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.

Laser hair removal for men has become very popular in recent years as the trend is for men to have as little body hair as possible these days – at least that’s the trend among fashionable men from the world of sport, fashion and movies (the beautiful set who appear regularly in celebrity magazines).

Of course, there are other ways of removing hair such as waxing, depilatory creams and shaving but laser hair removal is the most popular method of removing hair for men who have the cash to spend. Here’s why:-

1. You can treat large areas of your body fast. Men typically want to remove hair from areas such as the back, chest, stomach and legs and this would be too costly and time consuming for any other permanent hair removal method such as electrolysis.
2. Laser hair removal is less painful than other effective methods of hair removal. Any man who has read a graphic description of chest waxing (or worse, back, crack and sack waxing) is likely to choose laser treatment from sheer terror! Although men will of course experience some discomfort from laser hair removal it is nowhere near as painful as waxing or as daunting. (The treatment feels like being pinged with tiny rubber bands)
3. Laser hair removal is a permanent method of reducing hair growth. After the initial sessions the odd top-up session might be needed but hair will be permanently reduced or eliminated. Actually, this can also be a disadvantage (see below).

If men decide against laser hair removal the main reasons are usually because

1. the cost of laser treatment – you pay a few hundred dollars per session and need probably 3 to 6 sessions to treat each area plus follow up maintenance sessions to deal with any regrowth
2. the time required for appointments in a busy schedule
3. the permanent nature of laser treatment. Once hair has gone it is unlikely to return and as we know fashions change..a chest wig is not a good look

Laser hair removal for men is available in many clinics and centers nationwide. They are just as used to treating men as they are women. So if it seems like the right method for you, browse around a few clinics online and make appointments with a few consultants to talk about treatment, costs and potential results.

You may have heard of IPL hair removal and wondered what it is as it often often talked of alongside laser hair removal as a permanent method of hair reduction.

IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light and is actually one of the most common forms of “laser hair removal” used though it doesn’t actually use lasers in the strictest sense of the word!

The difference is that lasers (or Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation) produce a precise high energy beam of light in a single wavelength while Intense Pulsed Light systems use hundreds of different wavelengths of light. The bursts of light in IPL are filtered so that the flashes can be targeted at the hair in as precise a way as lasers would be.

In fact there are very few differences in the effect of laser and IPL hair removal treatment. Both work in the same way. The high energy light (whether from a laser or IPL hair removal machine) is designed to burn the hair and damage the follicle while leaving the skin relatively unscathed. The hair follicle is affected by the light energy heating up the cells at the base of the hair and damaging them causing them (hopefully) to be unable to produce further hair growth.

The benefits of IPL hair removal over lasers are that it treats a much larger area of skin per light pulse than laser hair treatment. It is therefore extremely popular with patients and clinics alike as it is both faster and cheaper without appearing to have any reduction in effectiveness. However the costs of laser hair removal you see quoted are generally those for the IPL form so this reduction has already been taken into account.

Another benefit of IPL over laser treatment is that there is less risk of damage to skin. That’s because the light is sent out in 4 or 5 pulses. The skin heats up less rapidly with each pulse than the darker hair and follicle and cools down faster between pulses resulting in damage to the hair follicle but not to the surrounding skin. Skin is generally treated with a cooling gel to reduce any burning sensation too.

While it will always be easier to treat patients with fair skin and dark hair (where the difference in hair and skin color is greatest) some IPL machines have been designed to deal with different skin colors these days.

The problem with treating other shades of hair is that it is the melanin in dark hair which absorbs the heat from the IPL machine. If you have blond or gray hair it has very little melanin to absorb the heat energy and so it does not get destroyed.

If you have dark, olive or tanned skin then the skin will also absorb some of the heat energy and may get damaged. This has been tackled by controlling the light in different ways for different skin types. Your treatment will probably take longer than someone who has fair skin and dark hair but it is now possible. Make sure you discuss these details during the initial consultation to ensure that the treatment and machine being proposed for IPL hair removal treatment are matched to your specific requirements.

Unfortunately just as with laser hair removal treatment IPL only damages follicles that are in their growth phase. This means that each Intense Pulsed Light treatment will only be effective on about 60% of the hair follicles that are actively growing at that time. (This percentage varies a little across different parts of the body). You have to rely on further IPL hair removal treatments to tackle the remaining hair. This means that everyone needs a course of at least 3 treatments and possibly 6 to 8 for best results.

Getting the best laser hair removal treatment starts before you visit the clinic for the first time. Look around online at all the places offering laser hair removal in your area. Send for their information and compare notes. Visit those places which appeal – not just those offering the best brochures but a good range of laser centers and clinics to find the best one for your treatment.

You see some laser treatment centers will have very capable sales and marketing people but you want the centers with the best laser hair removal equipment and the most trained technicians not just the most persuasive sales people. You have to read between the ads to get the best results and customer service for your money.

What should you be looking for in quality laser hair removal treatment?

1. State of the Art Laser Hair Removal Equipment

Laser hair removal equipment improves all the time but as those machines cost several thousand dollars each clinics don’t always stay up to date. Research the equipment that the center uses. And if you have anything other than light skin and dark hair (the easiest combination to treat) check that they have specialist machines which cater for you.

2. Well Trained Operators

Of course, all operators will all be fully trained an have certificates to prove it (this will be required by law in most cases) but what results do they achieve at this particular laser treatment center? Do they have before and after pictures of numerous clients as they go through their treatment showing improvement and real reduction in hair? Do they have believable testimonials?

3. Realistic Promises

Try and get round the sales hype and find out from the clinic what may actually be achievable by you with your skin and hair type. Don’t trust a clinic which glosses over the fact that you probably won’t achieve complete, permanent hair removal. Ask about how painful the treatment is and don’t trust any clinic which talks about pain free. As a minimum you will feel some discomfort – like being pinged by tiny rubber bands. Trust a clinic which tells it exactly as it is, not the one which hypes things up.

4. Guarantees

If a laser treatment center is offering to treat hair until it is gone for good with free of charge follow up appointments then that is great because every type of skin and hair reacts differently but it is more likely that you will a get certain number of follow up sessions included in your package if hair is not fully removed. Just weigh up the likely cost of follow up laser treatment at each clinic if it is not including when you are considering different packages.

5. General Environment

Do you feel comfortable with the clinic? Is it clean? Does it seem that it is efficiently run? Do you get the feeling that they are just after your money or truly care that you solve your unwanted hair problems? (Not always easy to tell but if they are putting you under pressure to sign up before you have had a chance to make up your mind you have your answer) Even small things like appointments being available when you need them may sway your decision between one clinic and another.

6. Plenty of Information

Do they tell you exactly what to expect before, during and after each session? Do they have information you can take away and read? For information about what they should be telling you see the articles on the main part of the Simply Hair Removal site about what to expect at each stage of treatment: See the Laser Hair Removal section

7. Costs

Finally the cost of the treatment. Look at the overall cost given the number of sessions you are likely to need (including top up treatments) and compare it to the average laser hair removal price as well as the cost of other clinics in your local area. (Prices do vary quite a lot between different regions from $350 on average per session to $500). Check out any payment plans on offer which may help you to afford laser hair removal treatment too (but don’t forget to add on the cost of any finance charges to the overall price).