Can you imagine spending nearly 60 complete days removing unwanted body hair? That’s a lot of time, yet at least one survey suggests an average of 58.4 days of hair removal over an average lifetime. You can, however, break the cycle and free yourself from the chore. The answer is hair removal with the Icon™ laser system.
Dr. Richard Blanchar of Bayview General Medicine offers Icon laser hair removal to our clients seeking a permanent end to hair removal tasks. Icon gets to the literal root of hair growth issues and interrupts the cycle for body hair you want gone for good. Sound too good to be true? Read on to learn more about the benefits of laser hair removal.
At any one time, only about one-third of your body hairs are currently growing. This ensures that you’ve always got body hair, which nature is likely more enthused with than you are. Though various body parts have slightly different cycles, each area goes through a similar growth cycle.
When it comes to treating unwanted hair with lasers, this growth phase is important, since active hair follicles are the most vulnerable to the energy used by cosmetic lasers. As the follicle generates new hair tissue, it’s darker than the surrounding skin, a small but important distinction.
Effective permanent hair loss means disabling the hair follicle, which isn’t hard to do, but the task becomes harder when you must avoid damaging the skin surrounding the follicles. Lasers emit a single wavelength of light, so the Icon system takes advantage of the growth cycle where hair follicles are darkest in contrast with surrounding skin.
When the laser wavelength is closely tuned to the follicle, the light energy absorbs into the hair and converts to heat, while otherwise passing harmlessly through surrounding tissue. When the follicle reaches a critical temperature point, its ability to grow hair stops. Your body recognizes the damage and starts the process of removing the follicle from your body. In most cases, the follicle is not replaced.
Because of the hair growth cycle, a minimum of three laser sessions are necessary for maximum hair removal, but you’ll notice a reduction in the amount of body hair at the treatment site with even a single session.
Icon can treat virtually any spot on your body that has unwanted hair, except close to your eyes, since it’s a light-based treatment. There’s no down time for recovery after treatment, and there’s no pain and little discomfort. Some patients describe the sensation as a light elastic band-type snap, while others describe tingling. Treatments are safe for all skin types, and, depending on the size of the area you want treated, your session lasts anywhere from five minutes to one hour.
You can find out more about what Icon laser hair removal can do for you by contacting Bayview General Medicine and arranging a consultation with the team. Call the office directly or use the tool on this page to request an appointment online. It won’t be long before you can repurpose your razor.
