Washington Dermatology Center - Laser Hair Removal

Washington Dermatology Center
7930 Old Georgetown Rd.
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
Tel: 301-657-3622
Fax: 301-657-3633

Laser Hair Removal permanently reduces hair by targeting the pigment inside hair follicles without damaging the surrounding skin.

Traditional hair removal techniques like shaving, plucking and waxing provide
only temporary relief and may actually stimulate hair growth. Although more
permanent, electrolysis often requires years of painful ongoing treatments.

The area to be treated is shaved. A small handpiece, or "wand" is placed
against the skin and a burst of coolant is applied as the laser lightbeam is
activated. The handpiece is repositioned and the laser is activated again.

Laser hair removal is much faster than electrolysis as the laser is pulsed about
once per second across the surface of the skin. Each "pulse" of light disables
a large numbers of hair follicles. Electrolysis operators inserts a needle into
the hair shaft with the intention of reaching the follicle, then send a small
electrical charge designed to disable the follicle. The operator then removes
that particular hair with a tweezer. Electrolysis also can only treat those hairs
that they can see and which they can reach the follicle through the hair shaft.
A laser treats any "active" follicle, even if the hair has not yet reached the
surface of the skin, or if the hair shaft is not straight.

The number of sessions will vary for each individual. During the initial visit, the
laser light disables those follicles in the "active" phase of the growth cycle.
Since follicles cycle through "active" and "dormant" phases, additional
sessions may be desired once the "dormant" follicles become "active". For
this reason, we recommend a series of three to six treatments.

While some areas of the body are more sensitive than others, most patients
report little or no discomfort. For more sensitive patients, anesthetic creams
can be applied one hour prior to the treatment.

Immediately after the treatment the skin will look pink and slightly swollen,
similar to a sunburn. This will subside within an hour or two and the skin will
return to normal. Occasionally, a patient will have temporary pigment
changes, blistering, or scabbing. As with electrolysis, cases of scarring have
been reported with laser hair removal, but these are extremely rare. A test
spot is the best determinant of how each individual's skin will react, especially
with darker skin types.