Laser Hair Removal
in Salt Lake City, UT
Are you tired of waxing, shaving or plucking to get rid of unwanted hairs? Laser hair removal can provide permanent hair reduction so you never have to do these things again. Envision Cosmetic Surgery offers laser hair removal to men and women living in and around Salt Lake City, Utah.
Remove Unwanted Hair
Hair in some areas may be mildly irritating or downright embarrassing. Getting rid of unwanted hair may be the best thing you ever do. Thanks to laser hair removal at Envision Cosmetic Surgery, you can get rid of hair get rid of hair permanently.
What Is Laser Hair Removal?
Laser hair removal is a process of destroying the hair follicles permanently using the heat generated by a laser. In laser hair removal, highly concentrated laser light is directed at the hair follicles. The light penetrates the skin and destroys the root, stopping hair growth. Multiple treatments are necessary since hair grows in cycles and not all follicles are active at once. Say goodbye to shaving, waxing, or tweezing.
What Are The Benefits Of Laser Hair Removal?
The obvious benefit is being hair-free. Tired of shaving your armpits, no problem. How about “prepping” for the pool. Never do it again. The treatment is precise and quick. The laser only targets dark hair and not the surrounding skin. The laser is able to target many hairs at the same time as well. Patients at Envision Cosmetic Surgery routinely express their satisfaction with laser hair removal and their surprise at how affordable it is.
Where Can I Have Laser Hair Removal?
At Envision our lasers are designed specifically for hair removal, and they can treat just about any part of the body. We typically perform hair removal on these areas of the body:
- Bikini area
- Face, especially the upper lip and chin
- Back
- Chest
- Neck
- Shoulders
- Legs
- Arms
The two exceptions are the inside of the ears or nose and the male genitalia. Obviously, we don’t remove hair around the eyes.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How Can I Prepare For Laser Hair Removal?
To achieve optimal results from the treatment, you should avoid sun exposure a few weeks before your appointment, as tanned skin reduces the effectiveness of the procedure. Excessively long hair can reduce effectiveness also. Patients should shave the day of or the day before their procedure.
What Can I Expect On The Day Of My Laser Hair Removal Appointment?
Our laser technician will assess your skin type and make the necessary adjustments to the laser. Areas to be treated are sometimes treated with cold packs or topicals. You’ll wear protective eyewear during treatments. The laser treats an area about the size of a nickel. Each spot treated needs to overlap the one next to it slightly. Treating large areas can take time.
What Happens During Laser Hair Removal?
The hair follicle is the key to successful, permanent hair removal. If the hair follicle is destroyed, it won’t be able to grow hair in the future. To gain access to the hair follicle, laser hair removal delivers energy onto the hair shafts. To do this, we first set the laser wavelength to match the melanin in your hair shaft. Melanin gives your hair (and your skin) it’s color. Then we deliver short bursts of laser energy onto your unwanted hair. The melanin absorbs the light energy and it instantly converts to heat. This heat travels down the hair shaft into the hair follicle, where it destroys or damages the follicle, precluding it from growing hair in the future.
How Long Does A Laser Hair Removal Session Take?
The length of each session depends on the area being treated. For instance, if we’re treating your underarms or your sideburns your session may take only a few minutes. Your legs or back, on the other hand, could take up to one hour.
Will There Be Any Pain During Laser Hair Removal?
Lasers generate heat. Cool blowing air removes heat improving comfort. Areas with high concentrations of hair are felt more. You will sense the laser pulses, though most patients say there is only slight discomfort. Following the procedure, your skin may feel like it is sunburned for a couple of hours. Cream and cool compresses help the skin after a treatment.
When Will I See Results?
Results are seen immediately. Hair growth ceases for a period of three to six weeks. When the next cycle of hair begins, new growth is seen. After three treatments, a noted reduction in hair concentration will be evident. Following six to eight treatments, hair growth should be gone. We continue to have new hair follicles develop as we age. Occasional touch-up treatments may be needed. Hair free really is freedom.
Is Laser Hair Removal Truly Permanent?
We have five million hairs on our bodies (men have a few hundred thousand more than women) and, unfortunately, each operates independently. That means every hair can be in a different phase of the growth cycle. This is important to the success of laser hair removal because lasers only damage hair in the anagen (growth) cycle. But hairs can also be in the catagen (transitional phase between growth and rest) or the telogen phase (resting). The catagen and telogen phases involve stopping nourishment to the hair, shedding it, and restarting a new hair shaft. That’s why lasers don’t affect hair in these phases; they’re already on their way out. And the laser energy can’t get into the follicle to damage it.
Second, damaged follicles can rebuild with hormonal changes. Plus, if a follicle is only partially damaged, it may heal and begin to regrow hair.
The FDA approval is for “permanent hair reduction.” This is because laser treatments can’t remove all the unwanted hair permanently due to the above reasons. The bottom line, numerous studies show the degree of permanent hair reduction to be from 85 to 90 percent.
How Many Treatments Are Necessary For Laser Hair Removal?
Five to eight treatments are usually necessary to get an area essentially hair-free. Hair grows in cycles. The laser only works on active hair follicles. Not all follicles are active at any one time. The average hair follicle cycle is six weeks which is why your treatments will be spaced out about that far apart.
What Are The Possible Risks And Side Effects Involved With Laser Hair Removal?
Lasers have been removing hair commercially since 1997, the year the FDA approved their use for “permanent hair reduction.” They were tested for approximately two decades before that. Laser hair removal is a very popular procedure around the world and has proven to be safe, comfortable, and effective. There are very few risks, really only skin burns, and those are the result of inexperienced or poorly trained providers. That’s why you should only trust your laser hair removal to the highly trained, vastly experienced team at Envision Cosmetic Surgery.
How Much Does Laser Hair Removal Cost?
The cost of your laser hair removal at Envision is predicated upon the area or areas you’re looking to remove unwanted hair. For instance, removing hair from above your upper lip takes just a few minutes. This will be much less expensive than removing the hair from your legs. Once we get an idea of where you’d like to have hair removed, we can give you a good idea of what it will cost.
Are you located in Salt Lake City or the surrounding areas of Utah, Idaho, Wyoming or Colorado? If so, contact us today to schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Dunkley of Envision Cosmetic Surgery and get started with your laser hair removal treatment.