Laser Hair Removal: Don’t Struggle With Stubble This Spring!

If you are interested in obtaining more information, please give our office a call at (215) 366-1122.

Spring has nearly sprung. Are you a fan of dresses, shorts, swim trunks, bikinis, tank tops, and the like? Of course you are. Are you a fan of shaving, waxing, tweezing, or any of the other time-consuming solutions to hair removal? Of course you’re not. All of these options are painful, and require an amount of upkeep that never decreases.  This can make the process of manual hair removal seem daunting. There is a more convenient, more long-term solution: laser hair removal.

At Abington Aesthetic & Laser Medical Center, Dr. Evan Zelinger performs laser hair removal treatments on various parts of the body, from head-to-toe (quite literally). Whether you just want to rid yourself of a few pesky hairs on your upper lip, or you want to get your body bathing suit ready by having various areas treated in one go, Dr.  Evan Zelinger can do it all.

Treatments: A hair removal treatment can take anywhere from fifteen minutes to a few hours (it all depends on the areas being treated). Naturally, the treatments can be a little bit painful — akin to sensation of stings/prickling on the skin — but if you would like, Dr. Evan Zelinger can prescribe a topical numbing agent to be applied to the area prior to treatment. Typically, treatments are spaced out over 2/2.5 month intervals. Of course, every patient’s body is different, and as that is so, you may require a smaller/larger interval*. Dr. Evan Zelinger recommends waiting at least 3/4 weeks after hair starts to grow again, then, schedule the next treatment*.

FAQ: Many a prospective patient ask if the results of laser hair removal are long-lasting. Currently, the FDA has only cleared laser hair removal for permanent hair reduction, not removal. In the skin, there are anywhere between 500 and 1,000 hair follicles per square centimeter. So, there is the possibility that some follicles are dormant. Unfortunately, there is no way to discern whether those dormant follicles are there. So, there is the possibility that these follicles may start to grow hair again, due to any number of factors (IE: stress levels, certain medications, different hormone levels)*. However, based on experiences with past patients at our facility, we confidently believe that, more than likely, the hair will not re-grow once the course of treatments (anywhere from 3-8 treatments) has been completed*.

Often, inquiring minds also ask whether hair color and/or skin tone make a difference in the success of treatments. Dr. Evan Zelinger can perform laser hair reduction on any skin tone. The only caveat to this is that laser hair reduction has to be performed in a certain time-frame before/after you spend significant time in the sun. Summer tans and laser hair removal don’t mix — if you are planning on spending time on the beach, or vacationing somewhere on the sunny side, let Dr. Evan Zelinger know during your consultation, so he can plan your treatments with you accordingly.

Unfortunately, the treatments are mostly successful on dark hair alone. In the cases of light, gray, and red hair, most of the time, the hair does not have enough pigment in the hair follicle to be successfully treated with the laser. That being said, Dr. Evan Zelinger will happily test a spot of your hair to see if the treatments will be effective for you.

Pricing: Pricing varies greatly from patient-to-patient. The only way to obtain your personal hair removal pricing is to come in for a free consult. We also offer package pricing, wherein you could pay for 5 treatments up front, and get the 6th treatment for free.

After Treatments: Initially, you will see a great reduction in hair. It will, however, take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks for all of the treated hair to push its way up to the surface of your skin, and fall out — so do not fret if, after treatment, you still see undesirable hair on the treated area(s).

If, having learned all of this, laser hair removal sounds like the solution for your warm weather needs, contact our office today. Plan your laser hair removal treatment course, before you start planning those vacations. Your beach body will thank us.