What is Laser hair removal?
Laser hair removal is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures, and one of the fastest growing treatments as more of us wish to be hair free. It is low maintenance and kinder to our environment with one course of hair removal saving the use of up to one hundred razors.
Laser stands for ‘Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation,’ which in simple terms means a single wave of light that travels in the same direction. The result is a narrow, streamlined beam which can accurately focus on a desired area to deliver high levels of energy to the required hair follicles.
We can use a useful analogy of wearing dark clothes on a hot day to demonstrate how the laser then works! Imagine if you wear dark clothing on a summer’s day, you become much hotter than if you wear light clothing. This is because dark colours attract the heat.
When the laser device is shone onto the skin, the dark pigment in the hair (melanin) absorbs the light from the laser. The light turns into heat, which then travels down the hair shaft and destroys the hair matrix. Following this, the hair falls out and is unlikely to grown again due to the root being damaged. The light hairs (no melanin) cannot be destroyed by laser energy. The clinical expectation is that a hair reduction of up to 90% can be achieved.
Why Candela Gentlemax Pro Plus?
If we told you it’s Khloe Kardashian’s choice of laser hair removal, and is the laser machine used by our very own NHS, I’m sure you would agree it must be pretty awesome. However, being the perfectionists we are, we will go on to tell you more amazing stuff about this incredible machine.
The Candela Gentlemax Pro Plus is a medical grade laser and the very latest model in the evolution of laser hair removal to treat all skin types. Built on a foundation of over twenty years in clinical excellence and performance, it is unsurprisingly the leader in the industry, and the number one device recommended by Dermatologists and Aestheticians around the world.
The Gentlemax Pro plus utilises two energy sources, The Alexandrite and Nd: Yag lasers.
The Alexandrite is the gold standard for treating light skin types and the Nd: Yag, for darker skin tones. The lasers can be precisely set according to your unique skin type, hair colour and thickness, to maintain precision, safety and excellent results. Unlike other machines, the Gentlemax Pro Plus can reduce its pulse duration to just two milliseconds, meaning it can target the fine hairs that other machines struggle to remove.
For comfort, the machine has a patented in-built and unique cooling system (Dynamic Cooling Device). This process involves targeted bursts of cooling cryogen to the top layers of the skin milliseconds before and after the laser pulses. The results being, the surface of the skin is protected, so minimal side effects, but with optimal treatment results.
Consultations
Consultation appointments are a vital first step in your Laser treatment journey. It is an opportunity to have your questions and queries answered, as well as your suitability for laser treatment assessed through a medical questionnaire and patch test.
At the end of the consultation there is no obligation to proceed with treatment. We just hope the process will help you to make an informed decision as to whether laser treatment, and most importantly, our clinic is the right one for you.
We are not able to commence any treatment until a consultation is undertaken.
Treatment courses and ongoing maintenance
Due to the cycle of hair growth, multiple laser treatments are required to provide permanent reduction in hair growth. Depending on the skin type and hair colour, patients may require six to eight treatments, or sometimes more in those with conditions causing excessive hair growth, such as PCOS. Treatment efficacy may also vary from patient to patient.
Whilst not always necessary, once we have achieved your desired outcome, we recommend you maintain your results by “topping up” your hair removal sessions approximately once a year. For this, we offer both a single session option and a block of three treatments as a more cost effective solution.