Laser Hair Management

Hair management for many black men and women can be a nightmare. Black people have hair that is unique in its structure, shape and flexibility. For most, their hairs are tightly curled and can be difficult to maintain. To make matters more difficult, some grooming techniques and hair preparations formulated especially for black hair can cause additional problems.

Hair loss

Today’s hairstyles, which require frequent or repeated tight braiding or special formulations for hair straightening; perms, tight rollers or a single braid ponytail; can cause hair to break at the scalp margins. In most cases the hair lost to breakage will grow back.

Ingrown hairs

The roots of the facial and body hair follicles on blacks are curved. As they are shaved, the newly cut ends of the hair become sharp and pointed. This, combined with the angle of growth, can cause the hair to grow back into the skin. The result is bumps, and continued shaving only compounds the problem.

Unwanted facial and body hair

Many men and women don’t want to be bothered with hair removal. It can be painful and time consuming. Until recently, the only choices we had for removing unwanted hair were smelly hair-removal creams, sharp razors, hot wax or painful electrolysis needles.

Today, advanced medical lasers and light systems provide the ultimate solution. This medical technology transcends the older, painful hair removal treatments and delivers longer lasting results. Now men and women are pleased with the results made possible by advanced hair removal systems.

What are the benefits of Laser and Light Hair Removal?

• They do not cause the irritation that other hair removal methods may cause.
• Larger areas may be treated at one time than with electrolysis, waxing or tweezing.
• They combine the speed of shaving with the lasting results promised by electrolysis.
• They are effective on almost any area of the body where smoother, younger, hair-free skin is desired.

How do laser and light systems remove hair?

Lasers and light systems don’t actually remove the hair. Instead, they kill the unwanted hair by targeting the melanin in the hair follicle; disabling the hair from further growth. Hair removal lasers and light systems use low-energy settings to gently disable unwanted hair, thus putting an end to routine shaving or waxing. These treatments leave your skin looking and feeling smoother and silkier.

How are these treatments different from electrolysis?

Electrolysis is a much slower process. With electrolysis, a needle is actually inserted into each hair follicle, one at a time. Once inserted, an electric shock burns the follicle to retard hair growth. Because laser and light systems scan the skin rather than treating one hair at a time, it is possible to treat larger areas such as the back, shoulders, arms, legs, face and neck. Best of all, these advanced hair removal treatments are safe, fast, gentle and effective alternative methods for hair removal.

Does it matter how dark my skin is?

Hair removal lasers work by targeting the melanin. By adjusting the power settings on the lasers your doctor can focus on the melanin in the hair and not the melanin in the skin.

How many treatments will I need?

Usually two to three treatments are sufficient; however, your hair grows in cycles and many factors influence its growth. Age, ethnicity, weight, hormones, diet, medication and metabolism all play a part in your hair’s location, thickness and resilience. The number of treatments you may require for optimal long-term benefits depends on the area you wish to have treated, the hair density and your hair’s growth cycle.

Laser and light systems treat the hair follicles in the growth cycle at the time of the treatment. Since some hair follicles may enter their growth cycle after your treatment, multiple treatments may be required to deliver optimal results. Most patients like to treat until the hair is gone.

NOTE: Some older lasers do not work equally well with light or dark hair and skin. If you have dark skin, you may want to have a patch test to see if your skin can tolerate the laser.

Following treatment

After your treatment, the area is cleansed and you can return to your normal activities immediately. Your physician may recommend that you use a specially formulated skin care product line or prescribe a skin care regime especially formulated for your skin type after laser treatments.

This information is intended to supplement, not replace, a consultation with a board certified physician. To find out if you could be a candidate for one of these procedures or to learn more information about these procedures, we invite you to contact one of our doctors for a private consultation.

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