Laser hair removal is one of the top five most sought after minimally-invasive cosmetic procedures. Through a series of treatments, we can remove unwanted hair while improving the feel and appearance of your skin. Here’s what you need to know about Laser Hair Removal in Northern Virginia.
How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?
During a laser hair removal session, your skilled technician precisely targets each hair follicle in the treatment area with a specialized laser. The darker pigment of your hair absorbs the laser’s heat, which destroys the follicle. After that, a hair can no longer grow in that follicle, yet the skin around the follicle is left undamaged.
Who’s a Good Candidate for Hair Removal?
Because modern lasers hone in on darker pigment to identify a follicle, Laser Hair Removal in Northern Virginia works best on people with lighter skin and darker hair.
How Many Treatments Will I Need?
The number of sessions needed depends on several factors like the area to be treated, how prepared you were for your courses (see below), and the level of contrast between hair color and skin tone.
Most people will need six to eight treatments in a targeted area. This is because hair follicles cycle hair production and may not all be producing hair during treatment. After this number, you should see an 80-90% reduction in hair growth.
Additionally, any hair that does remain with be finer and lighter. Patients also notice that bumps and ingrown hairs are a thing of the past. This leaves the whole area looking and feeling smoother.
How Do I Prepare for a Session?
To get the best results, you should stay out of the sun for six weeks before to prevent darkening your skin. The lighter the skin is, the better the laser will work. Additionally, tanned skin may lack moisture, leading to complications.
You should also not engage in most hair removal methods during those six weeks. These include waxing, threading, or electrolysis. That follicle needs to be healthy and growing hairs for the treatment to work. Shaving is okay.
What Can I Expect During a Laser Hair Removal Appointment?
Laser Hair Removal in Northern Virginia is an outpatient procedure at Nova Plastic Surgery and Medspa. You and everyone in the room will wear special goggles to prevent eye exposure to laser light. After disinfecting and prepping the area, your technician adjusts the laser energy level to align with your skin tone. They then begin the treatment.
What Does Laser Hair Removal in Northern Virginia Feel Like?
Most people describe it as the sensation of a rubber band repeatedly snapping the skin. Everyone has varying tolerance levels, and some parts of the body may feel more sensitive, so your Nova Medspa technician can lower the laser energy. But this may mean you need more sessions of Laser Hair Removal in Northern Virginia.
How Long Will a Session Last?
Some parts of the body may be done in a matter of minutes, while others take up to an hour. Subsequent sessions may take less time as your technician refines the results.
What Is Recovery Like?
You should generally wait at least six weeks between sessions, but after just one session, you’ll see a notable difference. You may experience slight swelling and redness in the treated areas, but this follicle swelling generally only lasts for a few hours. Redness may last a few days.
Laser hair removal requires no downtime. You can return to work or normal activities on the same day. If you find these few hours particularly uncomfortable, cold compresses and lotions can work wonders. You might have some blisters and crusting, but these typically clear up within a day or so.
What Are the Risks?
In rare instances, a change in skin pigmentation or texture may take place. In most cases, this is temporary.
If your technician uses the wrong laser or does not apply the correct setting for your skin, these risks increase. Lasers should only be used by skilled individuals such as those at Nova Plastic Surgery and Dermatology.
What Should I Do After Treatment?
After treatment, reapply SPF of at least 30 several times a day if sun exposure is unavoidable over the next four to six weeks.
Not unlike when you have a stubborn scab, you may feel the urge to scratch or pick. Apply cold compresses to reduce the urge, and allow those places to heal properly.
If needed, shaving is the only acceptable hair removal method while you’re in between sessions. You may notice hairs pushing up from treated follicles in one to two weeks post-treatment. This is not active hair growth. Instead, the follicle is shedding the hair that was there during treatment. For most pre- and post-treatment care, see our convenient guide.
How Long Does Laser Hair Removal Last?
After you’ve completed treatment sessions, most follicles will not reproduce hairs indefinitely. You may experience some finer, thinner regrowth after six to 12 months, which can generally be managed in a session.
Stop struggling with the annoyance of unwanted hair. You can have smoother, hair-free skin. Our skilled laser hair removal technicians at the Nova Plastic Surgery and Dermatology are ready to help you achieve results. Call us for a consultation at (703) 574-2588.
