by Maria Antesoda, RN, and Marcela Ramirez, BSN, RN,
from the Fall 2009 issue
With today’s great new technologies for permanent hair reduction, there is no reason to put up with the hassles of shaving, waxing, depilatories or electrolysis to get rid of unwanted hair. At SBA, with lasers and intense pulsed light (IPL), we can treat patients of all skin colors including darker complexions. So how does light remove hair? Light energy in either form is absorbed by the pigment in the hair. That absorbed light heats the hair, which damages or destroys the re-growth potential of the hair follicle. Since colored hair is needed to absorb the energy, brown or black hair is the easiest to treat. Unfortunately, neither IPL nor lasers work very well on blonde or white hair. Our most popular treatment areas are upper lip, bikini and underarms.
The advantage of having permanent hair reduction performed at SBA is our experience. Between us, we have over 20 years of experience. Over the past 12 years, we have successfully performed more than 10,000 treatments using our premiere technology. Working at SBA over many years with all our wonderful dermatologists, we know the skin. We can spot trouble spots (possible skin cancers) that need medical attention before any hair removal treatment. And we have access to dermatologists at all times should a question arise. You can also one-stop shop – combining your hair removal visit with a medical check-up, other cosmetic treatment, such as BOTOX® Cosmetic, or a relaxing SPA treatment.
To reduce any discomfort from the treatment and relax our patients, we use an anesthetic cream applied to the area to be treated for one hour before treatment. Most patients tolerate the procedure without any difficulty. After the treatment, hair falls out over the next one to two weeks. It takes an average of six to eight treatments, spaced four to six weeks apart, to see a significant improvement. We sell packages of four treatments. After four treatments, most patients see much of their dark, course hair not coming back. Patients can then purchase a single treatment or another package for touch ups to get rid of the finer, darker hair.
Side effects are rare. They can include slight reddening or swelling at the treatment site, possible bruising or blistering, and temporary darker or lighter pigmentation changes. We recommend limiting sun exposure to further reduce the risk of complications. Also, with paler skin, the bulk of the energy can be delivered to the hair follicles. That’s why fall is the ideal time to perform a treatment series.
To schedule a complementary consultation, call 713.850.0240 and press 2, or email us.
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