Now there is a better solution for unwanted hair...
In the past, the usual remedies for unwanted hair were plucking, shaving, waxing or chemical depilatories. Some are painful, some are messy, and all are only temporary.
For long-term hair removal, electrolysis is popular but can be painful and slow. Hair by hair, an electric current must pass through a needle to destroy the hair root’s ability to grow, typically taking months or even years of regular visits - even for small areas like the upper lip. Risks include electrical shock, infection, pitting, and scarring.
Now, there's a more effective solution, the new Diode Laser, a state of the art system specially designed to remove unwanted hair faster, less painfully, and more reliably than electrolysis.
The Diode Laser
This laser produces a beam of highly concentrated light that is absorbed by the pigment located in the hair follicles. The laser pulses for a fraction of a second, enough to cause localized thermal damage to several follicles at a time, to eliminate or significantly impede the hair's regrowth. Importantly, the laser's special cooling hand piece, focuses the laser energy to the hair roots while protecting and cooling the surrounding skin.
More importantly, this laser is FDA approved for permanent hair removal, which means it had to demonstrate safety and efficacy according to rigorous scientific criteria. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of all the other laser systems currently being marketed to the public.
What you can expect
The length of a session will be estimated based on the size of the area to treat. Before the first treatment, a small area of skin will have a laser test to adjust the treatment parameters, and minimize the risks of laser burn. A topical anesthetic cream may be recommended for sensitive skin areas. You will be given a detailed set of instructions in order to get the most benefits out of the treatment.The doctor is always on site during every laser treatment to prescribe laser parameters and to supervise the treatments in order to insure optimal patient safety and treatment efficacy. He evaluates the patient's skin immediately before and after each treatment.
The laser produces a slight tingling sensation that is well tolerated. Side effects are minor and include slight redness and swelling which disappear in a short time. You can return to work immediately after your treatment. You will need another treatment after 2 or 3 months if you notice some residual hair in the treated area. The average patient will need three or four treatments. Now, freedom from unwanted body hair is safer, faster, easier and more comfortably achieved, leaving you with a smooth and fresh feeling for longer than ever before.
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Commentary: The "Laser Jungle"
It is very easy for consumers to get lost in the advertising jungle surrounding skin laser surgery. Different laser systems are available but vary widely in their safety, cost and effectiveness. There is a wide range of advertised prices and people are wondering who can they trust. Unfortunately, in Quebec, the law allows anybody to purchase and operate a medical laser for cosmetic purposes, even you the person who is reading these lines... No need for a diploma, certificate of competence, the company selling the laser will send you a guy who will plug the machine in the electrical outlet and tell you which buttons to push to make it work. It doesn't matter that you are a hairdresser, grocer or businessman, you can easily get a good laser for $150,000 dollars and launch your business...
This is what the law allows right now. There is no regulating agency to check training, competence, client safety, quality of care, commercial ethics, hygiene and maintenance of equipment, etc. The federal government will only check that the equipment is operating according to the manufacturer's specifications at the time of the sale and maintains that healthcare is a provincial matter. In this province, the college of physicians has stringent regulations governing laser use by physicians, but they claim having no jurisdiction over non-physicians. The provincial government is aware of the problem since November 2000, because it received a letter from approximately 30 dermatologists denouncing this situation.
In our opinion, using a laser is a medical act, even if used for cosmetic purposes, and a medical laser is a powerful device, requiring precise and competent technique, and carries significant risks of burning the skin and other complications if used by unqualified persons. Some American states have understood this, and outlawed laser use outside of a medical clinic. The public is unaware of this because the media have been silent so far. A French consumer magazine "Protégez-vous" carried a small article with the cynical commentary that physicians may be more interested in increasing their income by limiting laser use to the profession. You can make up your own mind on this debate...
In summary, if you are looking for a maximal destruction of unwanted hairs, and a genuinely effective treatment, you need a competent physician to prescribe the maximum treatment parameters that your skin can tolerate without causing you important side-effects.
Laser hair removal remains a precise, painstaking technique and if you are offered bargain basement prices, somebody may be increasing the volume of clients, by working too fast with the intention of having you go back many times to treat small patches of hair that were missed. Treatments may be faster because power settings are very low, but how much hair is really being destroyed and how many treatments will be needed?
Beware of prices that seem too low to be true and of exaggerated promises and so-called guarantees. Remember that the first reason a doctor went to medical school was to help people and that the primary purpose of a business is to make money in every possible way. In a medical setting, there are no guarantees: at least 10% of our patients will not have permanent hair reduction with any of the available lasers, but there is no way to predict this in advance. The only promise I can legally give you, is I will do my best with my experience and my competence to give you the best results that are technically possible in a safe comfortable setting and to reduce your risks of complications to the strict minimum.
