The Laser Clinic

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The Laser Clinic
86 Maybury Road
Woking
Surrey
GU21 5JH
Call us on: 01483 773127
Email us on: thelaserclinic@bodyandbeautystudio.com

Welcome to the Laser Clinic, part of the Body and Beauty Studio.

I started the Laser Clinic 5 years ago as it was the next step in my quest to offer the best hair removal treatments available, a subject that I have always been passionate about in my 25 years working in the beauty industry.

I have seen the dramatic difference Laser Hair removal can make and we have been achieving great results with the Polaris Medical Nd:YAG Laser. We have treated hundreds of patients with excellent long term results.

We have recently introduced another successful machine, the Pulsar Intense Pulse Light System. This gives us the scope to now treat ginger and even blond hairs. We can also treat a number of other problems from thread veins to ageing skin. Please see the Pulsar page for more details.

POLARIS LASER HAIR REMOVAL

POLARIS LASER is a high-specification, medical-type laser that can safely treat all skin types (including Asian and Afro-Caribbean) to effectively achieve permanent hair reduction without any harmful side effects. This Laser is the new Class IV Long Pulse Nd:YAG laser operating at the same safe wavelength as our previous laser, but at a pulse duration one million time longer. This targets the concentrated melanin in the follicle directly, whilst preserving the surrounding tissue, enabling safe treatment of ALL skin types. Most other lasers operate at shorter wavelengths, which target the melanin both in the hair and the skin, thus preventing the safe treatment of darker skins.
Until recently electrolysis has been the only reasonably permanent hair removal system in that it effectively destroyed the hair follicle. Laser treatments have now come on the scene and can achieve similar results but treat much larger areas in one session.

How does the treatment work?

Hair grows in 3 stages; Anagen (active growth), Catagen (shedding) and Telogen (resting). The laser will only work on hair that is in the Anagen stage. The laser energy is absorbed by melanin (colour) in the hair. It travels down the hair shaft and causes thermal damage to the follicle and so retards or impedes further growth. The hair shaft may remain in the follicle after treatment but, it is damaged, it will fall out over a period of up to 21 days after treatment, or longer depending on the individual. Further treatments are necessary to treat the next Anagen stage of the cycle which will be the growth of new hair rather than re-growth of old hair. For this reason after two or three treatments a noticeable difference in the density of the new hair should be visible.

Effectiveness

On lighter hair with darker skins more laser energy is required for effective results but with attendant risks of harmful and long-term side effects. Consequently treatments work best with dark hair in light skins. Research has now shown that laser beams at a wavelength of 1064 nanometres pass through the skin safely and successfully target the melanin in the hair follicle to destroy the follicle without damage to the surrounding tissue. The treatment will not work on very blonde, white or grey hair, as the hair does not contain enough melanin for the laser to be effective.

Intense Pulse Light Treatment for Hair Removal



Pulsar is the result of more than five years of medical research, and is the very latest system available to use intense pulsed light to remove unwanted hair quickly and safely. The system is non-invasive and is effective for men and women of all skin types and hair colours.

How does the system work?
Why is gel used?
How is the treatment carried out?
Does it hurt?
Does the patient need to shave prior to treatment?
Why do hairs 'grow' after treatment?
How can you tell if the treatment has worked when the hairs are not removed immediately?
How long does treatment take?
What are the side effects?
How many treatments are necessary?
How do I prepare for treatment?
Is it permanent?

How does the system work?

The energy from the light source is taken up by the pigments (melanin and Haemoglobin) in the skin, hairs and blood vessels. Selective filtration makes the energy uptake specific for melanin (600 to 950 nanometres) or haemoglobin (530 to 950 nanometres); thus the system can be used for hair removal, vascular lesions and pigmented lesions. Hair removal is accomplished by the generation of heat from light in the melanin, which is then transferred to the hair follicle (root). Pulse times of this applied light have been chosen to destroy the hair follicle by heating for at least 1millisecond (one thousandth of a second) to 70 degrees centigrade.

Hair removal:

Dark hairs are most easily treated due to the large concentration of dark melanin in these, which gives maximum absorption and conversion of light energy to heat. Very fair hair has less melanin and consequently less heat is produced making it slightly less certain of permanent destruction of the hair follicles. Grey (white) hair has almost no melanin and cannot be efficiently treated. The upper skin layer, of the epidermis, also contains melanin and the concentration increases when the skin is exposed to UV light. It is therefore necessary to treat dark skinned and tanned individuals with less energy to avoid generation of excess heat and pain in the skin. The Pulsar computer has pre-programmed treatment suggestions for different hair and pigment types.

Why is gel used?

It is necessary to apply a thin layer of gel to the skin prior to treatment to assure an optimal optical transmission of light from the applicator to the skin.

How is the treatment carried out?

The Applicator (hand-piece) is placed in contact with the skin surface and the light pulsed through it onto the skin. The applicator is then moved to the neighbouring area and the process is repeated.

Does it hurt?

As the light energy is absorbed by the pigments (melanin and haemoglobin), the pain depends upon the concentration of melanin in the epidermis and the hairs combined. Consequently it hurts more in dark skinned people and those with dense, dark hairs. No anesthesia is required and most patients describe the pain as moderate and acceptable (as if a rubber band is snapped against the skin).

Does the patient need to shave prior to treatment?

Hairs should be 1 to 2mm long when the patient comes in for treatment so it is possible to mark out the treatment area. Long hairs take up the energy and prevent all of it reaching the hair follicle. Therefore hair is trimmed just before treatment for maximum transmission of the energy. If the hair is normally shaved and can be seen when shaven then patients can shave right up to the day of treatment although plucking and bleaching should not be done. By avoiding epilation and waxing 4 weeks before treatment it ensures as many follicles as possible contain a hair and thus can be destroyed by the light.

Why do hairs 'grow' after treatment?

Contrary to other treatments, hairs are not vaporized by the Pulsar treatment the hair follicles are killed by the heat but the hairs remain in the skin and often become attached to the epidermis. They will fall out after 1 to 3 weeks as the epidermis is renewed. During this period it will seem that the hairs are growing as the epidermis pushes them out.

How can you tell if the treatment has worked when the hairs are not removed immediately?

After treatment the hairs are often loose within the follicle and can easily be pulled out with tweezers. A red ring around each follicle is often seen a few minutes after treatment. These two things are good indications that sufficient heating of the follicles has taken place. Unfortunately they are not always seen and we have seen many patients with successful treatment results without the post-treatment signs.

How long does treatment take?

The facial treatment usually takes 10 minutes whereas both legs and/or an entire back take approximately 1.5 to 2 hours.

What are the side effects?

The visible light is completely safe so no special precautions are needed apart from glasses for the brightness. The skin of some patients becomes quite red immediately after treatment and very rarely small blisters as from excessive sun exposure can occur. However, most patients experience no side effects at all and the described skin reactions above usually disappear within hours to a few days. Unlike electrolysis the Pulsar treatment is non-invasive.

How many treatments are necessary?

Only hair in the growth phase can be treated. The number of hairs in this phase varies from 10 to 70% depending on the body site. The lengths of the growth cycles also vary. For most patients (unless there is a hormone inbalance) up to eight treatments with a two to three month interval is sufficient to remove virtually all hairs on the body. Facial hair may require more treatments. After the first treatment most patients get a significant reduction in hair density also new grown hairs tend to become finer. It is important to know that the first treatment is believed to synchronize the anagen (growth) phase of the non-anagen hairs. This may cause what seems to be re-growth but which is actually just the sleeping hairs starting to grow at the same time (new growth). This in turn makes the next treatment(s) more effective.

How do I prepare for treatment?

Patients should avoid tanning 1 month ahead of and during the entire treatment scenario to avoid excessive discomfort from excessive light absorption in the epidermis. Immediately after the treatment the skin is particularly sensitive to UV light and strong sunlight should be avoided for 4-5 days. Please do not apply Deodorant, Perfumed products or Aromatherapy products on treatment day.

Is it permanent?

Most authorities would agree that by using intense pulsed light technology it is possible to permanently remove hair. Histology studies have found destroyed and denatured hair follicle cells post treatment. A recent study showed that the percentage reduction in hairs after one treatment at 9 weeks was 52.6%.

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