EXCESSIVE HAIR GROWTH: REASONS AND SOLUTIONS

2008-11-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

Miami Laser Hair Removal offers men and women of all skin colors solutions for your unwanted hair. However, it is imperative that you first understand the causes of excessive hair growth.

Causes of Excessive Hair Growth:

Excessive hair growth is classified as either hypertrichosis or hirsuitism. Hypertrichosis: is the presence of excess hair in a normal or abnormal pattern. This may be inherited (genetic), or due to medications, hormones, malnutrition, tumors, or metabolic problems. Hirsuitism: is the presence of excess hair in women in a male pattern such as the beard, mustache, or lower abdomen, and may be due to hormonal problems, medications, tumors, or heredity.

Hair Removal Methods:

There are many ways to remove unwanted hair including shaving, tweezing, waxing, depilatories (creams), and electrolysis. Most of these methods, however, are temporary. Laser Hair Removal offers the only method for permanent hair reduction.

Different types of laser technologies and how they work:

A large area of the skin can be treated at one time making laser hair removal cost-effective and faster than other methods. Lasers send a low-energy beam through the skin that is absorbed by dark pigment (melanin) present in the shaft of the hair follicles. Since hair cycles as it grows, repeated treatments are necessary to destroy about 80 percent of the hairs. Different types of lasers may be used. The ruby, alexandrite, and diode were the first lasers approved for hair reduction. HOWEVER, they do not work well on dark or black skin. These lasers work best on light-skinned, dark-haired individuals because dark pigments in the surrounding skin cannot absorb the light they emit.

Lasers with longer wavelengths, such as the Nd:YAG lasers, have the ability to treat darker skin types including African-American skin. Miami Laser Hair Removal utilizes the CoolGlide laser technology which is the only laser machine that’s FDA approved to treat dark to black skin WITHOUT causing any discoloration to the skin.

Why a Consultation Is Highly Recommended:
Patients interested in laser hair removal should come in for a consultation in order to ascertain if they are good candidates for laser hair removal. Miami Laser Hair Removal assesses for:

Skin type (i.e., ability to tan or to burn)
Hair color
Thickness and location of hair
Presence of tan
Previous hair removal methods
Medical history including ovarian or thyroid disease, medications, history of abnormal scarring, history of cold sore (herpes simplex) outbreaks in the treatment area, or past isotretinoin use.
Presence of tattoos or moles in the treatment area

After the pre-treatment evaluation, the appropriate laser and treatment settings can be determined. Realistic patient expectations should be discussed including the need for multiple treatment sessions, the potential need for maintenance treatments, and the possibility of variable responses to treatment as well as cost expectation.

Pretreatment Instructions:

Before treatment, patients are advised to avoid tanning and sunless tanners. No tweezing, waxing, or electrolysis should be done, although shaving is permitted. The site to be treated may be shaved one to two days prior to laser treatment. A prophylactic (protective) oral antiviral medication may be started the day prior to treatment to suppress the possibility of developing a herpes simplex infection in the treatment area.

Laser Treatment:

On the day of treatment, the area should be clean and free of cosmetics. A topical anesthetic cream may be applied prior to treatment. Most lasers have a cooling device in the form of a cool gel, refrigerant spray, or water-cooled contact piece that lessens the patient's discomfort. The device should protect the skin from excessive heating as well as the potential of skin darkening or lightening. Everyone in the room must wear protective eyewear during the laser procedure. Miami Laser Hair Removal utilizes the CoolGlide technology which uses a COOLING CONTACT PIECE which glides on the area of the skin which was just treated and immediately cools the area which reduces any potential pain.

In general, multiple treatments are required at each site to achieve permanent hair growth reduction. Darker hair responds best to the laser, while lighter hair (white, gray, or red) is less responsive.

The laser pulses feel like the snapping of a rubber band or warm pinpricks against the skin. Ideally, the immediate response is vaporization of the hair shaft. Slight swelling and redness around the hair follicles appear within a few minutes. Ice packs may be applied to the skin following treatment.

Side Effects:

Side effects of laser hair removal treatments may include pain, perifollicular edema (swelling around the hair follicle due to excessive fluid), and erythema (redness and inflammation) lasting one to three days.

Laser Hair Efficacy:

The percentage of hairs removed per session varies in different body locations, with areas of thin skin (for example, bikini and armpits) generally showing a better response than areas of thick skin (for example, the back and chin). Approximately 10-15 percent reduction in hair growth can be expected with each treatment. Treatments are repeated every four to six weeks. The hair that re-grows tends to be lighter and finer in texture.

For more information please visit: http://miamilaserhairremoval.com

For your complementary consultation please call Miami Laser Hair Removal @ 305.864.3333

Excessive Hair Growth Solutions

EXCESSIVE HAIR GROWTH: REASONS AND SOLUTIONS