No one enjoys DIY hair removal, but most people accept that it’s going to be a necessary evil for the rest of their lives. We’re here to tell you differently. You don’t have to spend another day shaving, waxing, or plucking all the stray hairs you missed. At Dr. Park Avenue in Franklin Lakes, NJ, we offer an effective way to remove unwanted hair and get rid of it for good: IPL hair removal.
Is IPL Hair Removal Permanent?
When you choose this treatment to remove your unwanted hair, you will experience permanent results. Any other at-home treatment only provides temporary results, and within a few days or maybe at most a week or two, you’ll be right back to where you started, trying to remove your unwanted hair. This cycle will continue until you take the first step and choose a treatment that will give you permanent results.
Shaving
The majority of people use some form of a razor to remove body hair. The problem with shaving is that it only removes the hair you can see above the skin’s surface. It takes a lot of time and requires constant maintenance to maintain results.
It can also irritate those with normal skin and result in some even worse effects on those with sensitive skin. The day after shaving, you still may not have smooth skin because your hair will continue growing since you never addressed the root or the follicle.
Depilatory Creams
Almost everyone can remember those famous commercials from the ’90s advertising Nair, the solution for short shorts. However, if you ever actually tried Nair, you may have been surprised by the strange smell and confused at how it worked. It may have removed some hair yet strangely left others intact. This product and others of its kind destroy your hair’s chemical structure and then break it down so that you can wash it off.
However, any solution that you put on your skin to dissolve your hair should cause you concern. Your skin is your largest organ and absorbs whatever you put on it, and these creams have many harsh chemicals that you most likely don’t want to absorb into your skin.
Tweezers
Plucking is an effective way to remove hair for long-lasting results because it takes the entire hair both above and below the skin from the follicle. However, it’s not feasible, nor is it realistic, to spend hours a week plucking every hair from your treatment area. Plus, plucking is not the most comfortable experience. It does work for small areas, but it doesn’t provide permanent results.
Waxing
Waxing takes the concept of using tweezers to remove hair to the next level. It performs the same job as plucking does, but does it on a larger scale. It can remove larger hair sections at once and provide some relatively long-lasting results, but it’s never permanent. The hair always grows back, and you’ll have to wait until it’s a certain length to schedule another appointment.
There’s no way around the fact that waxing is painful. Getting through a waxing appointment takes a lot of white-knuckling or just a high pain tolerance. It can also irritate and even damage the skin and lead to ingrown hairs, bumps, inflammation, and redness. If waxing gives you smooth skin, you may still want to hide your skin because of a negative reaction. Aside from being inconvenient and painful, waxing is also expensive.
The Difference With IPL Hair Removal
IPL is a superior choice compared to all of these different hair removal options because it addresses the root cause of hair growth and destroys the follicles to the point that they can no longer produce hair.
You’ll be left with permanently smooth skin, and you won’t have to waste any more time waxing, plucking, shaving, or messing with strange-smelling creams. The IPL laser doesn’t just remove the hair, but by destroying the follicle, it addresses the root cause and takes care of it for good.
How Does IPL Hair Removal Work?
You may be skeptical about the effectiveness of certain in-office hair removal treatments, but this particular treatment is one that you can put your full confidence in. To understand this treatment better and why it’s so effective, you first need an understanding of the hair growth cycle.
All About Hair Growth
The reason that you shave only to see what looks like brand new hair growth the next morning isn’t the fact that you’re doing something wrong. This happens because your hair goes through four different growth cycles. The longest cycle is the growth cycle, and it happens beneath the surface of the skin. During this phase, the hair is actively growing new cells in the follicle. This is the stage that needs to be addressed.
The Power of Lasers
IPL lasers remove hair because they stop hair growth. The scientific term for what makes this process work so well is called photothermolysis. When broken down into parts, this word refers to light, heat, and destruction.
During the treatment, IPL shines light energy directly at the hair follicles, and the color, or melanin, in the hair follicles absorbs that light. This also results in heat that’s directed into the hair follicle, which essentially disables the hair from growing. Cells no longer regenerate in the follicle, and as a result, hair no longer grows.
Laser Hair Removal and Skin Color
Both hair and skin have melanin, which is what creates pigment and color. In the past, many different in-office hair removal treatments only worked for those who had a certain skin color and hair color. These devices required a specific pigment and a contrast between the skin color and the hair color for the most effective results.
Anyone who didn’t fit these parameters couldn’t benefit from these hair removal methods. If you had darker skin and darker hair, these treatments wouldn’t work for you. Conversely, if you had lighter hair and lighter skin, these treatments wouldn’t work for you either. At our office, we are proud to offer IPL hair removal to effectively remove unwanted hair so that you can spend your time doing the things you love, not worrying about hair removal.
IPL Hair Removal FAQ’s
What Is the First Step in the Process?
To begin this IPL hair removal journey, you will need to first schedule a consultation. During this consultation, one of our expert technicians will meet with you and discuss your concerns and goals and explain all the treatment’s ins and outs. We will confirm that you are a candidate for treatment, and then we will schedule your first appointment.
Assessing Your Goals
Before you begin treatment, one of the most important parts of the process is determining your goals. Some people want all of their hair gone, and they want it gone forever, as soon as possible. Other people just want to address certain areas of the body to make their lives easier and make hair removal more convenient.
Other people fall within the middle of those two ends of the spectrum and have a particular area of the body in mind that they want to treat to stop hair from growing.
Your Skin and Hair
During laser hair removal, lasers are always attracted to darker hair. They bypass the skin leaving it completely unharmed, and go straight to the problem area. Those with light skin and dark hair will get the fastest results from this treatment.
Lighter hair on darker skin or lighter hair on lighter skin may take more treatments to achieve optimal results. During your initial consultation, we will analyze your skin and hair and let you know what you can expect from your personalized treatment plan.
What Areas Can It Treat?
The benefit of IPL lasers is if they can target and remove unwanted hair from any area of the body. During your consultation, we’ll develop a treatment plan for you based on the locations of your unwanted hair.
How Many Treatments Will I Need?
Results vary among patients, and for that reason, we will develop a personalized treatment plan based on your hair, needs, and goals. Most patients benefit from six to eight treatments with this particular laser. Once you complete your sessions, you will get to enjoy freedom from your unwanted hair forever.
How Do I Prepare for My Treatment?
You won’t have to follow a long list of instructions to prepare for your treatment. You want to maintain a contrast between your skin color and your hair, which means you should avoid excess sun exposure, tanning beds, and tanning in general for a few weeks before treatment. Also, don’t shave, wax, or pluck your treatment area before your appointment.
The laser needs to find the hair follicles, and having some hair growth will make that process go much smoother. If you use depilatory creams but have scheduled an IPL laser treatment, you should wait at least six weeks after using one of these creams to undergo your treatment.
Are There Any Aftercare Instructions?
When you schedule this treatment, you won’t have to prepare for any downtime. You can drive yourself to and from your appointment and resume your normal daily activities as soon as it’s over. We will advise you to avoid excess sun exposure after your treatment and apply plenty of moisturizers to keep your skin hydrated and protected.
Who Isn’t a Candidate?
Some people may be disqualified from treatment due to safety concerns. The following conditions may prevent you from undergoing treatment, at least temporarily:
- Those with a skin disease
- Individuals with epilepsy
- Those whose unwanted hair is the result of PCOS
- Those who have keloid scarring
- People on thyroid or hormones medications
- Individuals taking photo-sensitizing medications
- Those with an active herpes outbreak in the treatment area
How Long Does It Take To See Results?
Once you undergo an IPL treatment, you should know that your hair won’t be gone immediately. While this treatment does destroy the hair follicle, the hair shaft still needs to shed. This process typically takes about two weeks. Once you undergo an IPL treatment, you should know that your hair won’t be gone immediately afterward.
While this treatment does destroy the hair follicle, the hair shaft still needs to shed. This process typically takes about two weeks. Once that final hair falls out, another one will never grow again.
Begin Your Journey to Hair-Free Skin
Living free from unwanted hair isn’t just a pipe dream. It’s possible, and we can help you make that dream come true. Contact us today at Dr. Park Avenue in Franklin Lakes, NJ to find out more about IPL laser hair removal and how it can change your life.
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