The word “laser” evokes images of aliens being stopped dead in their tracks, and you can’t imagine the same energy being applied to your own body. Rest assured, laser hair removal is a far cry from what you see in the movies.
At McHugh Plastic Surgery, Dr. Thomas McHugh works diligently to make the most cutting-edge cosmetic tools available to our clients, including laser hair removal. Thanks to refinements in laser technology, we can target and destroy your unwanted hair follicles without damaging your surrounding skin.
Here’s a look at what you can expect to feel during your laser hair-removal treatments.
Let’s first take a look at how we remove your unwanted body hair with laser technology. In this case, the laser energy we deliver is light energy, which we direct into the pigment in your unwanted hair follicles. This energy heats up and destroys the follicles, preventing them from producing hair.
In most cases, our patients require a series of treatments — about 5-7 — to ensure that they’re rewarded with smooth, hair-free skin.
If you’ve endured waxing appointments and nicks due to razors, you already know that removing body hair can cause some discomfort. With laser hair removal, most patients report that it feels like the snap of a rubber band or a quick “zap.”
What you feel may be different depending upon how your body registers the treatment. In other words, it depends on the sensitivity of your tissue, which varies from one person to the next.
Speaking of sensitive areas, your potential discomfort also depends on the areas we’re treating. Your legs, for example, feature thicker skin, and most patients tolerate the laser hair-removal treatment very well. Other areas, however, can be more sensitive thanks to thinner tissues, such as under your arms or around your face and bikini line.
If you’re worried about discomfort, we do offer a topical numbing cream, which we can apply before we get started, if your health allows.
After your laser hair removal treatments, you may experience some soreness (a little like a sunburn), which usually resolves itself within a day or two.
The bottom line is that we make every effort to ensure your comfort, and it’s hard to say here whether you’ll find laser hair removal uncomfortable or not. If you go back again to painful waxing appointments or potential cuts from razors, laser hair removal may be the best path toward hair-free skin, as it delivers longer-term results.
If you’d like to learn more about laser hair removal, please don’t hesitate to contact our office in The Woodlands, Texas.
