Laser Hair Removal

Treatment will take place in your practitioner’s office. Your practitioner will use a small handpiece to deliver each laser pulse. A treatment could take as little as a few minutes to as long as an hour, depending on the treatment area and the condition being treated.

Some patients may feel a slight discomfort with each laser pulse, sometimes described like the snapping of a rubber band on the skin. This discomfort resolves quickly and is minimized by the patented Dynamic Cooling DeviceTM (DCDTM) or air cooling. For some patients, a topical anesthetic may be used prior to treatment. Be sure to discuss this with your practitioner.

The number of sessions depends on the treatment you require and the condition of your skin. For hair removal, multiple treatments are required.

Hair removal patients should avoid plucking, electrolysis or waxing for six weeks prior to treatment. If you have a history of herpes simplex virus, prophylactic antiviral therapy may be prescribed. Skin should be clean-shaven and thoroughly cleansed, removing any makeup, creams, oils, topical anesthetics or self-tanning products before laser treatment. Do not expose the intended treatment area to sunlight or tanning booth light prior to or immediately after treatment. Apply sunblock (SPF 30 or above) before treatment.

A cool compress or gel pack may be applied for comfort following your treatment. Any redness or swelling should resolve within a few hours.

After your laser treatment, prevent sun exposure by applying sunblock (SPF 30 or above). In the first few days after treatment, don’t scrub or rinse the treated areas with abrasive skin cleansers. Your practitioner may advise additional precautions.

Permanent side effects are rare, and may include redness, swelling, hyper pigmentation, hypopigmentation, blistering and purpura (a laser bruise) in the treated area—these usually do not last more than a few days. Be sure to discuss potential side effects with your practitioner.