Laser Facial Hair Removal

Laser facial hair removal may not be suitable for all skin and hair types. Laser hair removal works best on coarse dark hair. Women tend to have finer facial hair than men, in the form of sparse individual hairs or fine vellus hairs. Such hairs are more effectively removed with electrolysis, a permanent facial hair removal system which has been around for generations.

Laser facial hair removal is not as effective on light colored hair as on darker hair, However, it's not impossible to get results, provided the hair is darker than your skin tone. The thinner and lighter colored the hairs, the more difficult a good result from laser will be.

With age, female facial hair tends to worsen as more facial hairs change from the tiny, essentially invisible type (vellus hairs) which cover all of our facial skin, to the larger, visible hair called terminal hairs. The same thing occurs on men's ears.

If you have a history of temporary hair removal measures (eg. depilatories, tweezing, waxing, shaving), this can affect the efficacy of laser facial hair removal. Check with your laser hair removal professional.

Before starting laser facial hair removal, talk to your doctor if you suspect you might have an underlying medical condition resulting in excessive hair growth. Women with PCOS hair growth patterns (upper lip, chin, cheeks, etc) should see an endocrinologist and have hormonal tests. You may also want to consider testing for insulin resistance etc.

Hormonal imbalance can result in excessive facial hair. The hair follicles may be overly sensitive to hormonal stimulation. A combination of treatment with birth control pills and a medication called spironolactone (which decreases androgenic-male type hormones) can help to reduce hair growth. As a bonus, it can even treat acne. There are also prescription creams available which retard hair growth.

If you choose to go for laser facial hair removal treatments, how many should you expect? Several, but these are very quick, typically lasting five minutes or less for a small area such as the upper lip, mustache area, or the chin. It can take longer if a large portion of the face is treated.

Be aware that lasers can damage skin tissue, resulting in injuries such as scarring, so laser hair removal should be performed by a specially-trained laser specialist or doctor. Besides results, your main priorities should always be your safety and health. Laser facial hair removal involves a very sensitive and visible part of your body, so proceed with caution. In the same vein, other permanent facial hair removal methods can also permanently harm your face.

There can be some side effects or complications from laser facial hair removal, such as:

• Itching during treatment
• Redness for up to 3 days
• Swelling (around mouth of follicle) for up to 3 days
• Pain, tingling, or sensation of numbness

These reactions are considered normal, although you may find them unpleasant and awkward, as your face is your most visible part of your body. Less common reactions include:

• Crusting/scab formation (on ingrown hairs)
• Bruising
• Purpura (purple coloring of the skin) on tanned areas
• Infection
• Temporary pigment change (hypo-pigmentation or hyper-pigmentation)

These side-effects tend to be temporary. However, should they last for more than a couple of days, alert your laser hair removal centre. The settings may have been set too high and adjustments for following treatments may have to be made. Laser hair removal when performed properly results in minimal redness lasting just a few hours, if at all. You should be able to apply makeup soon after, although it's best to let your skin rest for at least 24 hours.

Besides laser facial hair removal, other permanent facial hair removal options are available to you, such as electrolysis. Always find out what's best for you.

Read on for permanent body hair removal.