If you’re someone who suffers with unwanted hair on areas such as the legs, underarms or bikini line, you’ll know how annoying it can be to keep it at bay. The average woman spends around £12,000 and hundreds of hours in her lifetime on shaving, waxing and epilating the hairs away. What’s more, all these methods offer only temporary relief from the fuzz. Frustrating! Hirsutism is a condition that 1 in 14 women experience and this can cause excess hair growth on areas such as the face, chest, lower back, buttocks and outer thighs. It’s reported that women with hirsutism can spend 104 minutes on average per week managing the condition. Rather perplexing!
‘Is laser hair removal permanent?’
As an expert in laser hair removal, I get asked several key questions when it comes to the procedure and the results that it can achieve. One such question is if the treatment offers permanent results. To answer this, it might be best to first explain how hair grows and how laser hair removal works.
How your hair grows
Hair grows all over the body, apart from the palms and mucus membranes. It grows at varying rates, at various depths and in 3 stages. These 3 stages of hair growth are called the anaegen (growing), catagen (resting), and telogen (shedding) phases. Each strand of hair on the human body is at its own stage of development. Once the cycle is complete, it restarts and a new strand of hair begins to form.
Around 30% of hair on the face and body is at the anaegen phase at any one time. Hair can grow at different rates and different depths within the skin.
How laser hair removal works
Laser hair removal uses selected wavelengths of light to penetrate the hair follicle and to heat up the melanin in the hair to retard its growth. As laser hair removal works on melanin (the substance which gives hair and skin it’s pigment), the hair must be of colour and not white or grey for it to be affective.
Laser hair removal will only affect hair in the anaegen phase, therefore in any one treatment session, around 30% of the hairs in a specific area of concern will be affected by the procedure.
Traditionally, laser hair removal has only used one if not two wavelengths of light and this has meant that certain skin types, namely darker skins could not be treated, as the laser light would penetrate the skin and affect the pigment in the skin rather than the hair follicle. This, in turn would cause ‘laser burn’ due to the high temperatures the skin would reach under this powerful light energy (sometimes up to 70 degrees). Fortunately, modern laser technology has allowed for a series of wavelengths to be selected and now enables us to be able to treat all skin types safely and effectively.
So, the big question is “how long does laser hair removal last?”
Laser hair removal can permanently reduce hair growth and can affect up to 90% of the hair on your selected treatment area. However, there are caveats to this statement. Hormonal changes in the body can cause regrowth of hair later-on. You may have a very successful treatment and experience effective hair removal at the time, but if you then undergo a hormonal change such as pregnancy or the menopause, you could experience regrowth of the hair. However, this of course can be re-treated successfully.
A poorly executed treatment where perhaps the therapist uses an incorrect setting for the individual’s skin and hair type, can mean the hair is not treated effectively and simply grows back afterwards. Sub-standard machinery can also play a part in an unsuccessful treatment and can be dangerous.
Some people also get confused with IPL and laser and expect IPL to do the same job. IPL is based on the same principal as laser in that it uses visible light energy to penetrate the skin and retard hair growth, but is not as accurate or as powerful and can require many more treatments. IPL can also be unsuitable for darker skins as it does not pin-point the hair follicle as accurately as laser.
To achieve the very best results from laser hair removal, it’s vital to choose a highly-skilled expert clinic which uses medical-grade, clinically-proven devices. At Skin Perfection, here in the heart of London’s West End, we offer the Cynosure Elite+ and Apogee+ class 4 award winning lasers. These lasers are effective on both lighter and darker skins, due to the various wavelengths of light energy they provide and offer safe and effective treatments. The cooling technology on these devices mean that the treatment is comfortable and negates the risk of over-heating the skin.
Laser Hair Removal in London at Skin Perfection
Our highly-trained laser experts will always take you through a no obligation consultation prior to treatment, so we know your individual concerns, skin type and expected results before treatment. You can have the peace of mind that at Skin Perfection, you will be receiving a superior treatment which can offer permanent results for smoother and more beautiful skin, all year round.
It’s entirely possible to get rid of unwanted hair long-term. Just ensure you’re spending your well-earned money wisely and choose a clinic who know what they are doing and who care about the results you’ll be achieving.
Contact me and my team today at Skin Perfection London to start your journey towards smoother skin with laser hair removal.
