Laser Hair Removal

The laser hair removal procedure is not as simple as it seems. Laser hair removal is a sensitive procedure as it involves lasers and the most sensitive area of the body skin. The procedure for Laser hair removal is a stepwise process comprising of following steps

Pretreatment considerations

The following things should be taken into account when deciding Laser Hair Removal

• Conditions causing hypertrichosis which include hormonal, familial, drug-related, or tumor-related conditions.
• History of previous treatment methods, last treatment session and results should be considered.
• History of herpes a skin disease.
• History of scarring after a dermal laser treatment
• The specific pathological condition causing excessive hair growth if any should be known and also treated like hormonal derangement and ovarian tumors.
• Medication in use if any.

Six weeks before treatment

The following care should be taken 6 weeks prior to the laser hair removal treatment

Patient education and consent

The patient should be informed about the details of the laser hair removal procedure, possible side effects and success rates of the laser hair removal procedure. Proper written consent of the patient should be taken. Precautions and post procedural care should also be told.

Use of sun block

Use of suns block is recommended before laser hair removal and sunbathe should be avoided.

Use of bleach cream

The practitioner should advice the use of bleach creams and sun screens to the dark skinned persons or suntan persons as a preparatory measure for laser hair removal.

Skin patch testing

Three or four days before the treatment skin patch testing is done to determine the best settings for a particular person and estimate the probable results of laser hair removal in that person.

Avoidance of waxing plucking and electrolysis

The above mentioned processes should be avoided if you are planning to undergo a laser hair removal procedure because these processes affect the result of laser hair removal procedure.

Use of depilatory creams and shaving

Shaving and the use of depilatory creams can be allowed till the day of treatment. Moreover the patients are instructed to shave the area to be treated or use depilatory creams before the treatment. The intact hair shaft respond better to laser hair removal procedure because the hair shafts absorb laser light and follicle burns easily.

On the day of treatment

On the day of treatment the following things are done

• The skin is prepared for procedure by removing all topical applications including makeup creams powders etc
• Local anasthesia is given on the requirement of client and the area under procedure but if required then topical cream is used to give the anesthesia.
• The operator should have good visibility for effective treatment. It can be facilitated with help of a head lamp or treatment gird.

Laser energy per unit area

Amount of laser energy required for the laser hair removal varies from client to client and it is estimated before treatment by test doses given to particular area of which treatment is to be done.

Principle of procedure

Laser hair removal procedure is based on the principle that there should be no overlapping of the laser radiation and also highest amount of tolerable laser energy should be delivered per unit area to ensure maximum outcome of the treatment.

Cooling of the skin

The cooling of the skin is required after the laser hair removal procedure is completed and it is done by

1. Clear gel cooling.
2. Contact cooling.
3. Cooling cryogen sprays.
4. Airflow cooling.

Newer laser hair removal devices have the ability to simultaneously cool the skin during the treatment hence further decreasing the chances of irritation and skin burns during the procedure.

Care required after treatment

Just after the completion of laser hair removal procedure ice packs are applied to minimize the pain and swelling of the skin. Pain killers are not used until required. If the skin gets injured then antibiotic and antiviral creams are applied on the skin. The area treated should not be scratched or pricked to avoid injury to that area. Sun block should be used and sun light exposure should be avoided. Make up can be used after a day or two if there is no skin damage.