With warmer days ahead, we will soon be breaking out the shorts, light clothing and swimsuits to enjoy the summertime of St Louis. Whether you are a gardener, golfer, walker or just enjoy the great outdoors, the amount of sun your skin will be exposed to is less than ideal for laser hair removal. The best time to begin your laser hair removal treatments is when the pigment in your skin is not tanned. The lasers used to destroy the hair follicles target melanin which makes your hair follicles dark. Melanin is also the pigment that builds up in our skin as we accumulate a tan. By starting your laser hair removal treatments at this time, more effective settings can be used to target the hair follicles while reducing the risk of the skin absorbing too much of the laser energy. At The Lifestyle Center, during the summertime, we carefully evaluate your skin to determine the amount of recent sun exposure. If we feel it is not safe to perform a treatment due to the skin being overly tanned or red, we will have you schedule for another date when it is safer to perform the procedure. By beginning now, you can get two to three treatments in before significant sun exposure occurs.
With The Lifestyle Center's Pay-As-You-Go program you can purchase affordable laser hair treatments such that you see a significant reduction in hair density by the summer. Then, if you have significant sun exposure, you can resume your treatments in the fall. As we discuss on our web site, hair grows in cycles, thus to reach your optimal results it may take 6-11 treatments and the optimal spacing of the treatments is usually 10-12 weeks apart. Here are some important facts to consider when purchasing laser hair removal treatments:
- Laser hair removal is more appropriately called laser hair reduction as typically 60-90% of the follicles are permanently destroyed.
- Dark, coarse follicles respond best to laser therapy, while grey, white, red and blonde will not respond adequately to laser hair removal treatments.
- A small percentage of clients (3-7%) will not have a significant response to laser hair removal treatments even though they have darker, coarse follicles.
- Laser hair removal can be safely performed on types IV-VI skin (darker ethnic skin types) but it will take more treatments than someone with lighter skin.
- The St Louis Better Business Bureau recommends against purchasing large, expensive laser hair removal packages because several laser hair removal providers have gone out of business in recent years.
- Some clients may need occasional maintenance treatments as the fine vellus hairs that are difficult to see can become coarser and darker under the influence of body hormones. Women with poly-cystic ovarian disease are especially prone to this. Also, as women move into their 40's they will often see the onset of facial hair due to changes in their body hormone balances.
To learn more about Laser Hair Removal, call The Lifestyle Center to schedule your free consultation, 314-863-5556.
