Laser hair removal is popular. Really popular. In my spa it accounts for almost half of our monthly revenue, and we have more than 600 active laser hair removal memberships. There is no doubt that laser hair removal is one of the most popular cosmetic services performed today. Besides the fact that laser is a great alternative to shaving or tweezing, and cheaper than waxing and sugaring, technology has made huge advances that make laser safe for all skin types.
Today just about anyone can have the treatment and benefit from its long term results. But, as great as laser hair removal is, I have found from talking to prospective clients and reading online reviews that not everyone is totally satisfied with their decision to have laser hair removal. For those who are not happy, almost all of them complain that the results were not what they had anticipated.
I can tell you from years of experience and hundreds of thousands of treatments performed in my spas that laser hair removal works. It works when the right clients are selected for treatment. As advanced as laser is today there are still a few segments of clients that are not good candidates for laser. Below is a distilled break down of how we select the RIGHT clients for laser hair removal at Skin Bar NYC. In addition to following the guidelines below, we perform a test patch on every new client. We do it so clients know what the treatment is like and how it feels, but most important we want to see how your skin responds to the laser energy. Safety is always the first priority.
Laser hair removal works by transmitting energy directly to the hair follicle (the root of a strand of hair). The power of the energy shocks the follicle, making it dormant. And voila! You just had a successful laser treatment. Laser energy is attracted to pigment (color), so it works best on clients with hair color between dirty blonde and black.
This is important because the lack of pigment makes the laser blind and it just disperses the energy across the skin instead of penetrating it. So, if you have grey/white hair or blonde hair the laser is not going to work for you. Waxing and sugaring is going to be a much better option for you.
When we think of blondes and brunettes we think of the color of hair on a person’s head. Right? Laser is a little different. Many of our clients who do laser hair removal have combination hair. Maybe your arms are blonde but your lower leg or bikini hair is brown. If you are a combination hair person you would be a great candidate for laser on some areas of your body or face. If you’re not sure laser is right for you, seek the opinion of a professional. One other suggestion would be to have a test patch done on the area in question. Many high quality spas offer to treat a test spot or patch to see if the treatment works.
We know that laser is ideal for light brown and dark haired areas of the body and face. And we know that laser is not a good option for our blonde and grey/white haired friends. What about red heads? Red hair is tricky. While not ideal we can safely and successfully treat red hair with the Alexandrite laser. Typically clients with red hair are also light skinned, so we have a better chance of targeting the red pigment in the follicle of the hair, because of the distinct difference in color of the skin and the hair. But, some clients with red hair do not respond to laser hair removal. If you are someone with red hair and you’re considering laser it is paramount that you first have a test spot done prior to investing your time and money into something that might not work.
Vellus hair is a major frustration for many people. Most of us know it as peach fuzz: that thin, usually light fluffy looking hair. It’s a hassle because peach fuzz usually appears on areas like the face, back of the legs and neck making it more noticeable in certain light or when you’re wearing sexy clothing. And when you’re wearing sexy clothes you wanna feel sexy. That’s why peach fuzz sucks!
So, what can we do about it. Like red hair, peach fuzz is tricky and sometimes unpredictable. Having said that, we do treat peach fuzz with some success, but probably 50% of the time and with many treatments. A number of Skin Bar NYC clients do laser hair removal on those areas plagued by peach fuzz because while laser may not de-fuzz completely, it will slow down the growth significantly. Laser for these areas should be considered by those who have dark colored peach fuzz and clients who are just tired of not having another suitable option.
Successful laser treatments take time and cannot be rushed. The best case scenario to permanently reduce hair growth in an area by 90% requires 6 treatments scheduled out over at least 6 months. That’s because while the laser zaps all the hair follicles in each treatment, your body actively grows hair in about 20% of total hair follicles at any given time. These are called growth cycles. Depending on the area being treated these growth cycles last anywhere from 4-8 weeks. All this makes timing really important.
If you had laser treatment today on your legs, the hair in that growth cycle will be gone. A few weeks later you would notice shedding of the zapped hairs and growth of a new hair cycle. If you wait too long between treatments or do it too soon, you miss the sweet spot of timing. So, be sure to keep yourself on a consistent schedule. Membership programs like the one at Skin Bar NYC help make your scheduled sessions routine and consistent.