One of the most commonly sought aesthetic treatments is laser hair removal Recent advancements have made the procedure more comfortable and effective so that permanent hair reduction is a more streamlined process. The LightSheer Duet from Lumenis is a laser hair removal device with a lot of technology and power behind it.
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One of the Duet's benefits is its fast firing time. Dr. Gilbert says that the machine fires about once per second, so the physician can send the next pulse quickly. Also, the hand piece has a large spot size, meaning that each energy burst treats a larger area. "Most laser hair removal devices used to have a spot size about the same size as the tip of my thumb. Now you have a device that is much larger. You can just imagine that it goes very quickly. It only takes about 25 minutes to do a whole chest and abdomen where it used to take us an hour and a half."
Dr. Gilbert also says that comfort is dramatically improved by the LightSheer Duet. "This big hand piece has suction in it and its sucks the skin right up into it so what happens is the body feels the suction," Dr. Gilbert describes. "It interferes with the pain process so that when you have this suction, the pain is minimized." He does point out though that the procedure isn't painless, but it is much better than with previous devices.
"It always works," says Dr. Gilbert of the device's reliability. "The machine doesn't break down, and the results are reliable. I would say that close to 90% of our patients are thrilled with the results."
Traditionally, laser hair removal treatments were only for those with medium to fair skin and dark hair. The laser reacts with the melanin in the hair, but an abundance of melanin in the skin as well can cause burns and pigmentation troubles. The LightSheer Duet is able to treat all skin types. Depending on the patients skin tone, Dr. Gilbert is able to adjust the pulse duration to the appropriate level for the patient.
Medium to fair skinned individuals will still see the best results however, because the physician can deliver more power with each treatment. The less the power that can be used, the more treatments are necessary. "We treat all skin types but you just have to be very careful on the darker skin types and take it slowly," says Dr. Gilbert.
Patients with lighter hair aren't candidates for laser hair removal with any device. "There's not a laser on the market today that will successfully treat those light colors. When that laser flashes out, something has to absorb that light. If there's no real pigment in that hair, it's just not going to work," Dr. Gilbert described.
Other factors making laser hair removal ill advised for some include tanning. Patients who have tanned recently have too much melanin in the skin and treatment could cause burns. Patients who have herpes may also not be candidates unless breakouts are under control. The heat can cause an outbreak, especially if a patient's being treated around the mouth. "Possible side effects would include redness and swelling. There is a possibility of blisters burns and pigmentation problems, but those are really kind of rare." Dr. Gilbert says proper training is critical.
Patients need to stay out of the sun after treatment as well as before. Multiple sessions are needed as the hair grows in cycles, so not all of it can be treated at once. If you want to be bikini ready, start a few weeks in advance for best results.
Dr. Dore Gilbert
American Health and Beauty, in an effort to provide the most up-to-date information to our readers, presents the Beauty Tech Review. The next installment in this ongoing series discusses Laser Hair Removal technology. Join American Health and Beauty editor, Keith Veseleny, as he speaks with leading physicians who share their knowledge on each laser hair removal platform.
Previous Beauty Tech Reviews have included the following topics: Laser Lipoloysis, Fractional Resurfacing, Body Contouring, and Cellulite Reduction.
