Laser hair removal is a popular and effective way to permanently reduce unwanted excess hair. However, it is important to understand the necessary preparation and care that should be taken after the procedure in order to optimize the final result and avoid any scarring or discoloration. After laser hair removal treatments, the skin may look slightly discolored. This is a temporary side effect and usually goes away on its own in about a week.
If you have any severe pain, in addition to discoloration, you should call your laser treatment provider right away or see a doctor. Patients should be advised to return as soon as possible if they show signs of scar formation in order to initiate early treatment. Scars from laser therapy are treated in a similar way to other types of scars, using topical or intralesional steroids, silicone gel, or silicone sheets. In many cases, ironically, laser rejuvenation may be the best treatment for a scar, even if the cause was a laser treatment itself.
Some patients may develop persistent grid or checkerboard patterns after fractional exfoliation, which may disappear on their own over time, but may also benefit from full-field ablative exfoliation. It can be reduced by avoiding exposure to the sun before and after laser treatments and by using a fractional laser application system or cooling devices. Nanni and Alster reported in 1988 that up to 10% of patients undergoing laser hair removal with alexandrite and ruby lasers had hypopigmentation after treatment. If you've made the decision to undergo laser hair removal, there are several ways you can help optimize the final result. Testing adjustments on a small area of skin two to three weeks before the main treatment also reduces the likelihood of complications; this technique is often used in laser hair removal. In all cases, warning signs should be placed outside the laser room to prevent personnel without eye protection from entering the room and risking eye injury, and windows should be covered to prevent laser energy from escaping the room. Symptoms of a laser injury include a bright flash of colored light and, sometimes, a click that coincides with the laser shot. Yes, this treatment is the most effective way to permanently reduce unwanted excess hair, but aftercare is required to provide essential skin care and maintain a flawless finish.
A common mistake made by people who undergo treatment is the lack of understanding when it comes to providing the skin with the necessary preparation and care after laser hair removal. Laser procedures should be performed with extreme caution, since most laser procedures are performed for aesthetic purposes, which increases the risk somewhat due to patients' high expectations for optimal results. Because LASER light waves (light amplified by the stimulated emission of radiation) are, by definition, collimated (parallel), coherent (in phase), and monochromatic (single wavelength), the technology is excellent not only for very precise surgical applications, such as removing vocal cord injuries with a microscope or correcting the curvature of a cornea, but also for attacking only specific tissue types, such as hair follicles or telangiectasia, due to its unique chromophores. Selecting a laser for a specific indication generally depends on the laser's chromophore, the molecule or molecules most likely to absorb electromagnetic energy of a particular wavelength. A classic example of this would be the circular hypopigmentation spots that appear after laser hair removal with an alexandrite laser.Laser applications in medicine continue to advance with the addition of new devices and the expansion of laser therapy indications. To ensure optimal results from your laser hair removal procedure and avoid any scarring or discoloration afterwards, it is important to take certain precautions before and after your treatment.
Before your procedure it is important to test adjustments on a small area of skin two to three weeks prior in order to reduce any potential complications. During your procedure it is important that warning signs are placed outside of the room and windows are covered in order to prevent any eye injury or energy from escaping. After your procedure it is important that you avoid exposure to direct sunlight and use cooling devices if necessary. By following these simple steps you can ensure that you get optimal results from your laser hair removal procedure without any unwanted side effects.
