With March in full swing, many of us will be thinking about dusting off our spring wardrobe and, dare we say it, ditching tights in favour of bare legs.
But with warmer weather comes greater pressure to keep our skin smooth and fuzz-free.
While it's probably the most effective at-home method for removing unwanted hair, waxing is painful, messy and often quite expensive - costing the average female £17,000 in her lifetime.
While laser hair removal is nothing new, there is a new device on the market in the UK which claims to be as fast as shaving, twice as strong as its nearest competitor and almost ten times more powerful than some machines.
With February almost over, many of us will be thinking about dusting off our spring wardrobe and, dare we say it, ditching tights in favour of bare legs. Pictured: stock image
And unlike other laser hair removal methods, the effects are permanent, thanks to the high absorption wavelength and shot pulse duration that heats and destroys the hair follicle.
While that sounds dramatic, it's no where near as painful as waxing; you may feel a prickly sensation but it's very bearable.
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Peter McGuinness, founder of Cocoon Medical, told FEMAIL: 'Primelase has 4,800 watts of power, making it able to treat a large area of skin with every pulse, offering super-fast treatment time.
'This power also ensures better results and can treat light fine hairs equally as good as dark thick hairs; something lower powered lasers cannot achieve. That means clients achieve better results in less treatments, saving time and money.'
Peter told how Primelase features an integrated cooling system which not only makes the treatment safer and less painful, it also makes it more effective.
Primelase takes just six sessions for most people to achieve 85 per cent to 95 per cent clearance of the hair. Pictured left: a woman's armpit before having Primelase treatment and pictured right: the same area after three sessions, prior to treatment 4
This is because if the skin is not cooled on contact, the laser needs to be lower in ferocity to avoid burns.
'The most effective lasers combine short pulse duration with high power, contact skin cooling - where the surface of the skin is kept cool while the laser energy is fired into the follicle - and a high absorption wavelength, but not many contain all these elements,' he said.
How does Primelase work?
Laser hair removalselective photothermolysis
Primelase HR is twice as powerful as any other Diode laser machines and, with its large spot size, can deliver deep penetration in a fast, pain-free and effective treatment.
It offers a combination of Solid State Laser (SSL) and Diode Laser and four different wavelengths to suit differing hair types. With its 4800 watts of energy, it is twice as powerful as any other Diode.
It incorporates crystal freeze refrigeration contact cooling to protect the surface of the skin, making the treatment a comfortable experience for clients that can be used on all skin and hair types.
'Primelase uses a wavelength that is selectively absorbed in the melanin surrounding the hair follicle. This dark pigment conducts the heat to the base of the follicle, heating that area to 70 degrees, at which point the hair dies and cannot regrow - offering permanent removal of the hair.
'Other low powered lasers just damage the hair and it regrows.'
Primelase takes just six sessions for most people, which is half of what it can take for other lasers to achieve optimum results, and its permanence means it saves you money on razors and waxing in the long run.
How long the sessions take depends on the size of the area you're having treated. An upper lip can take just 30 seconds, an underarm is approximately a minute and full legs take around 10 minutes.
It's also a good option if you're plagued by ingrown hairs. If you shave in the first few days after your treatment, that will help lift off dead hairs and leaves your skin silky smooth.
'After the first treatment, the hairs will be dead and they take about a week to make their way out of the follicle - after which you will be hair free for a period of time until the next phase of hair growth appears,' Peter explained.
'These are not the same hairs. At any one time, only 30 per cent of the hair in the skin is in the growing (or Anagen) stage, and laser can only treat growing hairs. That's why a course of treatment is required to treat each phase of hair growth.
'For most people with Primelase, maximum results are achieved in just six sessions. By maximum results, we expect 85 per cent to 95 per cent clearance of the hair, with any residual hair almost invisible.'
Primelase uses a wavelength that is selectively absorbed in the melanin surrounding the hair follicle. This dark pigment conducts the heat to the base of the follicle, heating that area to 70 degrees, at which point the hair dies and cannot regrow - offering permanent removal of the hair. Pictured: a man during his treatment (before left and right after)
To make sure it works most effectively, Peter said you should avoid sunbathing or using fake tan products in the week leading up to your treatment to avoid discolouring of the skin.
Darker skin has a higher melanin content, and this slightly reduces the energy reaching the follicle.
From the moment you start having Primelase, you should also avoid the use of tweezers, waxing, electrolysis or any other type of hair removal systems which remove hair by the root, as this disrupts and stimulates the hair's growth cycle.
What else can Primelase treat?
- Sunspots
- Spider Veins
- Skin rejuvenation to stimulate collagen
- Acne
- Fungi in fingernails and skin
- Vascular lesions
For more information visit www.primelaseclinic.co.uk.
