Laser Hair Removal at Bella Medspa
Laser Hair Removal
at Bella Medspa
Offices in Reading, Chester Springs, Newtown Bucks County, Harrisburg, Lancaster and Philadelphia
At Bella Medspa, We offer pay-as-you-go pricing for ultimate flexibility, or package pricing for the best savings!
See Our Laser Hair Removal Prices Here and Call to book a Free Consultation 484-341-8239
About Laser Hair Removal Procedure
Not only does laser hair removal reduce your hair removal maintenance but it also leaves your skin with a smooth appearance and feel that cannot be achieved through other means. It is the best hair removal option currently available.
Popular Treatement Areas Include
With 6 centers throughout the Chester Springs and Bucks County area, Bella Medspa performs more treatments using the Primelase laser system than any other provider in our metro region. Our technicians are experienced and professional, and it shows in our customer service and results.
Not only does Bella Medspa make treatments convenient, we also offer great specials and payment plans.
Benefits of Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal is a permanent solution that eliminates unwanted hair. The lasers used in the treatment destroy hair follicles while leaving the skin unharmed. The procedure doesn’t take long to complete, and it requires no downtime.
Laser hair removal also prevents painful in-grown hairs, which can occur with other hair removal treatments. The treatment only involves mild discomfort, and aftercare is generally as simple as avoiding sun exposure for the duration of your treatments.
Laser Hair Removal vs. Waxing
Waxing is a time-consuming procedure that removes hair from the follicle. Over time, hair regrows to replace it. Maintaining your desired results requires follow-up waxing sessions.
On the other hand, laser hair removal is a permanent solution. On average, patients typically require 8 to 12 treatments to achieve maximum hair reduction. A 2019 study followed up with patients 11.5 years after their last laser hair removal session and found almost 88% experienced sustained improvement.
Laser Hair Removal vs. Electrolysis
Electrolysis uses short-wave radio frequency to damage hair follicles and prevent hair growth. The device penetrates the skin using small needles to reach the necessary depth to affect follicles. As a result, electrolysis carries an infection risk, unlike laser hair removal.
Laser treatment can also address larger areas than electrolysis, allowing you to remove more hair in fewer appointments. One study comparing the two methods concluded laser hair removal is 60 times faster and less painful than electrolysis.
How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?
When we use a laser to eliminate hair follicles, we are directing intense light energy into the follicles. This energy is so intense it destroys the hair follicles. It is important to note that not all hair follicles will be destroyed in one laser treatment session. That is because hair follicles cycle through active and resting growth phases. Certain physical properties of hair follicles in the most active growth phase make them particularly susceptible to the damaging effects of the laser.
For most people laser treatment is able to eliminate about 20% of the hair follicles with each treatment session.* This means that if you complete one treatment, you should see a reduction in the hair follicles growing in the treated area. Most people wish to significantly reduce, or completely eliminate, unwanted hair follicles. Therefore, most clients will need to complete several treatment sessions with the laser. For most fair to medium skinned individuals with dark hair follicles, it will take 6 to 12 or more treatments to achieve best results.
Medium to dark skinned individuals will most likely require more treatments. To understand why, remember that the laser light is absorbed by the dark matter in the hair and skin and converted into heat energy.
This heat will be felt by the client as something similar to a sting, somewhat like a rubber band snapping on the skin. Medium to dark skin will react more intensely with the laser and for comfort and safety’s sake, will require a slower, more gentle approach.
Hair growth cycle
Hair grows in three phases—Anagen, Catagen and Telogen. Lasers can damage the follicles of hairs growing only in the early stage of the Anagen phase. While you may see many (hundreds, thousands) of hairs growing in an area –whether it be the legs, face, underarm or back—only a percentage of those hairs are currently in the Anagen phase of growth.
As the laser is applied to the area for the treatment, all the hairs will be treated. However it is only those in the anagen phase that are susceptible to the damage the laser can provide. Hairs growing in other phases may be burned or damaged to some degree, producing a finer or even more sluggish growth.
It is for this reason that a series of treatments should be utilized for those wishing to have a more thorough removal of hair in a treatment area. By spacing the treatments 6 or more weeks apart, several “batches” of hairs will ultimately be caught in the critical anagen phase when the treatment is performed.
There are several other factors which can affect the outcome of the treatment, for instance wavelength, pulse duration and spot size of the laser being used, however the basics are that the light is absorbed by the melanin in the hair, creating heat and damaging the hairs that happen to be in the anagen growth phase when treated.
As the series of treatments remove the unwanted hair, a natural additional, and desirable, side effect will be an elimination of ingrown hair. This is a very common skin condition which is often seen in the beard and the groin (or pubis) area.
Because the hair is coarse and often grows in a swirl or curly fashion, the hairs have a tendency to curl back into the skin before (or even after) the outermost edge of the hair shaft breaks through the surface of skin. This results in inflammation, redness or purplish discoloration, and thick pimply-looking growths on the skin. These ingrown hairs can even become infected, causing further discomfort, increased unsightliness in the area, long term discoloration and scarring.
Laser hair removal removes the hairs so that they cannot continue to become ingrown. Get rid of the hair, and you get rid of all the inflammation that goes with it. Most people who suffer from redness and inflammation due to ingrown hairs notice that the symptoms may initially get slightly worse for a week or two after the initial treatment, but that their skin soon has a noticeably smoother healthier appearance, along with less hair.
It can also get rid of another unwanted side effect of unwanted hair: blemishes. Pimples and other blemishes that occur from constantly touching the fingers to the face in an effort to feel for or remove stubble brings bacteria and additional oils to the face, which can potentially increase the incidence of pimples and blemishes.
Results and side effects
While the lasers are very specialized and effective, there are some possible side effects and risks of treatment which should be spelled out. The settings on the laser will be determined based upon your base line (or natural) skin color, your ethnicity, whether or not you’ve had recent significant sun exposure, and the color and texture of your hair as well as some other parameters. The goal is an effective treatment that burns or damages the follicles, but that avoids any residual side effects to the surrounding skin.
At Bella Medspa, we may adjust your settings at each visit in an effort to provide the most effective treatment. Each time you visit us for a treatment, we will ask if you’ve had recent sun exposure, whether or not you are taking any medications that may increase your photosensitivity and we will ask you how your results are progressing so far. In addition, we will ask you about any side effects you saw since your last visit. The answers you give to these questions will help us tailor the treatments to provide the best treatment possible.
Laser hair removal side effects
Typically, during the actual treatment, you will experience a slightly uncomfortable stinging or snapping sensation where the laser is being applied. Each of these sensations lasts for only a fraction of a second. Your skin will become pink or even reddish and will feel sensitive to the touch, and you will most likely notice a raised area at the base of each hair known as perifollicular edema—or swelling. This looks like many very tiny mosquito bites, and will subside within 20 minutes to 2 hours, but can last up to a day or two.
The hairs will become burnt, ashen or even gummy and will eventually break apart and be shed by your skin. As this happens, you will notice the hairs just below the surface of the skin as they work their way out. Some people have described this appearance as “peppery”, as if tiny black flakes of pepper were flecked on the skin. This is completely normal and will diminish in a few days, but can take several weeks. Some people feel bothered by this and have attempted to use a loofah or scrub to remove the hair but it’s best to leave it alone. Your body will shed this material on its own.
Other possible laser hair removal side effects
Rarely we will get a call in our offices from someone who has recently received treatment stating that their skin feels “hot”, “itchy” and looks red. Often this issue developed 2 or more days AFTER treatment, when up until then everything had seemed fine. Here, the skin likely is reacting to the presence of the ashen hairs and is reacting in a way that is similar to an allergic reaction. In this case, we want to help the skin along. Please contact your esthetician for simple instructions on how to do so.
Additionally, you may notice what appear to be very tiny bruise-like marks or similar after treatment. This is a more intense reaction than is typical for treatments, but it can and does happen. Because at Bella Medspa we take a careful and gradual approach to our treatments, we also rarely see this reaction, but understandably our clients may feel worried about such an unsightly and even uncomfortable reaction.
These bruise-like marks will likely start out as pink, then turn reddish, then purple and then brown before they fade completely over a few days and may even become dry or flakey and cracked at the surface of the skin. It is important not to pick at the skin as this heals. Keep the area clean, and use an antibiotic ointment on any areas that may seem dry or cracked. This will help with healing and prevent germs and bacteria from getting into any open skin.
Among The Top 3% Of Providers In The Country
Bella Medspa is an Allergan-certified Alle provider of Botox, Juvederm, and Latisse. What does that mean? It means that we’re among the top 3% of providers in the United States. Thanks to our high volume of clients, our injectors are among the most experienced specialists working today. As a top provider, Bella Medspa has been selected as an Allergan Alle provider. Alle is a program that offers clients discounts and rebates on Allergan products.
Laser Hair Removal FAQ
Laser hair removal is a non-invasive cosmetic procedure that uses a laser to permanently eliminate unwanted hair. The specialized laser targets melanin in the hair.
As the laser fires, it rapidly and efficiently heats the hair follicle. For hairs that are in the active phase of growth, the laser destroys the hair’s ability to re-grow.
Laser hair removal is typically safe for everyone, regardless of skin tone or hair color. That said, individuals with active infections or recently tanned skin should not undergo the procedure.
The best way to assess your candidacy is by consulting an experienced laser hair removal provider like Bella Medspa.
In a careful and methodical approach as the one employed by Bella Medspa, burns to the skin will be seen only in a tiny fraction of those being treated. Remember, the goal is an effective treatment that burns or damages the follicles, but that avoids any residual side effects to the surrounding skin.
The laser bathes the skin and follicles in energy that is absorbed quickly and primarily by the melanin in the hairs. However, we all have melanin or color in our skin, and some of that energy is absorbed by the skin. This is why some sort of cooling of the skin must be employed when performing the treatment.
Bella Medspa uses the Lumenis LightSheer which has a cooling device built into the tip of the laser. But we also apply ice to the area as we treat, thus cooling the skin before, during and after each pulse. As we work our way through your series of treatments, we will adjust the laser settings gradually becoming more intense with each visit. As long as your skin has shown no ill effects from previous treatments, a gradual increase should not cause a burn in the skin, however even with the most careful approach burns can be seen.
If you’ve ever had a sunburn or even touched something hot enough to burn you, you know what that can feel and look like. A burn typically looks red and feels very sore for several hours. As it heals the skin can become darker and scabby looking, and the scab can crack or peel. Great care should be taken to keep the burn away from sun exposure as it heals and to keep the area clean, using antibacterial soap twice a day.
Topical hydrocortisone cream can help with discomfort and will reduce redness and inflammation. Keeping the skin occluded as it heals with a polysporin (or similar) ointment will help ensure the skin heals quickly. Keeping any scabbing intact and allowing it to dissipate and heal gradually will help to ensure that no long-term discoloration occurs.
Refraining from active suntanning and prolonged sun exposure during the entire course of your treatments is an important step in avoiding burns. Some medications, even herbs, can make the skin more photosensitive, and therefore increase the risk of a burn. Tell us if you are taking anything new at each visit.
Area must be clean shaven for treatment.
The area should be free of lotions, make-up, deodorant and other applications before arriving at the center.. Do not wax, tweeze, bleach or use depilatories for 2 weeks prior to treatment. Avoid glycolics and Retin-A for 3 days prior to treatment (in treatment area only.) Do not use tetracyclines, Zithromax or St. John’s Wort within 2 weeks prior to treatment. No Accutane for 6 months prior to treatment.
Your skin will be pink or red and may appear puffy for up to 24 hours after your laser hair removal treatment. A slight stinging or itchy sensation may be felt for several hours. Do not expose treated area to the sun for prolonged periods for 2 weeks post treatment. Apply SPF 30 sunblock to treated areas that may be exposed to the sun for 4 weeks. Avoid irritating skin preparations on treated area for at least 48 hours. Hairs will fall out and/or dissipate on their own within 14 days. Follow-up visits should be scheduled at least 6 weeks apart.
Bella Medspa prioritizes your safety and convenience. Our skilled estheticians adhere to protocols developed in-house by medical director Dr. Avidon Appel.
We offer daytime and evening appointments at our six locations across southeastern Pennsylvania so you can book your treatment sessions at times convenient to you. Bella Medspa also offers pay-as-you-go pricing for laser hair removal patients.
