8 Common Misconceptions About Laser Hair Removal
Like many cosmetic procedures, there's a lot of strange and inaccurate information floating around the Internet about Laser Hair Removal. Let's look at 8 common misconceptions about Laser Hair Removal.
1. Laser Hair Removal won't work for certain skin types, skin colors, or certain colors of hair.
Laser Hair Removal has been around now for 16 years. In that time, there have been many advances in laser technology. Current laser technology can be used on any skin color from dark chocolate brown to lily white and all colors in-between.
Laser Hair Removal works by targeting the dark root of the hair follicle. Lighter colored hair can still have a dark root. When that's the case, Laser Hair Removal is an excellent solution to get rid of unwanted body hair. If you have red, blonde or gray hair then electrolysis is your solution. If you have a combination of dark and light hair, you can do both laser and electrolysis on the same day of your treatment. Laser Hair Removal & Skin Clinic can still accommodate your hair removal needs regardless of the color of hair or skin.
2. Laser Hair Removal treatment is costly
Laser Hair Removal is an excellent bargain in time and money. If you calculate the cost in time, razors, shaving cream, etc. of shaving for 30 years, you can easily spend more than $10,000. This doesn't include all the unhappy moments of cuts, razor bumps, and skin irritation.
By comparison, Laser Hair Removal only requires a handful of treatments to see a permanent reduction in hair. Problem solved, money saved.
3. Laser Hair Removal treatment is painful
Laser Hair Removal works by shining a laser light of a specific wave-length on hair follicles. The dark root converts the light energy to heat energy burning out the root while leaving the surrounding cells undisturbed. Current generation lasers use a blast of cooling air or water simultaneously with the laser so that you actually feel cool, rather than hot, when the laser is used. The only discomfort to note is a slight pinch. It feels like a weak tiny rubber band being snapped against the spot being worked on. On a scale of 1-10, where 10 is high, the overwhelming majority of our patients rate it as a 2-3.
When we do a large area like the back or legs, we have patients routinely fall asleep, if that tells you anything.
4. Laser Hair Removal is a time consuming process
Is Laser Hair Removal time consuming? Simply put, no! The actual amount of time on the table to do under arms is 3-5 minutes. For a larger area like back or legs, 25-35 minutes is routine. Each person is different, so the number of treatments will vary. The vast majority of patients take between 4-8 visits.
This is because at any given time, only 10-30% of the hair on your body is above the surface. When we do Laser Hair Removal, we only get rid of these hair follicles. In 4-8 weeks, a new group of hair follicles will have grown out. That's the best time to come in for your next treatment. You're done with treatments when all of your dormant hair follicles have grown out and we've treated them with our Laser Hair Removal process.
5. Laser Hair Removal has bad side effects
When Laser Hair Removal is conducted by a trained and licensed technician in accordance with all State and Federal laws, Laser Hair Removal is remarkably safe. The only common side effect is a slight reddening of the affected area for up to a few hours.
When Laser Hair Removal is done incorrectly, such as when it's used on tanned skin, that's when the technician runs the risk of burning the skin. If the technician uses the laser on an area with a tattoo, the laser will break up the ink. But under normal conditions, and when used by a trained professional, the risks are minimal.
6. Laser Hair Removal can damage your skin
Laser Hair Removal is extremely safe to skin when done by a trained professional. There are ways in which the laser can burn your skin resulting from improper settings, use on tanned skin, on tattoos, or if used on someone taking certain types of medications. This is why here at the Laser Hair Removal & Skin Clinic we ask all of our patients each time they visit us if they've had any recent sun exposure (in the past 4 weeks) and if they're on any medications. Once those considerations are taken into account, Laser Hair Removal is remarkably safe.
7. The lasers used in Laser Hair Removal cause Cancer
This is absolutely untrue. The laser used for Laser Hair Removal works by shining light of a specific wavelength (755nm and/or 1064 nm) on hair follicles. The dark root absorbs the light, creating heat and burning out the hair follicle permanently.
There's no radiation created in the dangerous sense. The kind of radiation the laser produces is called non-ionizing radiation, which constantly surrounds us. Visible light, radio waves, and ultraviolet lighting are all sources of non-ionizing radiation.
The bottom line: The light is strong enough to disable the hair follicle but too weak to damage your DNA.
8. You have to sign a contract
At Wilmington Laser Hair Removal & Skin Clinic, we’ll never make you sign a contract. This is because amount of laser hair removal treatments needed will be different for each person.
While there are other clinics that require you to sign a contract before treatments even begin, with us, you’ll never sign a contract so you only pay for the TREATMENTS THAT YOU NEED.
Conclusions
The truth is, Laser Hair Removal is an easy, safe, cost-effective way to get rid of unwanted hair. If you live in the Wilmington, NC area, give us a call at (910) 791-7500 to schedule your free consultation today.
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