Many women, and men, have unwanted hair that they would like see banished forever. Shaving daily is a hassle, waxing is not only painful, it only lasts for a few weeks so what's a girl or a guy to do? Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the new generation of laser hair removal which may offer patients a faster procedure with less pain, and best of all - the results are permanent.
Model Photo
"The three key factors that you want to consider in choosing a laser hair removal procedure is speed, comfort and reliability," describes Orange County dermatologist Dr. Dore Gilbert, M.D. of Newport Dermatology & Laser Associates in Newport Beach, CA., "And so far, the LightSheer Duet by Lumenis is the gold standard in the market because it is fast, comfortable for the patient, and the hair reduction results are consistent."
Patient comfort is greatly improved with the LightSheer Duet, the latest in high speed laser hair removal treatments. "The larger hand piece includes suction and when we apply the hand piece to the body, it literally sucks the skin into the hand piece so the body feels the suction effect," states Dr. Gilbert, "The suction interferes with the pain process, minimizing the pain typically associated with the first generation laser hair removal devices."
Another benefit that makes the LightSheer Duet stand apart from other laser hair removal devices is firing time and energy spot size. The LightSheer Duet has a faster firing time - approximately once per second - so the energy pulses can be sent out faster, speeding up the procedure. The spot size of the energy pulses are also larger, treating larger areas in less time. According to Dr. Gilbert, most laser hair removal devices have an energy spot size roughly the size of the tip of his thumb. The Duet has a much larger energy spot size therefore drastically cutting down the time of the procedure from an hour and a half to 15-25 minutes to treat the chest or abdomen.
An ideal patient for laser hair removal is a patient with light skin and dark hair. However, the LightSheer Duet is capable of treating all skin types. Laser hair removal is not recommended for patients with lighter hair as the laser targets melanin in the hair and lighter hair has less melanin. "There isn't a laser on the market today that will successfully treat light hair. When that laser flashes out, something has to absorb that light. If there isn't a substantial amount of pigment in that hair, it's just not going to work," Dr. Gilbert described.
As discussed on The Doctors, a series of treatments are necessary to achieve the final results. Since laser hair removal treats hair follicles in the growth phase and only 20-25% of existing hair is in the growth phase at any given time, a series of 4-6 treatments are necessary to get permanent hair reduction. It is important that patients stay out of the sun immediately after treatment as hyper-pigmentation may occur.
Last but not least, the reliability of the LightSheer Duet is another selling point of the device. "It always works," says Dr. Gilbert, "The machine doesn't break down and the results are reliable and consistent across the board. I would say that close to 90% of our patients are thrilled with their results."
For more information on other Laser Hair Removal procedures, please see American Health and Beauty's Beauty Tech Reviews on Laser Hair Removal.
