Laser hair removal safe, painless procedure

Laser technology now offers a safe and effective way for men and women to eliminate unwanted hair and not have to worry about shaving.

Laser technology now offers a safe and effective way for men and women to eliminate unwanted hair and not have to worry about shaving.

Allie Blazzard, owner and family nurse practitioner at Amara Med Spa, located at 558 E. Riverside Drive Suite 200, said laser hair removal is the use of a laser attracted to pigmented hair, which helps to stimulate hair reduction by affecting the hair in its active growth cycle and reducing 90 percent of hair. It works by using a certain type of laser that attracts the melanin pigment of the skin and hair, then the laser targets the hair follicle long enough that the heat creates inflammation, but not long enough that the heat will cause damage to the surrounding tissue.

“More men are patients than women, and they age anywhere from early teens to 60s and 70s,” Blazzard said.

Ashley Farmer, a master aesthetician at Southern Utah Laser Aesthetics, located at 515 S. 300 E. Suite 201, said she sees male and female patients, particularly women 19 and older, and are now receiving older patients because of the new laser used that eliminates lighter colored hair.

Determining a candidate for laser hair removal and the number of treatments will depend on skin color, hair color (body hair), and medical history. For example, the pigment melanin is a chemical within the body that enables skin and body hair to have color, so with enough melanin under the skin, the hair turns darker.

The more melanin an individual has in his or her hair, the more effective the laser will be, according to hairremovaljournal.com. This is because the laser attracts melanin and that means the more melanin, the darker the hair color, and the easier it is for the laser to distinguish which hairs to eliminate. The same goes for skin color. With enough melanin produced under the skin, it turns a darker color. Thus, the more melanin in the skin, the more likely it is that the laser is going to target the skin rather than the hair, causing damage to the surrounding tissue leaving scars, redness and swelling.

Farmer said the worst side effect she has seen from the treatment is blistering. Arcing causes blistering, which occurs when the laser is on the hair follicle too long. Therefore, light skin and dark hair are the ideal combination, but there are lasers that treat other combinations.

The number of treatments an individual would need depends, again, on the pigment and the location of the hair. It also depends on whether the patient follows protocol for staying out of the sun and avoiding any activity that may cause damage to the skin.

Following the initial treatment, touch-ups are needed to ensure customer satisfaction and the procedure was done accordingly.

“The No. 1 reason (for laser hair removal),” Blazzard said, “is [the patients] hate shaving or have some type of follicular disorder.”

Laser hair removal is by doctors to be safe and painless. Patients experience long-lasting hair removal, and the treatment is useful for removing hair from a large area.

Farmer said, “Unwanted hair is gone, and you no longer have to deal with it.”

Some disadvantages to laser hair removal are dieting. Dieting itself does not have effects on laser hair removal, but the chemical beta-carotene, found in carrots, vitamin A supplements, squash and other vegetables, does. When absorbed in the body, it turns the skin an orange or yellow color and allows the laser to absorb the laser energy of the skin, preventing it from reaching the hair follicle.

Some other disadvantages, Blazzard said, are the cost, the time it takes, and the situation may be uncomfortable, depending on the area of treatment.

Disadvantages “are far and few,” Farmer said. While there may be blistering, having lighter colored hair also means the patient will need more touch-ups than a darker colored individual.

After a decision has been made to get laser hair removal, the next step is to choose a provider. Dr. Eric F. Bernstein, medical director at Mainline Cosmetic Laser Center, wrote an article titled “Choosing Your Doctor” on hairremovaljournal.com that gives some helpful tips for laser hair removal. Bernstein said the No. 1 factor is to choose someone who is committed to doing laser hair removal regularly, preferably a trained physician.

It's important that the physician is someone who knows his or her specialty, understands the technology, and knows what he or she is doing. It is crucial to know the doctor or physician’s history in order to feel comfortable with him or her.

Bernstein also included several important questions that every patient opting for laser hair removal should ask before receiving treatment: Do you own your own lasers? What is your specialty? How many different lasers do you own? Are you a board-certified physician? Where did you get your training?

It also is a good idea to do some research about the specific treatment and the facility.

Although laser hair removal or any other cosmetic procedure can be costly, many men and women find the lasting effects of the treatment more than worth the cost. Pricing for laser hair removal depends mainly on the area of treatment and how many extra visits are needed to complete the procedure. According to a Southern Utah Laser Aesthetics brochure, the pricing is based on the area being treated and whether the whole body or extremity is being treated.

“The bigger the area, the bigger the price,” Blazzard said.

According to hairremovaljournal.com, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons recorded the national average cost for one treatment to be $429. In addition, laser hair removal is not covered by any insurance company for the reason that it is considered a cosmetic procedure, therefore, the patient is solely responsible for payment.

To help with those payments, patients can receive financial help from the facility of treatment. Some facilities have programs that allow patients the convenience of low interest so they can pay off his/her treatment.

Amara Med Spa and Southern Utah Laser Aesthetics offer a financing plan called CareCredit. This plan is for procedures of $300 or more and offers up to 12 months of no interest if the minimum amount is paid in full on the due date.

An alternative is a low interest payment plan. This plan is for patients who receive procedures of $1,000 or more and offers low monthly payments up to 60 months with an annual percentage rate of 11.9 percent. CareCredit can be used at other medical facilities for different medical procedures and can be applied for three different ways. Ask for an application at the facility, online at www.carecredit.com, or by phone at (800) 365-8295.