San Diego is a beautiful coastal city overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The beaches like San Onofre, Solana, Seagrove Park, Leucadia, and South Carlsbad are renowned throughout the United States. Spending the summers in this city, mostly dry and pleasant, is a different experience altogether.
When the summer is around, people think of undergoing a laser hair removal procedure for donning the perfect beach look. But before you book an appointment, there are certain things you should know about the laser procedure. These are also important if you’re opting for hair laser removal in San Diego because of personal or medical reasons.
Laser Hair Removal Procedure Depends on Your Skin Tone
There are different types of laser hair removal procedures. And each procedure depends on your skin tone. People with lighter skin tone or pale skin will have a different procedure than people with darker skin tone. There are as many as five different types of laser hair removal types. Those are:
- Intense pulsed light therapy
- Alexandrite laser therapy
- Nd:YAG therapy
- Diode laser therapy
- Ruby laser therapy
Intense pulse light or IPL is ideal for pale skin and thin hair. This is because it uses scattered light instead of a focused laser. Therefore, IPL is technically not a laser treatment procedure. Because of its scattered nature, the IPL process is delicate on the skin.
Other procedures vary from olive skin type to dark skin. Alexandrite lasers operate 755 nm wavelengths of Infrared light, whereas Nd:YAG supplies somewhere between 946 to 1440 nm. Diode and Ruby laser types have their own wavelength of laser light. A dermatologist will take your skin tone into account and perform a laser procedure accordingly. Many centers offering hair laser removal in San Diego have multiple options to choose from.
The Process is going to be Long
Laser hair removal is not a one-off thing. It can take as many as two or three weeks to see a significant difference after undergoing the first hair laser removal therapy. And some procedures can take up to 12 weeks to get the desired results. The time duration depends on your skin tone and the stage your hair follicles are in.
You Need to Avoid Skin Exposure for Weeks
You should limit or avoid sun exposure altogether for weeks leading into the laser hair removal procedure. The UV coming out of the sun can damage your skin. Since the laser procedure will also be damaging your skin to some degree, this can cause irritation, especially in the sunny climate of San Diego, where you get a lot of sun throughout the year.
Dermatologists ensure the wavelength is adjusted to reduce the irritation in the targeted area. Also, avoid sun exposure at least for a few weeks after the laser treatment.
Along with the sun, you’d also have to skip UV tanning beds for a few weeks before and after the laser treatment procedure.
Waxing Is a no-no, Shaving a Must
Before going to your appointments, the dermatologist will ask you to come with your hair cleaned. But if you love waxing, then probably you’d have to sacrifice your favorite hair removal method. Instead, you’d be asked to shave. Because by waxing or tweezing, you’re also removing the root of the hair. But laser procedure targets the hair root and destroys them with heat energy. Therefore, waxing makes the laser procedure ineffective.
The dermatologist might also ask you to shower and bath and come with completely clean skin to reduce dirt and any foreign particles.
Consult for Medications and Cosmetics
Laser treatment procedure requires you to stay away from certain medications. These include Botox injections, filler injections, and certain chemicals. Especially the high powered lasers can have some side-effects on hyaluronic acid fillers. Therefore, a counseling session with a dermatologist is of utmost importance.
You should be open to every type of medication you’re one or cosmetic creams you might be using. If you’re using Botox, which is continuously increasing among San Diego residents, then you’re also required to consult with your dermatologist.
Laser hair removal in San Diego is getting more and more popular. The results are visible after a few treatments, and the costs have come down considerably. But you should always take the above precautions into account for safety.
