Laser Hair Removal for Asian Skin

The hair alternates between periods of growth (anagen) and no growth (telogen), each hair is in a different phase of growth.
During a hair removal session, all the hairs are targeted, with no way of knowing in which phase of growth they are in. The hair needs to be in the active growing stage (anagen) for treatment to be effective.
Therefore, a series of laser sessions is always necessary. How many sessions are needed varies on a case by case basis and depends upon hair and skin type as well as hormonal conditions. Normally, 6 to10 sessions per area are needed in order to reach hair reduction of up to 90%.

Since the laser beam targets the pigments contained in the hair, all pigmented hair will react very well to treatment. Hair from very dark to dark blond can be treated effectively, while white or grey hair will not respond to the treatment. In general, the darker the hair, the better the absorption and therefore the better the results.

The effectiveness of the treatment depends on the colour, thickness and depth of the hair. The outcome of the treatment also depends on the hormone levels. To reach a high level of effectiveness, it is important to set up a treatment plan with your Simply Skin Practitioner based on your skin type and hair consistency.

The hair will become, softer, finer and sometimes even lighter. Some follicles could be diminished permanently. The skin will be smoother and less ingrowing hairs will occur.

The hair should be shaved on the day of or the day before treatment. The patient must not wax, thread or tweeze any of the hairs being treated as this disrupt their natural growing stage. The skin should be clean of fake tan, make up, moistuisers or deodorant.
Sun exsposure should be avoided 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after treatment. Please let your Simply Skin Practioner know if you have been in the sun.

Following the treatment, a redness of the skin and sensations of warmth can occur. Each patient and hair/skin type react differently. Sometimes the hair follicle may swell up which can appear like nettle stings. This is what we would describe as a GCEP - Good Clinical endpoint.
The hair will fall out after a few days but may take up to 2 weeks.

The treatments are normally performed with an interval of four to 6 weeks.
For facial hair, treatment will be performed every 4 weeks and body hair every 6 weeks.

Before any treatments commence a full and thorough consultation is performed by your Simply Skin practitioner.
This will enable us to asses your hair and skin type and check if there are any contra-indications which could potentially hinder treatment.
If you take medications please bring the name of them along.
If possible please do not shave the hair, or at least leave a small patch visible. It is preferable the hair is not waxed, threaded or tweezed two weeks before your first treatment.
A test patch on the chosen area will be performed and your first treatment could be performed after 4 days.

IPL has no specific target, resulting in the need for more treatments and higher risks of side-effects. Laser has a target which is the dark pigment found in the hair . Laser treatment will require fewer treatments and has less associated side effects reported.