Let’s face it: shaving stopped being fun almost as soon as any of us were allowed to start. The novelty of hair removal was quickly replaced with discomfort from razor burn, ingrown hairs, and skin irritation. And the alternatives to shaving, like waxing or tweezing, aren’t a whole lot of fun either. Luckily, at Rejuvenate Med Spa in Oak Brook, IL we know that laser hair removal il treatments are the speedy, long-term solution you’ve been looking for to simplify your body hair hygiene.
How Fast Do You See Results With Laser Hair Removal Oak Brook?
Most people start to see results of laser hair removal il treatments within the first few weeks after their first appointment. Your results will be obvious as your hair begins to fall out, and while you may see hair regrowth, you should notice that hair is growing back more slowly than before. But your initial slow-growing results are only the start!
The results of this treatment improve over time, with each treatment appointment producing better results until you achieve your final results. For most people, the final results of this treatment will be evident about four weeks after your last appointment. Your final results will consist of significantly reduced hair growth, including the density and thickness of any regrowth.
How Many Treatments Will You Need?
The number of treatments required to achieve your results will depend on certain factors, such as the quality of your hair. People who have thicker or denser hair sometimes require additional treatments, while those who have thinner hair may need fewer.
On average, most people will need between six and eight treatments to remove hair or reduce hair growth. Your treatment appointments are usually spaced about four to six weeks apart to give your skin enough time to recover between treatment appointments.
Is It Bad if You Miss a Treatment?
It’s not bad if you miss a treatment, but missing a treatment will certainly slow down how quickly you will be able to see results. In fact, when you miss a treatment appointment during your initial round of treatments, you will lose any progress you had and will likely have to start from the beginning.
When you miss a laser appointment to reduce hair growth, it gives your hair follicles enough time to recover to restart hair growth. If you want to achieve your results quickly, then you need to be sure to attend all of your scheduled appointments – including maintenance appointments down the road.
When Should You Have Maintenence Appointments?
For the majority of people, maintenance appointments are scheduled once or twice a year to keep results consistent. Touch-up appointments once every six to 12 months will ensure that your rate of hair growth remains stunted or slowed. We can give your more guidance if you believe you require more frequent maintenance appointments.
How Long Do Results Last?
When you have completed your initial round of treatments, you can be confident that the results of your treatment will be long-lasting. In fact, the results of this treatment are considered semi-permanent because of how effective the treatment is for removing hair. You can expect your results to last for as long as you keep up with your maintenance appointments.
Where Can This Treatment Be Used?
One of the most wonderful things about laser treatments for removing hair is the versatility of the treatment. This laser treatment can be used on almost every area of the body to remove hair or slow down hair growth. Areas of the body where this laser treatment is commonly used include:
- Upper lip
- Chest
- Back
- Forearms
- Underarms
- Lower stomach
- Bikini area
- Legs
How Does This Treatment Work?
Laser hair removal il treatments are a little more advanced than simply “burning” the hair off the body. In fact, while this treatment does involve thermal energy, there is no “burning” hair off the body at all.
This treatment is performed using a handheld laser treatment system, which activates then the laser technology detects any pigment that is darker than the surrounding skin tone. The laser and thermal energy travel down the hair shaft to the hair follicle to stun the natural cycle of hair growth. With repeated treatments, the hair follicle begins to produce less hair or grow hair at slower rates.
How Long Do Appointments Take?
Most appointments will take about 30 to 40 minutes to complete depending on the number of areas that are being treated. Some patients may prefer to treat all areas on the same day or break up treatment areas into different appointments.
What Should You Do to Prepare for Treatment?
Although this is a non-invasive treatment that takes less than an hour to complete, there are still some things you will need to do to prepare for your laser hair removal il treatment. Preparing for your treatment properly will protect your skin and ensure that you will achieve your desired results. Some things you will need to do to prepare for your treatment include:
No Tweezing or Waxing
It’s important to avoid any hair removal techniques that remove hair from the root of the follicle. While tweezing and waxing both produce longer-lasting results than shaving, these techniques can also injure the skin and cause ingrown hairs. And more than that, because this treatment relies on using the hair shaft to deliver thermal energy to the hair follicle, if you remove hair at the root then you will not be able to use this treatment until hair grows back.
Shave Before Your Treatment
While tweezing and waxing before your appointment is off-limits, you should shave the intended treatment area about 24 to 48 hours before your appointment. Shaving before your treatment will help your treatment be more effective. This is because any body hair that is too long will not conduct enough heat to the hair follicle, which means your treatment will not be as successive. Shaving at least two days before your appointment will allow for enough hair regrowth for your treatment to be successful.
Avoid Sunlight
Laser treatments use light and thermal energy that can potentially trigger melanin production in your skin. If you are exposed to sunlight before your treatment, then the likelihood of the laser system triggering melanin production is higher, and that means so is your risk of pigmentation concerns.
You should avoid direct unprotected sunlight for at least two weeks before your treatment to reduce the risk of dark spots or pigmentation from the laser treatment. If you have to be outside during the daytime, then you should wear SPF 40 or higher. You may also want to avoid using tanning beds and self-tanning products for the same reason.
Stop Using Certain Products and Medications
Some skincare products can accelerate cellular turnover, which may make your skin more vulnerable to pigmentation caused by light and thermal energy. Products containing retinoids or active acids can potentially cause skin irritation that will make you have to reschedule your treatment.
Additionally, some medications can cause light sensitivity, including topical dermatology creams like benzoyl peroxide. Medications like birth control and some antibiotics can elevate skin sensitivity and potentially make your laser treatment less effective. Please double-check that your medication and products will not interact negatively with your treatment.
Have Bare Skin
On the day of your appointment, you should arrive with your skin clean and bare of any products. Barriers between your skin and the laser treatment, such as the barrier made by lotion, can make the treatment less effective. You should not have any products on any areas you intend to treat. Products to avoid using on your treatment day include body oils, lotion, make-up, perfume, and others.
What Should You Do After Your Appointment?
While you will not have any physical restrictions after your appointment, there are still some things you should and shouldn’t do after your treatment. For example, while going back to work or running errands is fine, you may want to avoid excessive sweating so your skin won’t dry out. Other rules you should follow after your treatment include:
No Sunlight Exposure
It’s critical that you avoid any direct sunlight exposure after a laser treatment. The UV rays in sunlight can cause damage to the skin after laser treatment, as well as skin irritation and pigmentation concerns. Avoiding sunlight also means avoiding tanning beds and self-tanning products for at least two weeks. Please wear SPF when you plan to be outside.
Avoid Hot Water
Hot water from showers, baths, saunas, and hot tubs can cause skin irritation after laser treatment, so it’s important that you do your best to avoid using heated water on the skin. For bathing, you should use tepid water to soothe the skin and avoid skin irritation.
Exfoliate and Moisturize
Exfoliating your skin after your treatment serves two purposes. Not only does exfoliating help your skin recover and remove any dry skin after the treatment, but it also helps remove any hair that is ready to fall out. You should start exfoliating about three days after your treatment with a washcloth, sponge, loofah, or exfoliating brush. Please do not use sugaring, beads, or chemical exfoliants.
You should also be sure to moisturize the treatment area after your appointment. Keeping your skin moisturized will soothe the skin and help your skin recover more quickly. Products containing ceramides, oats, or aloe vera will help naturally moisturize the skin.
What Are the Advantages of This Treatment?
There are several reasons why this treatment is so attractive to patients. For example, the primary advantage of this laser treatment is the fact that patients will have thinner, less dense, or even completely halted hair growth after the initial treatment round is complete. Other advantages of this treatment include:
Correct Ingrown Hairs
Ingrown hairs are caused by hair follicles that grow hair crookedly. When crooked hair shafts leave the pore at the wrong angle, the surrounding skin becomes irritated and painful. However, this treatment uses thermal energy that shocks the hair follicle and corrects the direction of hair growth, which effectively eliminates any future ingrown hairs.
Improve Skin Tone and Texture
Because this treatment uses laser energy, many patients can experience the additional benefit of improving the tone and texture of their skin as a result of this treatment. Improvement for skin tone and texture happens because exposure to laser energy accelerates the natural skin cell turnover cycle and stimulates the production of collagen within the sub-dermal layers of the skin. Many patients can use this treatment to also correct concerns such as:
- Sun damage
- Dry or rough skin
- Redness
- Skin laxity
- Fine lines
Enjoy Fast and Long-Lasting Results of Laser Hair Removal IL
Shaving isn’t fun, but we put up with it because we want to follow beauty trends or we enjoy the feeling of smooth, hairless skin. Fortunately, there are now better alternatives to shaving, including laser hair removal il. If you want to enjoy fast and long-lasting results, contact Rejuvenate Med Spa in Oak Brook, IL to schedule your initial appointment today.