser hair removal?
While you can find at-home laser hair removal kits in stores and online, they will not be as effective or comfortable as laser hair removal at Form & Function. Because in-office laser hair removal procedures use more intense light, they need to be performed by a trained aesthetician who understands how to keep you safe and comfortable during treatment.
However, no such safeguards exist for at-home lasers, so manufacturers make the light less intense to protect users. However, that also makes it less effective, so you will need more and longer hair removal sessions, and your results will be short-lived.
Why is it important that I make my next laser hair removal appointment 4 to 6 weeks out?
It is important that you schedule your appointments in a timely manner because this will allow your provider to target more hair in the anagen phase. This will help make treatment more effective, meaning fewer sessions for laser hair removal near Garden City, NY.
Why do I need to shave my hair before my appointment?
We ask you to shave your hair within 24 hours of your appointment to make sure you are comfortable. The laser vaporizes the hair, so any hair above the skin can burn you. However, we ask that you do not wax or tweeze the hair, because those remove the root of the hair too. The laser needs some hair to target under the skin, damaging the follicle and limiting future hair growth.
Since the Fotona laser targets pigment, can it help with hyperpigmentation?
The Fotona laser damages the pigment in the hair follicle, but should not be used to target pigmentation issues within the skin. If you’re looking for treatments that target pigmentation, you can talk with one of our providers during your consultation to find the right solution for you.
Feel Confident in Your Skin!
You don’t have to let unwanted hair keep you from feeling 100% confident in your body. Use our treatment planning tool or schedule an appointment for laser hair removal near Garden City, NY!
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