Laser Hair Removal

The treatment is painless and easily tolerated, by almost everyone undergoing Laser Hair Removal treatment with us. This is due, among other things,  to the special cooling system with cold air of the 7th Generation Laser Alexandrite.

However, in people who have hypersensitivity in pain and in specific anatomic areas, such as the bikini area,  an anaesthetic cream may be used before the Laser treatment.

Although this varies from person to person, depending on their skin phototype, hair density and their hormonal profile, we would say that the worldwide average with Laser Alexandrite for someone to have a good response and enter the maintenance phase is 10 - 14 sessions But someone will wonder why not all hairs don’t fall down with just one session? That’s because only the hairs that are in the anagen phase are permanently destroyed, each time a session takes place, while the rest grow back.

After each Laser session, all visible hairs on the surface of the skin will fall. However, only those of them that were in the growth phase (in the anagen phase) will be permanently destroyed and will not come out again.while the rest will come out again in about 4 weeks’ time. That’s why several sessions are required (10-14 on average), until the Laser reaches all the hairs in this particular phase of their life cycle and destroys them permanently.

Sometimes, in their attempt to sell, Beauty Salons or even medical practices promise permanent reduction in hair growth in just 3-6 sessions. Even with the 7th generation Laser Alexandrite, which is the hair removal’s gold standard, the needed sessions are over 6. For these reasons, you should be very careful to whom you should trust your body, so they don’t cheat you.

In order to understand the answer to this question, you should know the life phases of hair. In each hair we distinguish 3 phases during its life: anagen, telogen and catagen. Of course, not all hairs that are visible on the surface of the skin are in the same phase of their cycle, at the same time. The anagen phase is the phase when the hair regenerates, emerges from the hair follicle and begins to be visible on the surface of the skin. This anagen phase lasts about 3 to 5 weeks. In this phase, the hair has the highest melanin concentration and since the Laser targets the melanin of the hair, for this reason the Laser permanently destroys the hairs in the anagen phase. That’s why your next Laser session should be done every 3 - 5 weeks, in order for the hairs to be in the anagen phase and for the Laser to have the maximum possible effectiveness.

Practically, the treatment must be repeated every 30 days or at the latest every 40 days and not every 15 days, as you have been told by Beauty Salons, where you can find cheap and non-medical Lasers or IPL - Photolysis. . and not every 15 days, as you have been told by Beauty Salons,  The reason they ask you to go every 15 days is because their inappropriate or old devices do not have the power to reach the energy within the hair follicle, in order for the hair to be permanently destroyed and fall down.

No, this is not necessary when you use new, advanced and professional Laser devices. Repeating your session every 15 days is something that you hear mostly in Beauty Salons with IPL devices or in Medical Practices with old or inappropriate devices. The only thing that these devices will do is to weaken just the visible part of the hair shaft (which is on the surface of the skin), without destroying the hair follicle, which is inside the skin and therefore hair will grow back again.

That's why they ask you to go back there in 15 days, because the hairs that were hit were not destroyed. Even in this repeated session in 15 days, only the visible part of the hair will be hitted again and not the follicle, as these devices do not have the power to penetrate deeper. In reality, they "hit" again the same hairs that were not destroyed and because of this, their inner hair shaft has come to the surface again. This process is being continued without the hair, actually, falling down. And sometimes this whole process which doesn't really “kill” hairs activates hypertrichosis and hairs appear in areas where you didn't even have hair previously.

Hair begins to fall down 5 - 15 days after your session. As the burned hairs are expelled from the hair follicle, they will appear as black "spots" within the skin. These hairs will fall down on their own and you should not pull them, as you will irritate your skin. If you want to speed up the process of their fall, you can use a body scrub or use a loofah in your bathroom.

However, you should be aware that during this period, the damaged and burned hair will fall down and new hairs will begin to appear on the surface of the skin that were not there before and were not visible on the surface of the skin, on the day of your Laser session. These are new hairs, slowly emerging upwards and will be hitted with the Laser at your next session in 30 days. That’s why it is very important to be consistent in your appointments and not to miss your sessions.

In order to get better and faster results with the Laser, shaving is not recommended between your sessions, as this can lead to hair re-growth. However, if there is a special occasion that requires you to shave between your sessions, you can shave, as long as it is not done frequently and systematically.

We advise you not to use other hair removal methods between your sessions  and especially tweezers or waxing, as these methods remove completely the hair follicle and there is no target left for the Laser in that case.

On the body, if it is absolutely necessary to remove the new hairs until your next session, we recommend the use of depilatory creams (like Veet Cream), while on the face we recommend trimming the facial hair with scissors.

Unfortunately, the answer is no. And there is a medical explanation for this.  The Laser only targets hair’s melanin. In white and blonde hair there is an absence of melanin and therefore Laser will not be effective.

Laser Hair Removal is the most popular aesthetic treatment, with its demand in recent years to start from adolescence. Someone can start Laser Hair Removal both on the face and on the body from the age of 12 - 14 years and above, usually when menstruation begins for girls. The procedure is completely safe for the child and written consent of the parent is always required for starting the Laser at ages under 18.

In our Clinics the answer is YES, due to the state-of-the-art 7th generation Laser Alexandrite, which is suitable for tanned skin.

No tests are required before starting Laser Hair Removal, unless there is an indication of an underlying hormonal disorder. Our Dermatologists who will record your medical history during your first consultation, will decide whether tests should be done, for example for the presence of hormonal disorders, such as polycystic ovaries.

If you're a Solarium fanatic and you love tanned skin (even when it doesn't come from the natural process of sun tanning), you're most likely wondering if the Laser Hair Removal process can be combined with the use of sunbeds. The answer is Yes, if where you choose to go, they have a 7th Generation Alexandrite, as this laser device is the most modern laser and suitable for tanned skin.

The answer is NO. Lasers cannot distinguish hair pigment (melanin) from tattoo pigment. Practically that means that in the area of the tattoo, the energy of the Laser, instead of being absorbed by the melanin of the hair, will be absorbed by the pigment of the tattoo and this will discolor it.

According to medical studies, Laser Hair Removal during pregnancy is not contraindicated, as it poses no risk to the fetus. If a pregnant woman wishes to continue her Laser sessions, she can do so, after the consent of her Gynecologist, who is her primary physician.

It is rare for the Laser to cause side effects when it is done under the supervision of a Dermatologist, who has customized your treatment, based on your skin and its needs and the application is done by experienced qualified medical and nursing staff. That’s why you should prefer Medical Clinics for your Laser treatments and not beauty salons, where there is no medical supervision and control. The adverse effects that may occur include transient burns of the skin surface, which leave skin discolorations (such as hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation) and which subside over time, in a few months.

The contraindications for Laser Hair Removal are photosensitivity and diseases related to it such as:

• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
• Porphyrias
• Use of Photosensitive Drugs such as systemic administration of isotretinoin and tetracycline
• Clients that have undergone recent Solarium or Self tanning or recent sun exposure
• Areas that have undergone Chemical Peelings
• Various Active Skin Diseases in the application area (e.g. eczema, psoriasis, cold sores).

Laser Hair Removal may be chosen mainly for aesthetic reasons, but this particular method is also effective for medical conditions. The most common cases are:

• Folliculitis, i.e. the pimples that appear after shaving, waxing at home or with depilatory devices.
• Hirsutism, when the body shows dense hair locally due to hormonal disorders.
• Ingrowning Hair, when the hair turns inwards and enters the skin, causing scars and annoying red pimples.
• Warts in the Genital Area: Laser hair removal, in this case, helps to prevent the problem from recurring, from the mechanical injury of the skin during shaving.
• History of a Pilonidal Cyst, when the hair in the mesogluteal region intrudes and leads to inflammation of the area.