Laser hair removal is the non-invasive removal of unwanted facial and body hair with the use of a laser. The light emitted by the laser is highly concentrated and targets the pigment in the hair. The heat builds up in a fraction of a second, destroys the hair follicle and retards or prevents future hair growth. Our LightSheer™ laser uses the patented ChillTip™ technology with a square sapphire tip that actively cools your skin before, during and after treatment pulses. This technology protects your epidermis, minimizes discomfort and allows for the use of a more powerful, more effective laser.

The LightSheer™ system was developed from years of research at the Wellman Laboratories of Photomedicine, one of the world’s leading medical laser research institutions. The laser is pulsed, or “turned on”, for only a fraction of a second and the duration of each pulse is just long enough to disable the hair follicles. A unique component of the LightSheer™ system, the actively cooled sapphire handpiece, was designed to protect the skin by actively cooling it before, during and after the laser light is transmitted. It also draws off heat from the skin surface, which protects the skin from injury.

Anyone with hair that is dark enough for a laser to pick up is a candidate for laser hair removal. It does work best on pale skin and dark coarse hair, however people of all ethnicities can benefit from laser hair removal. A complimentary consultation will provide specific details as to the likely efficacy of the treatment s on a person by person basis. For many people this is a life changing treatment. Ideal candidates include: women and men who have unwanted hair on any facial or body part; women with hormonal imbalances that have resulted in excessive body or facial hair; women or men who have excessive hair growth due to medications; individuals who are tired of shaving every day; are prone to skin rashes, irritation or bumps after shaving; or suffer from ingrown hairs. Laser hair removal does not work on white, gray, blonde or most shades of red hair.

The cooling tip has a mild anesthetic property, which allows tender areas to be treated in a relatively painless fashion. You may find that the laser produces a feeling that has been described as a tingling sensation, somewhat like the snap of a rubber band. Different body parts vary in sensitivity. If you find that first treatment is too uncomfortable you can request a prescription for a topical anesthetic. Most people tolerate the laser treatments very well.

Within several minutes, the treated area may become slightly red and puffy. This reaction usually subsides quickly and returns to normal within a day or so. Depending on the area treated you should plan work or social engagements accordingly. Around days 3-7 after treatment you may experience what seems to be regrowth of hair. Actually, most of these hairs are being shed as result of your treatment and are not regrowing. In-between treatments you should not wax or pluck your hairs, but it is permissible to shave.

Normal side effects can include: itchiness, redness for up to 3 days, swelling around hair follicle for up to 3 days, slight pain, tingling, or general tenderness in the treated area. Rare side effects can include: crusting/scab formation (on ingrown hairs), bruising, purpura (purple coloring of the skin) on tanned areas, infection, or temporary pigment change (hypo-pigmentation or hyper-pigmentation). Side effects occur infrequently and, as a rule, generally are temporary. If any of the above last for more than 3 days, make sure to contact your technician. There is a possibility that settings were set too high and the technician needs to know in order to adjust on your following treatment.

You should shave the area to be treated as close as possible to your treatment appointment. Always leave a small dime sized patch of hair so that your technician can determine the texture and colour of your hair. No waxing or removing hair with the root with any other way is allowed 4-6 weeks before and throughout the course of treatment as hair needs to be in place to be targeted by laser. The area should be shaved as closely as possible so that laser can target the most energy towards the hair follicle and not waste energy on the part of the hair above the skin’s surface. If your hair is the type that you can’t see where it was right after you shave, make it a bit easier on your tech not to miss the spots you want treated by shaving 1-3 days before so the outline of where hair is growing is just VERY slightly visible.

After treatment is completed, you may apply a soothing lotion such as SwissTEC soothing gel or ProDerm Hydrogel to soothe the skin for a few days. Within 2-4 weeks, you should experience shedding of all treated hair. At first, hair will look like it’s growing back in, but it is just coming through the skin to shed. Shedding starts at about 2 weeks and can last until 4 weeks post-treatment or so. Exfoliating and/or scrubbing gently in the shower with a loofa can help speed up the process. After shedding finishes, you might experience little black dots still “stuck” in the skin. These are commonly referred to as “pepperspots” and will shed eventually, but might take a bit longer. Exfoliate to help those out as well.

Most individuals’ hair loss will be between 60% and 95% and this generally takes place in 4 – 6 sessions. This is an average result. It must always be clear that individuals and individual body parts will respond at different rates. Depending upon hair type and genetic factors, some clients may require additional treatments beyond the initial 4-6 treatments. If it seems like the treatments are not working after several treatments, patients should look into possible underlying reasons. Treatments for the face and neck are normally spaced 4-6 weeks apart whereas treatments for areas of the body are spaced 8-10-12 weeks apart. This is because of the cyclic growth pattern of hair.

There can be many reasons why this could be the case. The causes of excessive hair growth may include: heredity, pregnancy , glandular and/or hormonal imbalances (possible PCOS condition for women), diseases causing these effects, insulin resistance issues, reactions to certain medications, and normal aging processes (i.e. hormonal aging surges: men’s backs, ears & noses – women’s facial areas).

Every laser candidate should explore a possible underlying reason of the extreme hair growth before starting laser because if there is something in the body consistently triggering hair growth; laser treatments might seem ineffective because the body will keep developing new hair. So, it will always seem like there is not reduction, when in fact it’s NEW hair your body is producing that you are seeing, not that treated by laser growing back. Women with PCOS hair growth patterns (upper lip, chin, cheeks, etc) should see an endocrinologist and have hormonal tests taken. Men can get tested for insulin resistance etc. Talk to your doctor if you suspect you might have an underlying medical condition causing excessive hair growth before starting laser hair removal. Once the condition is control through treatment/medication, laser hair removal can then be performed. Laser can affect the hair that’s currently present, but cannot prevent NEW hair from developing.