Laser Hair Removal Sharon McLees Imagine having smooth, hair-free skin without shaving, waxing, plucking, or bleaching unwanted facial and body hair. GYFT now offers a safe, affordable, fast and effective treatment to help you look and feel your best using the latest Candela laser technology known as the GentleLASE. Whether you’re on vacation or on a summer outing, you’ll be able to wear your shorts and bathing suits with confidence, knowing that your skin looks and feels great all the time. The GentleLASE effectively and permanently removes that unwanted hair from the upper lip, chin, underarms, bikini line, upper and lower legs, chest and back. Unlike other treatments, the GentleLASE process is easy – requiring no pre-treatment waxing, and no needles. In fact, laser hair removal is a medical breakthrough by treating hair follicles in a fraction of the time of other methods, using only the gentle power of laser light. You’ll find the GentleLASE method of hair less expensive than any other laser hair removal service in the area. Call us today for appointment availability or to find out if laser therapy is right for you (253-475-5433). See below for more information on this remarkable new technology. What is the GentleLASE and why is it a safe treatment? Lasers have been used for many years for a variety of medical cosmetic procedures including treatment of facial and leg veins, age spots and smoothing fine lines on the face. The GentleLASE, a revolutionary long-pulse high energy alexandrite laser system, emits a gentle beam of light that passes through the skin, to the hair follicle, where it is absorbed. The laser energy is transformed into heat, which can disable the follicle, leaving the surrounding skin unchanged. The skin is further protected during treatment by a dynamic cooling process where a cryogen is sprayed onto the skin, cooling the upper layers, thereby providing patients increased comfort. This selectivity helps to protect the skin while effectively treating the unwanted hair. See last paragraph for more information on the Dynamic Cooling Device. What conditions are treated with the laser? Traditional hair removal techniques, such as shaving, plucking and waxing, provide only temporary relief. Until now, the only semi-permanent way to remove hair has been by electrolysis which can be painful, time-consuming and is limited to small cosmetic areas. Scarring, allergic reactions and ingrown hairs are common side effects of all of these traditional hair removal methods. The GentleLASE safely removes unwanted body hair without damaging the delicate pores and structures of the skin. Facial and bikini areas are usually completed in under ten minutes; legs and larger areas may take a little longer. What does the treatment include? Depending on the amount of area to be treated, the procedure varies from patient to patient. Generally, the treatment involves: Safety eyewear to protect the patient’s eyes during the procedure from the intense laser light. A small handpiece will be used with a probe that touches the skin to deliver the laser light. A light spray of coolant onto the skin will be felt just before each laser pulse. Most patients experience little discomfort at the treatment site because of the dynamic cooling device. The degree of discomfort varies with each person, depending on his/her pain threshold. Topical anesthesia is available but generally not necessary. Be sure to discuss this with your physician in advance of the laser treatment. The procedure can take as little as 10 minutes or up to an hour, depending on the area treated. All patients can go home immediately following treatment. The treated area may become pink or red shortly after treatment and may last from a few hours to several days. What precautions should be taken before and after treatment? Avoid all tanning for 2 weeks prior to treatment. You MUST avoid bleaching, plucking, or waxing hair for 2 weeks prior to treatment. If you have had a history of perioral herpes, prophylactic antiviral therapy may be prescribed. Area to be treated should be shaved the morning of your hair removal appointment. You should discuss your desired results and the improvements you expect to achieve. Together, you and the technician can decide if your expectations will be met and if this laser treatment is the best option. How many treatments will I need? Hair grows in cycles. The number of treatments required depends on your skin, hair coloring and coarseness of the hair. Everyone will require repeated treatments as the process is only effective on hairs during the growing cycle. Further sessions will be necessary to treat these follicles when they re-enter the growth phase. Integrated Dynamic Cooling – Epidermal Protection and Faster Treatment Dynamic cooling emits a highly focused, short burst of non-toxic coolant onto the top layers of the patient’s skin milliseconds before each laser pulse, minimizing patient pain and thermal injury. This evaporative coolant speeds up treatment, without affecting the underlying targeted hair follicles and blood vessels. Furthermore, the dynamic cooling device reduces the need for cooling gels and expensive anesthesia for most patients. Best of all, it helps decrease patients’ treatment times, and allows for a quick recovery.