Swimsuits are coming and hairy body parts can no longer hide. The extra attention that the beach season usually brings is now even greater and people are looking for solutions for unwanted hair. Men and women have removed long hair with maintenance methods:regular epilation, waxing, shaving and using depilatories. Fortunately, advances in dermatology offer greater access to long-lasting solutions for unwanted facial and body hair. In cases of hirsutism, women may experience increased amounts of hair due to an underlying medical condition, such as a hormonal imbalance. In recent years, there has been a wave of innovation in long-term hair removal techniques, both in lasers and other procedures.
Today's choices offer options for all skin tones and hair colors, and include built-in technology to increase comfort and reduce side effects. Unlike the ongoing maintenance of epilation, waxing or shaving, they can provide a long-lasting solution to unwanted hair on our face and body.
To help make informed choices, we offer the following suggestions:
Six tips for long-term hair removal:
1. Ladies, rule out an underlying condition first: Women with excess hair on their face and body – back, chest, abdomen or inner thighs – should work with their doctor to make sure an underlying medical problem is not the cause. In some cases, women can produce excess hair – medically called “hirsutism” – due to conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome or Cushing's syndrome.
2. Experience is important: Today's increased capabilities emphasize the importance of working with a skin specialist who can tailor the most effective approach and who is experienced in a variety of procedures. For example, lasers are extremely effective and safe when used correctly, but may not produce results or cause damage in less experienced hands.
3. Dark haired? Today's lasers have you covered:Lasers use light energy to destroy hair follicles. They are effective for dark hair because the light energy is absorbed by the pigment of the hair follicles. And with today's lasers, the specialist can vary the wavelength so that dark hair can be removed regardless of skin color. In terms of comfort, there are, among other things, built-in cooling that can also increase efficiency.
4. Light-haired? There's a choice for you, too:An exciting addition to hair removal procedures is the miraSmooth, which eliminates hair using microwave energy. This works for all hair colors and also gives silver, blonde and redheads a choice. And it can be a plus, because when used on the underarms, it also reduces sweating.
5. Follow the 'before' and 'after' Do's and Don'ts: Before and after treatment, stick to the plan. For laser treatments, this means, for example:hair removal before you start and being extra careful with sun exposure until the entire process is complete.
6. Time it right: With lasers, a series of treatments — usually three to seven — are needed to have a long-lasting effect. This is to cover the varied growth cycles of all hair follicles in the treatment area. The number of treatments and the time between each treatment is based on individual characteristics, so you should make sure you understand your specific schedule and plan your treatments to fit your schedule.
