Having to constantly shave and deal with the nicks and razor bumps that come with it every few days can be aggravating. Waxing can provide longer-lasting hair removal, but it can be expensive, painful and cause skin irritation. While electrolysis may seem like a good option, it is painstakingly slow and may end up more costly in the long run.
Imagine never having to worry about unwanted hair again. With laser hair removal in San Francisco, that can be possible.
With laser hair removal, frustrating ways of removing unwanted hair can be a thing of your past. Laser hair removal is quick and can be used on all areas of the body.
At the Appearance Care Center, we use the LightSheer DUET device by Lumenis, which is the gold standard in laser hair removal. This effective treatment provides patients with an overall more comfortable laser hair removal experience.
The DUET system offers several innovative improvements over previous laser hair removal systems. Vacuum-assisted technology combined with a dramatic increase in the laser spot size enables a greater depth of penetration and improved absorption of energy at the hair follicle. With this approach, the targeted tissue is gently stretched to minimize competing chromophores like melanin while pulling the hair closer to the skin’s surface.
This targets only the hair follicles and does not damage the surrounding skin. LightSheer DUET uses a diode laser, which offers gentle and safe laser technology for a comfortable treatment without the need for anesthetics or topical numbing gels.
The LightSheer DUET laser system delivers highly concentrated laser energy to the skin, where the hair follicles absorb the energy and are heated. The heat damages the follicle and prevents new hair growth.
Nearly any area of the face and body with unwanted hair can be treated with the LightSheer DUET laser. Common treatment areas include the following:
Hair growth is cyclical, and there are three phases in the cycle:
Laser hair removal is most effective during the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle. It is highly unlikely that every hair treated on a given day will be in the anagen phase, hence the need for multiple treatments. Hair growth cycles also differ on different parts of the body. Your skin and hair color, coarseness of hair as well as your age, metabolism and other individual factors influence hair growth rate.
If you have unwanted body or facial hair, you may benefit from laser hair removal in San Francisco at Appearance Care Center. Ideal candidates have light skin and dark hair, as the dark pigment in the hair at the base of the follicle absorbs the laser energy to effectively treat the follicles. Having paler skin with less pigment will prevent it from absorbing the laser energy, which keeps your skin from harm.
If you have very light hair such as white, gray and platinum blonde shades, you may not qualify for this laser hair removal procedure. Treatment may not be effective for lighter hair colors like these due to them having less pigment.
LightSheer DUET is not for patients with darker skin, as the melanin that creates darker pigmented skin will absorb the energy from the laser. This process can not only cause pigmentation changes but may also damage your skin.
To achieve optimal results, a series of six treatments spaced at four- to six-week intervals is suggested. Treatments may be purchased individually or in a series of treatments
Large areas like the back and legs can be treated with LightSheer laser hair removal in as little as 15 minutes. Smaller areas like the bikini line and underarms can be treated even faster. The improvements to the earlier laser hair removal technology mean the treatment times are reduced by 75 percent in many cases.
You can return to your usual activities immediately after laser hair removal treatment, as no downtime is required. Your skin may be slightly red or pink and have some bumps for the first few hours after treatment, and some swelling may persist for a few days. Do not use hot tubs or saunas for two to three days. It is also vital to avoid direct sunlight after treatment and use sunscreen daily.
About seven days after treatment, you will notice some hairs in the target area have grown short and look like stubble. These are the hairs from the destroyed follicles, and they will gradually fall out over the next week. Manual exfoliating your skin can help increase the rate of shedding so you can experience your results sooner.
With the LightSheer DUET diode laser, permanent hair reduction can be achieved. After your treatment series, most hair follicles will have been treated during the anagen phase, which is when laser treatment is most effective at damaging the follicles. This means you will see a significant and permanent reduction of hair growth in the treated area.
However, subsequent treatments may be needed starting a month or so after your series to target certain hairs that may not have been in the anagen phase of hair growth during any of the previous treatments.
To learn more about hair removal with the LightSheer DUET and find out if you’re a candidate, call us at (415) 567-7200 today!