Understanding How Laser Hair Removal Works

From razors and wax to creams and tweezers, the hair removal industry makes a bundle off of people trying to ditch their whiskers and stubble. If only there were a way to lose the hair without the daily sacrifice of time, effort, and money.

Now there is. Laser hair removal is one of the fastest-growing services in the United States, expected to reach $3.9 billion over the next six years. And the reason for its popularity is that it works.

Dr. Nirav Naik at New Life Aesthetics in Bakersfield, California, uses the Icon® Laser System to help his clients achieve smoother, hairless skin that lasts for years rather than mere days. Here’s how it works.

Hair removal 101

Every hair on your body grows out of a follicle, which is a tiny sac just under the surface of your skin. Unlike traditional hair removal methods, our Icon laser doesn’t just remove hair; it destroys the follicle so hair can no longer grow. 

Shaving only cuts the hair off at the surface, so in a day or two, you see it pop up again. Even plucking, waxing, and creams, which remove the hair from the follicle, don’t stop hair from growing back; those methods just delay it a little longer. Laser treatments work in a completely different way.

The mechanics of laser hair removal

Dr. Naik uses the Icon Laser System because he trusts the safe technology and the long-lasting results. The Icon laser uses pulses of intense light to target each hair follicle without damaging your skin. More specifically, it targets the pigmented color in each hair. The light then converts to heat and destroys the follicle so hair can’t grow.

Does laser hair removal hurt?

No. Our Icon Laser emits a beam of light that gently heats your follicle. Most people say they feel a tingling sensation, others say it feels like the snap of a small rubber band — nothing compared to a razor nick or the pain of waxing.

Why choose laser hair removal?

There are many reasons to opt for laser hair removal:

Once they do the math, our patients discover that the cost of their laser treatments is far less expensive than the amount they’d pay for traditional razors, waxing, and depilatories over the course of their lifetime.  

How many sessions do I need?

Laser hair removal takes more than one session to completely stop the hair growth. That’s because your hair grows in stages, and we need to treat each batch as it emerges. Depending on the area you’re treating and the density of hair growth, you may need up to six sessions spaced a couple of months apart to ensure we get all the individual hairs. 

Over time, you may notice a few stray hairs pop up, but any regrowth should be sparse, lighter, and thinner. While laser hair removal is not 100% permanent, it’s close, keeping you hair-free for a very long time.

If you’ve been on the fence about laser hair removal, we hope this has helped you understand the process a little better. To find out if laser hair removal is right for you, just give us a call or request an appointment online so we can answer all your questions.

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