What can I expect at my consultation?
A dermatologist or dermatological surgeon with training and experience in laser hair removal may be best suited to decide whether you're a candidate for laser hair removal and, if so, what type of laser may work best for you. During an initial consultation, your doctor will ask about your medical history, assesses your skin type and explains the risks and benefits of laser hair removal. To reduce the risk of complications, your doctor may ask you to refrain from taking medications such as aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or dietary supplements such as niacin and vitamin E. If you have a tan from sun exposure or sunless tanning products, you must wait until the tan fades completely before you can undergo laser hair removal.
Laser hair removal is effective only on short, visible hair. Two to three days before the procedure, you shave the area to be treated, and allow it to grow to a stubble. Avoid waxing or plucking the hair. Ask your doctor about ways to minimize the discomfort of laser hair removal. He or she may advise you to apply a thick layer of an over-the-counter cream containing the anesthetic lidocaine to your skin 45 minutes before treatment.
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Is laser hair removal covered by insurance?
Laser hair removal is considered to be cosmetic and is therefore, not covered by insurance. The patient is responsible for payment, though financing options are usually available.
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What to expect during the laser hair removal procedure?
The length of a laser session may range from a few minutes to an hour or more depending on the size of the area being treated. How long the procedure takes depends on the area of the body involved. A small area such as the upper lip may take several minutes. A larger area such as the back may require several hours.
Since laser tends to treat hair follicles that are in an active growth phase, more than one treatment may be required to disable hair follicles that subsequently enter this growth phase.
During the procedure, laser light will be delivered through a hand held piece attached to a laser console. You may experience a stinging sensation as the laser pulse is delivered. To reduce discomfort, the cooling system automatically removes heat from the surface of your skin before, during and after the laser exposure. You should not need general anesthesia or pain medication, but a topical anesthetic cream may be applied to sensitive areas. The process can take from just a few minutes for an upper lip to several hours for a full back and legs.
Laser treatment itself may cause a slight tingling sensation. Most patients tolerate the procedure well. But because some areas of the body are more sensitive than others, topical anesthesia can be an option. The appearance of the treated area immediately after the laser session will vary from patient to patient depending on the extent of treatment and skin type. Immediate after-effects, if any, are minor. They may include redness and swelling, which disappear in a short time. Most people return to normal activity right away.
During the procedure, you wear goggles to protect your eyes from accidental exposure to laser light. The procedure causes a slight charring of your stubble. You may notice a strong odor of singed hair, which is normal. Afterwards, you may experience some temporary redness and swelling.
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One of the more common problems you see in darker skinned patients, particularly when the hair is curly is pseudofolliculitis. Pseudofolliculitis is bumps in the area where the hair is and that problem improves very rapidly following laser treatment. In fact, after a single laser treatment pseudofolliculitis can improve tremendously even though all of the hair is not removed.
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