In the United States, men spend about $455 million per year on shaving cream alone. That doesn’t account for various types of razors, razor blades, and other men’s grooming products.
When it comes to women and waxing, the statistics are even more astronomical. According to the UK version of Harper’s Bazaar, the average woman spends more than $26,000 over her lifetime to keep her legs, underarms, and upper lips free from fuzz.
And that doesn’t account for eyebrow tweezing or do-it-yourself methods such as depilatories and plain old shaving. Never mind all the time both sexes devote to staying as hair- and stubble-free as possible.
Laser hair removal ultimately saves you time and money to keep your face and body silky smooth and free of unwanted hair.
At The Center for Dermatology Cosmetic & Laser Surgery in Mount Kisco, New York, our team of dermatologic and aesthetic experts uses the LightSheer® laser to eliminate unwanted hair. Here’s how — and why — it works.
The LightSheer laser is calibrated to target the pigment in the roots of your hairs as they grow in their follicles (i.e., pores). The heat disrupts the integrity of the follicle so that it can’t support the hair anymore. Within a couple of weeks of your treatment, the hair falls out.
In most cases, the lasered follicle is so damaged that it can’t grow new hair either. When a hair does grow, it’s lighter and thinner than the previous hair.
LightSheer features a state-of-the-art diode laser technology with wavelengths of either 805 nanometers or 1060nm, to treat a wide variety of skin tones and hair colors.
The device also has a vacuum that gently suctions the skin into the handpiece, bringing the pigmented hair closer to the laser’s energy. The heat from the laser goes straight into the follicle to destroy it. That means more hairs are permanently eliminated in each treatment.
All human hair goes through three cycles of growth. In the anagen phase, the hair’s longest cycle, the hair grows. Depending on where the hair is located, this stage can last months to years. Your scalp hair, for instance, may grow for years before entering its next phase.
After anagen, hairs enter a resting period called the catagen phase. The hair stays in place but doesn’t grow longer. Finally, the telogen phase is when the hair loosens and falls out. Then the cycle repeats itself.
LightSheer works best on hairs in their anagen phase. During this stage, hairs are highly pigmented, which means they more easily absorb the laser’s energy.
Because each hair on any treatment area may be in a different phase than its neighbor, you must undergo a series of laser treatments to eliminate all of your unwanted hair. Generally, we find that most women and men need 3-5 sessions with the LightSheer laser.
Less advanced laser hair removal systems require that your skin be as pale as possible before your session to reduce the risk of damage. However, LightSheer’s dual wavelength means that you can remove your unwanted hairs even if you have dark skin or a suntan.
Now you can finally relax with soft, hair-free skin wherever you’d like it. The most common treatment areas are:
The LightSheer device has two handpieces to treat both large and small areas. Its cooling sapphire technology keeps your skin comfortable and safe without gels or anesthesia. You may need a touch-up every year or so to maintain your hair-free silkiness.
Contact our team by phone or online form to book your first laser hair removal treatment today.
