Frequently Asked Questions

BeforeTreatment:
It is advisable not to remove hair by plucking or waxing 2 weeks prior to the treatment to ensure that many hair follicles are there in the active cycle (growth phase) and thus can be destroyed by laser light. You can shave the area during that period. It is also advisable to avoid tanning 4 weeks prior to treatment since tanning takes place by accumulation of pigment (melanin) in the skin. To ensure optimal energy transmission to the hair root, the hair is trimmed or shaved before laser application
After Treatment:
Cooling is done using Zimmer cooling machine immediate post-treatment and ice is applied over the treated area for 15 mins. Mometasone cream is applied for 3-5 days. Sunscreen lotion is applied ½ hour before exposure to sunlight, morning and afternoon for one month. Eflornithine cream is applied twice daily, one week after laser treatment till next treatment to have maximum hair reduction.

Yes. As the treatment relies on absorption of light in the active hair pigment, the most efficient treatment is seen in hair that is in the active cycle (growth phase). More hair in the active cycle, the more effective is the treatment.

Yes. It is advisable to do some preliminary tests like Testosterone – free & total, DHEAS, Androstenedione, TSH and Blood sugar to find out any hormonal abnormality and Ultra sound scan abdomen if there are irregular periods.

As an anesthetic cream is applied over skin before the procedure and simultaneous cooling is done by Zimmer cooling machine during the treatment, it does not hurt. However some people describe pin pricks sensation in the areas where hair is very thick.

Laser therapy is safe, can be done on any area of your body by protecting your eyes. The most common areas from which hair is removed are upper lip, chin, neck, face, back, arms, legs, bikini line, underarms, stomach and chest.

Yes, when one of the doctors in my town did laser hair removal using Diode laser machine on an unmarried female patient on her breasts, the darker portion around the nipple (areola) became depigmented (whitish). This is because diode lasers cannot distinguish between skin pigment and melanin in the hair follicles. That patient came to me for consultation and further treatments. I have never noticed such adverse reactions using Nd Yag laser machines.

It works by inhibiting the enzyme Ornithine decarboxylase, an enzyme in the human skin that stimulates hair growth. Hair reduction results are better when it is used after laser treatment.

Highly controlled flashes of laser beams are selectively absorbed by the melanin pigment in the hair follicles lying below the surface of the skin. The absorbed light heats the hair which damages and destroys the regrowth potential of the follicle

without damaging surrounding tissue. Hair follicles are usually in different growth cycles different times in relation to one another. Since the hair follicles must be in active growth in order to be affected by the laser, several treatments spread over several months are required to assure the destruction of all hair follicles.

An anesthetic cream is applied 30 to 45 minutes before the procedure. Facial treatment takes 15 to 30 minutes and larger areas take much longer time. Post treatment cooling takes around 10 to15 minutes.

Hair growth is cyclical as hair follicles go through resting and growing phases. Only follicles in the growth phase are destroyed by laser light. Resting hair follicles need to enter the growth phase before they can be destroyed by the laser treatment. It is therefore necessary to repeat the treatment at 1-2 months intervals until all the hair follicles have been through the active phase. The length and timings of the growth cycles are affected by numerous factors such as body site, hair density and thickness, ethnic origin, hormonal status and age. Usually 6-8 sessions are required to get a desirable result. Some cases it has gone upto 10-12 sessions.

Yes. You can do one session when you land in India and next session after 3 or 4 weeks before you go abroad. In between you can use Eflornithine cream twice daily for hair reduction. The gap between two sessions can be more, however you have to do a total of 6 to 8 sessions to get a satisfactory result.

No. It does not come under category of laser machines. IPL delivers high intensity pulses of broad band light that is why it is called as IPL (Intense Pulse Light).

Yes, laser therapy can be successfully done on children, but whether you see the need for it at this young age is another matter entirely. You could leave the decision to your child when she is older.

They are Polycystic ovarian syndrome, Hypothyroidism, Congenital adrenal hyperplasia, Cushing’s syndrome, HAIR-AN syndrome (hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, acanthosis nigrans), Heredity, Idiopathic hirsutism, Medication – Phenytoin, Minoxidil, Cyclosporine.

You are not allowed to wax, pluck, and thread or use any method of hair removal that removes hair from the root, prior to your next laser sitting. Patients are advised to shave hair between sittings. This is because the hair needs to be present under the skin, for the laser to seek it out and destroy the hair root.

Electrolysis is another method of permanent hair removal. Here hair is removed from small areas at a time and it involves the insertion of a small fine needle into the hair follicle, followed by a pulse of electrical current that damage and destroys the hair follicle. Important and potentially permanent side effects of electrolysis include scarring (including keloid formation) and post inflammatory hyper pigmentation or hypo pigmentation, side effects that are dependent on technician experience and the duration and intensity of the current. Patients with pace maker should not undergo electrolysis.

While it is natural to think that fine hair is most suited to laser therapy, the reverse is true. Thick, coarse, black hair is the most suited to this method of hair removal. Similarly, laser cannot be done on white hair. This is because the laser seeks out the melanin pigment in hair and white hair has no melanin.

Efficient laser hair removal for dark and tanned skin individuals are produced by the newer laser line, the Nd Yag machines as they were able to distinguish between skin pigment and melanin in the hair follicles. Whereas, Alexandrite and Diode lasers are useful for fair skinned individuals like Caucasians.

The laser light is completely safe. However some cases there can be hyper pigmentation, hypo pigmentation or superficial burns which all are temporary and becomes normal at later date.