The average Celibre patient will achieve between 70% and 95% permanent reduction of unwanted hair in the first 6 to 8 treatments.  Some patients are satisfied after 4 treatments whereas others may require as many as 10.  There is also a very, very small number of patients that do not respond well to laser hair removal.  This is less than 5% in our practice, and we cannot always identify why the program did not work out for them.

There are some factors that will influence the number of laser hair removal treatments you will need.  Patient compliance with the laser hair removal treatment plan (timely appointments and intervals between treatments, not waxing or plucking, etc.) will enhance results and lead to fewer treatments.  If a patient has a hormone imbalance like PCOD, more laser hair removal treatments may be required.  If a patient has very fine hair or it is not very brown or black, they may require more laser hair removal treatments.  Certain ethnicities have hair that requires more laser hair removal treatments.  Laser hair removal for certain areas of the body also will lead to different expectations when it comes to the number of treatments needed for optimal results.  For example, treating backs or full legs generally requires more laser hair removal treatments than treating a patient’s underarms or bikini area.

Orange County laser hair removal treatments visit www.celibre.com/hairremoval.aspx. 

Orange County Laser hair removal FREE consultation, www.celibre.com/contactlist.aspx.

Orange County Permanent Laser Hair Removal treatments Before & After Pictures, www.celibre.com/ba.aspx.

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

We often hear this question and our response is that it varies.  It depends on the type of hair you have, the type of skin you have, the amount of area to be treated and the laser to be used.  We would rather see the patient in person to determine the price because it helps us set proper expectations regarding the cost, number of treatments and expected outcome.  With that said, it may be possible to compare prices for laser hair removal facilities, but our caution would always be to find a practitioner with lots of experience with the procedures and the right type of laser for your skin type.

Celibre Medical Los Angeles and Orange County Laser Hair Removal program, www.celibre.com/hairremoval.aspx.

Laser hair removal Los Angeles by Celibre Medical.   More Los Angeles laser hair removal before and after pictures, www.celibre.com/ba.aspx.

One of the main mistakes consumers make when choosing a practitioner for laser hair removal is that they shop for the cost of a single treatment rather than considering the total cost of laser hair removal.  The total price for laser hair removal is the cost per treatment times the number of treatments.  Also, it is implied when a potential patient asks us how much laser hair removal costs, that they believe that no matter which facility they go to, that the ultimate results will be the same.  This could not be farther from the truth.  When a facility prices their procedures very low, they have to cut costs any way they can.  Cutting back on training or expertise by hiring inexperienced nurses is one way.  Using inferior and cheaper lasers is another way.  And finally, a third is to rush the patient through treatment by not taking as much time or covering as much area.  All of these cost cutting strategies can lead to worse outcomes, more treatments required and/or less hair removed.

Schedule a free Orange County laser hair removal consultation at www.celibre.com/contactlist.aspx.

Our advice to our patients and consults alike is to do lots of research.  Find out what others are saying about the facility, which lasers they have and how much experience the nurses or physicians performing the treatments have.  Lastly, go to several consultations.  We've found that our patients value the trusted relationship we develop with them and the results that we deliver.  The old saying "you get what you pay for" will go a long way in determining the question - what is the price for laser hair removal? For more information on laser hair removal, go to http://www.celibre.com/hairremoval.aspx.

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. 

Click to to schedule a free consultation  or call us www.celibre.com/contactlist.aspx.

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