DENVER, CO – Many people, men and women alike, experience unwanted hair growth on their bodies and look to various methods of reducing or removing the hair. Shaving, waxing and chemical hair-removal creams are the most rudimentary forms of removal as they are each temporary and need regular application to keep unwanted hair growth at bay.

Breakthroughs in medical lasers over the last 13 years, however, now offer many patients the opportunity to secure long-term or even permanent hair removal, and recent advances in these lasers make the procedure a relatively painless therapy that can solve the problem is as little as a few sessions with minimal healing downtime.

Medical lasers for unwanted hair removal are used under the guidance of a physician and highly trained technicians. These experts report that the most common requests for hair removal come from women experiencing hair growth on their faces, and men who seek to remove excess hair on their backs and torsos.

There are essentially two types of hair removal, depilation and epilation. Depilation refers to removing the hair above the skin line, and in its most common forms involves shaving, trimming and the chemical creams, called depilatories, which have been on the market for decades under such brand names as Neet and Nair. Depilation has been around for centuries, with historical records dating back to ancient Egypt describing the reasons for and the methods through which unwanted hair was removed.

Epilation involves removing the entire hair, including growth under the skin, where such methods as waxing and electrolysis, although the former is temporary at best, and the latter involves treatments that can take as much as two years to complete with satisfaction.

Laser hair removal, on the other hand, has taken hold in recent years as a highly effective hair-removal therapy featuring lasting results and minimal lifestyle changes during treatment.

Using modern medical lasers, hair can be removed from practically any area of the body, including the face, legs, back, arms and even underarms. The type of hair removal that is ideal for each patient depends on a number of factors, including hair color, hair texture, skin color and what is causing the superfluous hair to grow.

Superfluous or excessive hair, sometimes called hirsutism, can be a result of congenital or systemic conditions or even medications that cause abnormal hair growth like steroids and birth control pills. Congenital conditions — the patient’s genetic blueprint — determines the amount, location and timing of hair growth, and treatment schedules and results vary with hair and skin color, ancestry, the location of the unwanted hair, and the size of the hair-removal area.

The latest medical lasers on the market for hair removal are the Cynosure Laser with TKS and the Apogee Elite.

With the Cynosure Laser, a gentle beam of laser light can reduce unwanted hair on men and women in as few as three or four sessions. This relatively quick and painless treatment uses a laser that emits a gentle beam of energy that passes through the skin to the hair follicle. The energy is then transformed into heat which damages the follicle. The scientific principle called Thermokinetic Selectivity (TKS) makes this method of hair removal particularly effective.

The only untreatable areas are those adjacent to the eyes. Fair-skinned patients with dark hair are the ideal candidates, although patients with darker complexions can be treated after a successful test patch. Also, blonde hair does not respond well to laser treatment. Patients with a tan are advised to wait until the tan subsides before receiving laser treatment.

Depending on how large an area is being treated, this procedure can last from a few minutes to more than one hour. The hair is treated with a beam of concentrated laser light that selectively absorbs the melanin in the hair shaft as well as the surrounding hair follicles. Laser procedures can treat hundreds of hair follicles at a time, unlike electrolysis which kills one hair follicle at a time.

For best results, treatments are performed approximately 4 to 6 weeks apart. Lasers tend to treat hair follicles that are in an active growth phase, therefore more than one treatment is generally required to disable hair follicles still growing. After each treatment patients may return to work immediately, and experience some swelling or a burning sensation that typically lasts no more than 24 hours. Blisters and burns are extremely rare but do occur, particularly to patients with dark skin. Although some hair may still be present, shaving is not recommended; less and less hair will be evident over the course of treatments.

With the Apogee Elite Laser, a beam of light is emitted that heats the target area or hair follicle and the light energy damages the target while sparing the surrounding skin. In addition to treating unwanted hair, the Apogee Elite treats small facial veins, bluish-purple leg veins and spider veins. And it works on all skin types including dark and tanned skin.

The number of sessions needed to treat unwanted hair using the Apogee Elite laser depends on the selected treatments and the skin and hair type. Sessions are usually 10 to 15 minutes long, although larger areas, like full leg, may take longer.

After treatment, exfoliation will occur naturally in 7 to 14 days and during this time, patients may shave, but plucking is discouraged. Immediately after treatment with the Apogee Elite laser, normal activities may resume, although a sunscreen may be recommended.

The type of laser used for unwanted hair removal depends on a wide range of factors – hair color, skin color and type, the area being treated, etc. – and the determination is generally made by the physician in consultation with the patient before the treatments begin.

Lasers have become very commonplace in almost every aspect of modern life over the last 40 years a or more, however effective laser hair removal treatments with medical lasers were first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1997. Since that time advancements in laser technology have taken quantum leaps and today the procedure is highly effective and in wide-spread use.

The better you prepare for treatment, the more likely the treatment is to be successful. Studies show that laser hair removal treatments reduce hair growth from 20 – 90%, depending upon the individual. If you take these precautions, chances are you’ll increase your success rate, says Dr. Raval.

Do not tan, not even sunless tanning, 4 – 6 weeks prior to treatment. A tan increases side effects of blistering and skin discoloration. If you do tan, you’ll have to wait weeks to let the tan fade completely before undergoing laser hair removal.

Avoid waxing or plucking hairs including electrolysis prior to treatment too. Laser hair removal is most effective if hairs are visible but shaved short. You can shave the day of the procedure.

During the procedure, patients wear goggles to prevent accidental exposure of the eyes to laser light. Sometimes the physician or laser tech will apply a topical local anesthetic to the treatment area to reduce any discomfort, although many patients claim there’s nothing uncomfortable about the treatment other than the smell of singed hair which is normal.

Treatment can take minutes to several hours depending upon the area of the body being treated. It’s normal for the cost of the laser hair removal treatment to be based upon the length of time it takes to perform the service, so hair removal from the lip will be less expensive than hair removal across an entire back.

Call Rocky Mountain Laser Aesthetics today for an appointment. 303-985-8520.

A.  Interestingly, most of the patients seeking tattoo removal at the Rocky Mountain Laser Clinic are younger vs. older, says Jessica Santi, CNS, CLS and Rocky Mountain Clinical Coordinator. “We rarely see an older woman getting her Betty Boop tattoo removed!”

“Patients tell us that they thought getting a tattoo was a good idea at the time. Now that they’re older, the tattoo doesn’t fit their lifestyle or career plans,” Santi says. The good thing is that the younger the person, the more likely their skin is to heel better during the tattoo removal process.

The length of time it takes to remove a tattoo is entirely dependant upon the size of the tattoo, the color inks, and if it was professionally done. “A professionally done tattoo is far more difficult to remove than a tattoo that’s homemade,” she continues. Black is one of the easiest tattoo colors to remove while blues greens and purples are not. Also, newer tattoos are more difficult than older because the older ones are usually already in the process of being broken down, being attacked by the body’s own forces and as well being impacted by sun. “We’ve all seen tattoos that are blurred and soft-edged,” Santi says.

The Rocky Mountain Laser Clinic has invested in the MedLite® C Series laser, a Q-Switched Nd:YAG Laser series from HOYA ConBio, this laser is considered the safest, fastest and easiest-to-use aesthetic laser currently on the market for tattoo removal.

Tattoo removal became an option with laser technology. Prior to the introduction of the laser to erase tattoos, many people chose to overwrite their existing tattoo with another larger and darker tattoo, oftentimes regretting that even more than the original.

A.  At the Rocky Mountain Laser Clinic, we’ve found that nothing’s better to remove tattoos than the MedLite® C Series. This Q-Switched Nd:YAG Laser series from HOYA ConBio is considered the safest, fastest and easiest-to-use aesthetic laser currently on the market for tattoo removal. Its MultiLite hand pieces—non-hazardous, dye-impregnated polymer rods—convert the 532 nm wavelength to either 585 nm or 650 nm allowing different wavelengths in one laser. That adaptability in turn increases the treatment options of the MedLite C6.

This photo-acoustic laser delivers energy at such a high rate of speed that it effectively breaks up the ink in a tattoo. It works most effectively on black; less effectively on blues, greens and purples. Professional tattoos are harder to remove than homemade tats, and older tattoos are easier to remove than newer tattoos. The reason for that, explains Jessica Santi, CNS, CLS and Rocky Mountain Laser Clinical Coordinator, is that the body of its own accord, begins to break down the inks in a tattoo over time. Sun will also contribute to the breakdown of a tattoo.

The number of visits it takes to remove a tattoo varies depending on the colors in the tattoo, the size of the tattoo and the individual’s skin type.

Most of the patients seeking tattoo removal are on the younger side, says Santi. And there’s an advantage to that because the younger a person is, typically the quicker they heal.