If you're serious about laser hair removal, then it's important that you choose a good facility. Experience is what counts, and should be a bigger factor in your decision than costs or guarantees. In fact, if you see a laser hair removal facility that boasts about achieving complete hair removal, you may be better off giving them a miss. Results vary from person to person, and it's just not possible to guarantee complete hair removal for everyone.
If your state has laws that govern the qualifications a person must have if they're performing laser hair removal, then check and make sure that your practitioner complies. Discounts and special offers might sound tempting, but it's better to have peace of mind that a competent professional will be operating the laser.
Once you've determined that your hair and skin coloring makes you a suitable candidate for laser hair removal, there are a number of pre-treatment recommendations to follow. Firstly, avoid tanning prior to your treatment sessions. If you've recently tanned, it may be wise to delay your treatment. Secondly, avoid foods high in beta-carotene. These are mostly found in vitamin supplements and in brightly colored fruits and vegetables. Beta-carotene is a type of pigment that can tint your skin and so interfere with the flow of laser energy into the hair follicle. Finally, shave the area to be treated a few days prior to the laser hair removal session, because the process works best on short hair.
Because lasers are involved, you'll be given a pair of special goggles to wear during the laser hair removal session. These will reduce the risk of laser light penetrating your eyes. The actual hair removal process is really very simple. A laser is pressed to the area of skin being treated, and then the practitioner activates the laser for a fraction of a second. In that time the laser energy passes into the hair follicle and damages it. This usually means that the follicle won't be able to grow any new hair in the future.
Laser hair removal is no different to any medical procedure, in that there is always the risk of side effects. Although these are minor, one occasional result is that the treated area may suffer some discoloration or scarring. You may even experience other skin discomforts, such as redness, swelling or even a burning sensation. These are generally only temporary, however.
Still, there are lots of advantages in using laser hair removal. It's non-invasive, and is much simpler than messing about with razors, creams, creams or depilatories. A single treatment can remove hair from quite a large such, as the legs or back. While some people find that the hair removal is permanent, others do experience a regrowth, but it's usually a much lighter color and of a finer texture.
There are also disadvantages, the most obvious one being that laser hair removal doesn't work for everyone. If you have light-colored hair combined with dark skin, you might find the treatment is ineffective. Also, one laser treatment usually won't have a permanent effect. Hair growth occurs in stages, and the laser treatment is most effective on hairs that are actively growing. So it may be necessary to have a second or even third treatment, to make sure all hair follicles are treated.
Laser hair removal may not be for everyone, but hopefully this article has given you enough information to decide whether it's right for you.
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