What areas can be treated?
Any area of unwanted hair is treatable.
What are the most popular areas for laser hair removal?
The most popular areas for women are facial, bikini area, and underarms.
The most popular areas for men are back, ears, and nose.
Do you use laser or IPL? And which do you prefer?
We offer both types of technologies in our office. Our laser is faster and most comfortable. Some people or areas may benefit from the IPL. The IPL we use is the Lumenis M22. The laser we use is the Lumenis LightSheer DESIRE. The treatment used depends on the patient’s preference and results.
What is the difference between an IPL and a laser?
IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light. It uses a bright light that passes through a filter which only administers the wavelengths needed to penetrate just below the skin’s surface. Lasers only administer one light wave length. It’s all technical but it means we have both technologies available.
How is laser hair removal or IPL different from electrolysis hair removal?
Laser hair removal or IPL is much faster. Electrolysis requires more time because it’s a process that treats only one hair at a time, whereas laser hair removal or IPL treats a large area per pulse.
I have dark skin. Should I use IPL or the laser?
IPL would not be a good choice for someone with dark skin because it uses a broad spectrum of wavelengths to target the pigmentation of the hair. If the skin is close enough in color to the hair then it can fall into one of the light wavelengths of the IPL. Laser is the better choice for someone with darker skin because it only uses one light wavelength. Unlike many lasers, ours does not need an extra filter in order to treat darker skin tones.
What are the risks of hair removal?
Laser hair removal is non evasive and requires no recovery time. The risks are very low. As with any procedure, we have an informed consent that explains all the possible risks.
Is there any type of hair that IPL or laser won’t treat?
They will not treat grey, red, or blonde hair because there is not enough pigmentation in the hair for the laser to target.
How many treatments are needed?
Only those hairs in the growth stage will respond to the treatment. So 6-8 treatments 6-8 weeks apart is recommended for complete hair removal.
Is it painful?
Our treatments are essentially pain free. Any discomfort is very minimal.
What other conditions can IPL treat?
IPL also treats redness/rosacea, dark spots, small red veins, and active acne.
What restrictions are there?
It is perfectly fine to shave while you are doing hair removal treatments. However, no waxing, tweezing, or threading should be done within 6 weeks of your treatments. Artificial and natural tanning should not be done 2-4 weeks before and after each treatment. You should avoid sun and wear sunscreen as much as possible throughout each treatment. Wearing sunscreen is advisable. Of course, many area we treat don’t get much sun. Following the above recommendations makes the treatment more effective.
What should I expect?
Your treatment will be done in a private room on a plush massage chair. During the procedure, you should have essentially no pain. After the procedure, you may have some minor redness and inflammation for an hour or so following.
After hair removal, do not expect to be hairless right away. It is a process that takes 6-8 sessions. Initially, the hair will grow back slower and after several sessions it will discontinue all growth.
After treating dark spots, you will notice that the spot(s) initially get darker and then eventually flake off. It is important that you allow the spots to flake off on their own and that you do not scrape them off yourself.
Is it permanent?
Yes and no. After all 8 treatments, majority of people will have no recurrence of growth. Some people may need one or two treatments to touch up after several years.
Unwanted hair is a common concern for both women and men. At Tampa Laser Hair Removal, we offer the latest in IPL and laser hair removal to help you achieve smooth, touchable, and hair-free skin. Along with this advanced technology, we do everything in our power to make your laser hair removal experience and journey of “going shaveless” safe and comfortable, from start to finish.