Our dedicated team are friendly and have made it our goal to create a warm and comfortable environment for our clients. We perform safe, effective treatments with longlasting results.
- Cease all bleaching, tweezing, waxing or electrolysis 4 – 5 weeks prior to treatment session. Remember, the target hair is needed in the follicle to absorb the laser light.
- Shave the area to be treated 1 day prior to treatment session. The technician can always shave the area further before beginning treatment.
- Avoid active tanning for 2 weeks prior to treatment session. You do not want active melanin in your skin to absorb the laser light.
- Avoid self-tanner for 1 week prior to treatment.
- The treatment area should be clean of any perfume, deodorant, makeup, lotions, sun block or any other chemical or skincare products. The technician will be able to clean the area for you as well.
02 Procedure
We ask that each new client come in for a complimentary consultation, during which we conduct a full medical history and perform a test patch to see how your skin responds to specific settings on the laser. Treatment may begin anywhere from 2 – 5 days after the test patch.
At the beginning of every treatment session, we will review your medical status and ask if there have been any changes. Please remember to inform the technician of any changes, like medications taken or sun exposure, because they may alter the effectiveness of the treatment or may cause undo side effects.
The technician will shave the target area if necessary and then cleanse the area free of all chemical or skin care products. The technician will line the area to be treated with a light, washable marker and then will systematically treat the area with the laser until the entire area has been completed.
Protective eyewear must be worn by the client and technician during the entire procedure. Some clients may feel a slight discomfort with the laser pulse, sometimes described as a pinch or the snapping of a rubber band on the skin. This discomfort is minimized by Candela’s DCDTM cooling system and diminishes almost instantaneously for most clients. The length of a laser treatment may last anywhere from just 5 minutes to an hour or more, depending on the area of the body being treated.
03 Post Treatment
The appearance of the treated area will vary from client to client, depending on skin sensitivity. Immediately after treatment, there should be erythema (redness) and edema (swelling) at the treatment site. This shows that the hair follicles have reacted to the laser treatment. This reaction may last only 20 minutes or may last up to 2 hours or longer, depending on skin sensitivity. In rare cases, the erythema may last up to 2 – 3 days.
The technician will apply an ice pack and/or aloe vera gel to the treated area to help ease temporary, mild burning. The treated area may feel like a sunburn for a few hours after treatment, so treat the skin gently. Shower in tepid water, wash with a mild soap and pat the skin dry. Do not rub. The technician will apply sunblock to any treated area that will be exposed to the sun upon leaving the session. Avoid active sun exposure for 2 weeks following treatment and always use sunblock (SPF 25 or higher) throughout treatment. It is recommended to avoid direct sun exposure and tanning beds throughout the course of your treatment. This will reduce the chance of hyperpigmentation.
In the rare case of minor epidermal blistering and crusting, apply a topical antibiotic cream (not ointment) and inform the technician so that it can be noted in your chart. For the next 3 weeks after the treatment session, the treated area will “shed” some hair. This may seem like the hairs are just continuing to grow, but in actuality, the hairs are growing out of their newly destroyed follicles. Once the hairs are expelled, you may experience a period of hairlessness and smoothness in the treated area while you await your next treatment. Subsequent hair growth in the treated area is the result of either newly active follicles or follicles that were in a regressive or dormant phase at the time of treatment. Hair regrowth occurs at different rates on different areas of the body. The technician will inform you of when it is best to schedule your next treatment session.