Laser Body Hair Removal: An Overview of the Treatment Process

Laser Body Hair Removal is growing rapidy in popularity as men and women become more conscious of their body image. It is estimated that about one million Americans used laser treatment to remove body hair in 2003; this number has doubled since then. Interestingly, women outnumber men in seeking this treatment.

Laser treatment can be used to get rid of the unwanted hair on the face, lips, chin, legs, arms, back, underarm, shoulders, chest, neck, and bikini line. It is carried out by a qualified cosmetic surgeon in a hospital or medical facility on an out patient basis, and doesn't normally require an anesthetic.

The process begins by shaving the treatment area. If the patient has dark skin, the cosmetic professional applies a bleaching cream to facilitate better body hair removal results. Once the treatment area has been shaved and cleaned, a local anesthetic may be administered to mitigate any discomfort to the patient during the procedure. But this may not always be necessary.

The surgeon uses a special instrument to deliver pulses of light into the hair follicle. The heat emitted from the laser damages the follicles and arrests hair development. The treatment may take an hour or so depending upon the area to be treated. The treatment time and intensity of the laser beam depends on the density and color of the body hair and the body surface from which the hair is to be removed.

The skin may become red immediately after the treatment. Sometimes, skin discoloration or burning may occur. After the laser body hair removal treatment, patients should avoid exposing the treated area to the sun. If it is unavoidable, a sun cream should be applied.

The areas of unwanted hair on women differ from that of men. Women are most keen to remove hair from lips, chin, bikini line area and the legs. Men use laser to remove hair from eyebrows, ears, neck, chest and back. The technique is especially preferred to remove hair from the back. Most men find back hair embarrassing, but have very few viable options to remove them. They have to depend on someone else if they have to shave or apply depilatory creams. The laser hair treatment is therefore the most convenient. It is permanent also.

In the case of leg hair, use of depilatory creams, shaving or waxing can be undertaken by both en and women but they can be tedious. Moreover, it may become necessary for many people to shave their legs daily to keep them smooth. Waxing legs isn't as painful as waxing other areas such as bikini line, but it is very expensive.

Ellen Daniels offers expert advice and articles on all aspects of Laser Hair Removal. You can read about the latest technology for Laser Hair Removal at http://www.LaserHairRemovalDetails.com/