Going for laser hair treatment is not like going for a facial and massage or getting highlights at the salon. It is a medical procedure in many ways which can be likened to cosmetic surgery, although thankfully there is no knife or incision.

If you go for a consultation be sure to disclose everything that is relevant even if the consultant or technician does not ask.

What information should you give to the laser hair removal center so that they give you the correct hair removal treatment?

Tell the consultant

1. About any skin conditions you have

This can be terribly important to your treatment as it can prevent damage to your skin, even permanent damage by the laser light technology. Make your technician aware of any allergies or problems you have had with your skin in the past or ones you are suffering in the present.

2. Any medical conditions you have

It is always worth mentioning any medical condition that you have even if you have not heard that it might affect your treatment or you don’t think it is serious. It does no harm to ask whether there are any contra-indications which might affect you and mean it is better not to start these hair removal treatments. If you go to a laser treatment clinic they operate under medical supervision and they are the best people to know about any ways laser treatment might harm you.

3. About any sunbathing you have done or plan to do

Any laser hair removal clinic worth using will REFUSE to treat you if you have a suntan or plan to go in the sun or on vacation shortly after treatment (that is within two weeks). Postpone your treatment until your tan has faded for the sake of your skin. The better the contrast between hair and skin the more effective  the treatment will be and the less danger of damage to your skin.

4. Any concerns or questions

Don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you like about your situation in particular and laser treatment for hair removal in general. You are paying for the treatment and you deserve to be fully briefed about what to expect from it. Ask for

• their assessment of your skin type,
• the type of laser machine that they propose to use and why
• how you should prepare for the laser treatments
• what pain relief they provide
• what results and side-effects to expect or watch out for
• whether the procedure will result in a permanent reduction in hair growth
• how many sessions might be required
• the cost of the treatment
• any guarantees or policies if hair remains after a full course of hair removal treatment

Many hair removal clinics will give you written notes on how to prepare for laser treatment and what you need to know and watch out for but if you think of anything you forgot to disclose or want to ask something else about your laser hair treatment don’t hesitate to contact your consultant again.

I am constantly on the lookout for new hair removal treatments because the ones that we have at the moment are far from ideal in one shape or form. Every one has a significant disadvantage.

Laser Hair Removal

If you look at laser hair removal treatments, then the main disadvantage is cost (see Average laser hair removal price) and of course, it does not work well on some coloring types as the equipment relies on targeting the pigment in hair and avoiding the pigment in skin. If they are too similar or there’s not much pigment in your hair then it’s a problem. In a nutshell, it means laser treatment for hair removal is not great for you if you have dark skin or fair hair.

Even if you are a good candidate for treatment there is the inconvenience of getting to the clinic (hopefully there is one near you) for several sessions and you have to suffer the pain of having a laser beam directed at your skin. Of course, it’s not so much actual agonizing pain as the discomfort of having a whole heap of mini rubber bands pinged at you one after the other in quick succession but you’d still rather not suffer it.

Electrolysis

Of the permanent hair removal treatments available, however, laser hair treatment still has a lot to offer because the other one, electrolysis, works well on everyone but it is very slow especially if you need or want to treat a large area such as your back or legs.

You will need many electrolysis sessions over a long time and the costs mount up for that too. Each hair has to be dealt with individually and usually more than once as they are only killed if you zap them in the right place and at the right stage in the growth cycle. That means many inconvenient appointments at the salon for months on end! Still, it is the best of the facial hair removal treatments on offer at the moment because it gets rid of the problem permanently and you’ll never suffer any regrowth.

Temporary Hair Removal Methods

Even though laser treatment and electrolysis involve inconvenient sessions at a salon or clinic, it’s not to say that anything else is any more convenient. Every other hair removal treatment has to be done over and over again because the hair grows back – and a lot quicker than you want it to. The main salon treatment for unwanted hair is waxing and that is painful too. It will leave your skin red and sore for a few hours but at least it only needs to be redone every few weeks. Nevertheless it’s the best temporary solution we have at the moment for keeping you hair free and smooth for a while and it can be used on all parts of the body. Threading hair removal would be a contender in the salon treatments you can have for hair removal but it is generally only practiced (at least in the west) on the face.

So these hair removal methods are basically the only treatments you can have at the moment to get hair removed. I’m always amazed that they have not come up with anything new in the last 40 or so years (since laser hair removal became a possibility). Surely someone could have invented some smart new hair removal treatments by now – you know the one that is cheap, permanent, fast and pain free. We can but live in hope.