This statement is false. 

Not all of the hair on the body is thick enough or has enough color for permanent laser hair removal.  Permanent laser hair removal occurs only when the blood vessel that feeds the hair is damaged enough from the heat of the laser treatment that it no longer functions correctly.  Once the blood vessel to the hair is closed, it stops growing.  This is the only scenario where permanent hair removal is achieved.  The hair can only be heated to the point where the blood vessel is damaged when it has color and volume.  Fine hair with no color does not respond well to laser hair removal, and these fine colorless hairs are the most common on our body.  The hair that disappears most easily in laser hair removal are those hairs with lots of color and density, ie coarse, dark hair.  Medium hair with color responds well also, but fine light colored and/or grey hair does not respond which is why it is never a good idea to go into the laser hair removal program with the idea that 100% of the hair will be removed.

Los Angeles Laser hair removal myths, www.celibre.com/hairremoval.aspx.  

Los Angeles laser hair removal free consultation, www.celibre.com/contactlist.aspx.

As the laser hair removal program progresses, the hair that remains is the less colored less coarse hair and for this reason, less and less hair is removed successively after 4 or 5 treatments.  It is a rule of diminishing returns - the more laser hair removal treatments you have had, the less coarse, dark hair that remains and the more difficult it is to continue to get further hair removal.  In our practice the expectation we set is that our patients will achieve somewhere between 70% and 95% hair loss in the laser hair removal program.

Read about the basics of Laser Hair Removal.

Lori Haney, RN, MEP-C

Certified Medical Laser Safety Officer

A laser is a very powerful light source.  Using this very powerful light source (combined with selective targeting) we are able to create the right kind of damage to a hair follicle so that it ceases to grow.  That's the simple explanation for laser hair removal!

Now, the more complex explanation.  In laser hair removal, the target for the heat energy of the laser is the pigment (color) within the hair.  By utilizing the correct energy level and type of laser (which depends on the patients skin type), it is possible to cause permanent changes to the root (or bulge) of the hair follicle.  There are very small blood vessels that feed the hair follicle at the root.  When the laser energy penetrates the skin, it is absorbed primarily in the bulb of the hair follicle.  This in turns heats up the bulb of the follicle as well as the small blood vessels that feed the hair and allow it to grow.  By heating up these small blood vessels enough, we aim to close them off so that they no longer supply blood flow to the hair follicle.  When this happens, the hair ceases to grow.

Laser hair removal Los Angeles treatment program by Celibre Medical, www.celibre.com/hairremoval.aspx.  

Schedule a free Los Angeles laser hair removal consultation at Celibre Medical, www.celibre.com/contactlist.aspx.

Now that you have an understanding of how laser hair removal works, there are several other very important factors you should understand before getting laser hair removal.  The body has amazing ability to heal the blood vessels that feed the hair so the process of closing them takes repeated treatments over an extended period of time.  In our practice we find that typically patients will need between 6-8 treatments and the average time btween treatments is about 8 weeks.  So the process does not occur overnight.  

The thicker and darker your hair, the better chance of being able to achieve good outcomes.  This is why very fine light colored hair does not respond so well to laser hair removal.  The bigger the target for the laser, the easier it is to absorb the energy.  Thick dark hair absorbs the most laser energy so it responds the quickest.   At this time, there is no laser technology that can produce long-term results for hair that is lacking pigment such as white, grey, and blond hair.  There are some lasers that must be combined with the use of sprayed on color (carbon) to the hair to add enough pigment for the laser to be able to locate the hair.  However, the long-term results are inconsistent at best and we do not practice this technique at our facilities.

Using the correct laser for laser hair removal and the correct amount of energy for each different patient is very important in the outcome for someone doing laser hairremoval.  If you are not getting the right laser for your skin type or the proper amount of energy required to damage the blodd vessel, then your results will be poor.  You may have a very low percentage of hair removal or you may not get any permanent hair removal at all.  A good practitioner will understand the need to utilize the perfect “recipe” that is tailored to the color and texture of the patient’s skin and hair.

Besides the right technology and settings, it is important to follow the correct treatment schedule to get the best results for your laser hair removal program.  The success of laser hair removal relies heavily on timing.  For laser hair removal to be effective, the treatment should be rendered when the hair is in the growth cycle known as the anagen phase.  It is during this hair growth phase when the hair is optimal for permanent destruction.  This is another important reason why multiple treatments are needed for optimal results.  Multiple or successive treatments allow for more opportunity to target hair in the growth phase and induce permanent damage to the blood vessel.  When the hair is not in the anagen phse, there is no target fo rthe heat energy because the hair is not present in the follicle - it has fallen out.  By waiting the appropriate time between treatments, the hair is given the correct amount of time to grow back in. 

Finally, what the patient does between treatments is crucial in maximizing benefits. If patients utilize other hair removal methods between laser treatments such as plucking or waxing, outcomes will be negatively affected as this will disrupt the hair growth cycle.  The only acceptable method of hair removal when receiving laser hair removal treatments is shaving.

Read about the basics of Laser Hair Removal.

Lori Haney, RN, MEP-C

Certified Medical Laser Safety Officer

The goal of laser hair removal is to achieve a permanent hair reduction in the treated areas.  The term permanent hair removal can be confusing as it can be taken to imply that all the hair in the treated area will be permanently gone.  While this is a possibility, it isn't the norm, nor is it appropriate to suggest that this can be easily accomplished.  Unfortunately, (or fortunately depending on how one looks at it) our bodies have an amazing ability to regenerate or heal...including hair follicles.  A realistic goal to set forth for consumers is that, on average, 70% of patients will achieve a 70% permanent reduction in the number of visible hairs with an average of 6-8 repeated treatments, 20%-25% of patients will achieve up to 95% reduction in the hair, and an additional 5% - 10% are considered non-responders and will not achieve these average results. 

To learn more about Los Angeles laser hair removal at Celibre, please visit www.celibre.com/hairremoval.aspx. 

To schedule a free Los Angeles Laser hair Removal consultation, please visit www.celibre.com/contactlist.aspx.

The concept of maintenance treatments for hair removal is important in order to understand and appreciate the need of maintaining results whether it be for laser hair removal, acne, facial rejuvenation, or another condition.  The role of hormones in hair growth is a significant factor for many, thus making laser hair removal a good option combined with future maintenance treatments.

Los Angeles Permanent Laser Hair Removal Before & After Pictures. 

Visit www.celibre.com/ba.aspx for more Laser Hair removal Los Angeles before and after photos.

Although it seems like a play on words, results for laser hair removal are better described as a permanent hair reduction (unless you are a non-responder) of the hair (as discussed 70% - 95%) rather than permanent hair removal of 100% of the hair.  If a facility promises 100% removal of the hair and guarantees it, ask for it in writing.  A reputable organization will set realistic expectations for permanent hair removal and then attempt to over-deliver on those expectations.

These are the questions we feel you should be asking and why when trying to choose a Los Angeles laser hair removal practitioner.

1.  How many laser hair removal procedures has the practitioner doing the treatment performed?  Because there are no training requirements in the state of California for laser hair reduction, you do not require previous experience to perform procedures.  It is important that the nurse or physician performing your procedures is experienced for safety reasons as well as because you will generally get better results with a practitioner that has lots of experience with many different skin types and multiple lasers.

2.  What kind of laser is being used for my laser hair removal?  This is a big issue that consumers very often overlook.  If a laser that a particular practitioner has is not ideal for your skin and hair type it can lead to suboptimal results.  This means that it can take far more treatments to get the same amount of hair reduction and/or it might not work well at all , and you will not get a high percentage of hair reduction.

Celibre Medical Los Angeles Laser Hair Removal Before and After Photos, www.celibre.com/ba.aspx.

3.  How many laser hair removal treatments will be required?  The number of treatments required is related to points 1 and 2 above.  If the correct laser is used and an experienced practitioner is doing the treatments, you will limit the amount of treatments required. 

4.  What percentage of hair can I be expected to lose?  For our patients, we set the expectation that 6-8 treatments will yield a loss of 70% - 95%.  With that said, some patients may need more treatments to achieve this and some less.  It depends on the type of hair, skin and the laser used.  It is also important to note that there is a very small percentage of the population (around 5%) that does not respond favorably to laser hair removal and we do not know why.

Contact Celibre Medical by e-mail or phone to schedule a free consultation, www.celibre.com/contactlist.aspx.

5.  How often will I be treated?  This depends to some extent on the area of the body being treated, but when multiple areas are involved, the average time between treatments is 6-8 weeks.

6.  What is the percentage of treatments that have side effects?  In our practice, we see about 3 in 1,000 treatments where an unexpected side effect has occurred.  This rate can be much higher if the practitioner is not using the correct laser for your skin type.

To ensure that you achieve the results you are looking for and that you are being treated by an experienced practitioner in a safe environment, be sure to do several consultations and ask a lot of questions.  Be informed about the laser that is most often used for your skin type and make sure to find a practitioner that has it.  To find out more about Celibre's Los Angeles laser hair removal procedures, please visit http://www.celibre.com/hairremoval.aspx.

Laser hair removal Los Angeles by Celibre Medical.

Lori Haney, RN, MEP-C

Certified Medical Laser Safety Officer

Having done tens of thousands of laser hair removal treatments, and used four different hair reduction devices, we believe as an organization that the Lumenis Lightsheer is the gold standard for hair removal for most skin types between fair (skin type I) through medium (skin type IV). However, for darker skin types there are also many long pulsed YAG lasers (1064nm wavelength) that work very well and will have less incidences of side effects than the Lightsheer or those lasers with shorter wavelengths (Alexandrite laser).

Go to http://www.celibre.com/hairremoval.aspx to read more about laser hair removal. 

Laser Hair Removal Before and After Photos by Celibre Medical, http://www.celibre.com/ba.aspx.

While we use the Lumenis Lightsheer laser for hair removal most often in our practice, we also believe that another very effective hair removal laser is the Alexandrite.  We do not believe in IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) treatments for permanent hair loss because we do not believe that the technology offers high enough energies and short enough pulses to achieve permanent hair removal – at least at the same level as a diode, alexandrite or long pulsed yag laser. 

Lori Haney, RN, MEP-C

Certified Medical Laser Safety Officer

To achieve permanent laser hair removal (where this term represents 70%-95% reduction of the hair in 6-8 treatments), the base of the hair follicle has to be heated to a level where the blood vessels that connect to the base of the hair follicle are damaged. This process usually involves some level of discomfort.  There are methods to lessen the discomfort level during laser hair reduction with cold gels, numbing creams, and cold air blowers; however, to some extent discomfort is part of the process.  If a patient experiences absolutely no discomfort or sensation, we would question the efficacy of the treatment/technique.  Currently, the FDA requires that manufacturers of lasers used for laser hair reduction are able to substantiate (via clinical trials) that their product is "pain free" or "painless laser hair removal" before they are able to advertise that.  There is one manufacturer currently advertising that their laser is pain free, but they have not applied for nor received FDA approval to substantiate this claim.

Go to http://www.celibre.com/hairremoval.aspx to read more about laser hair removal. 

Laser Hair Removal Before and After Photos by Celibre Medical, http://www.celibre.com/ba.aspx. 

Most patients that have undergone waxing will generally say that laser hair removal is far less uncomfortable than waxing.  Because this type of service is the most requested and performed procedure with regards to lasers - it is safe to assume that most patients do quite well. Because each individual responds differently, discomfort levels will vary between patients.  However, this concern is very commom and understandable for those beginning treatments.  We encourage all of our patients and consumers to make inquiry about which technology will be used and what the expectations are.  Ask your practitioner about appropriate comfort measures.  A good practitioner will take your concerns into consideration. 

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Los Angeles laser hair removal.  African American laser hair removal Los Angeles by Celibre Medical.

Lori Haney, RN, MEP-C

Certified Medical Laser Safety Officer