laser hair removal: Rocky Mountain Laser Clinic

Frequently asked questions about laser hair removal.

With over 50 years experience in electrology and over five years experience in using all of the available light and laser hair removal modalities, the Rocky Mountain Laser Clinic is uniquely qualified to offer the most reliable advice regarding the various technologies for permanent hair removal. There is no single technique that is perfect for all clinical applications. Read below to find out which methodology is right for you. Patients Beware! Not all lasers are created equal! There is a great deal of misleading information and claims about laser hair removal, leading to unrealistic expectations by patients and, in some cases, severe skin damage. Click here to view skin damage produced by ruby laser hair removal equipment. RMLC uses state-of-the-art Alexandrite laser hair removal technology that is safe and reliable. Click here to view testimonials from some of our many satisfied clients.

What is Laser Hair Removal?
Who is a candidate for laser hair removal?
Is laser hair removal permanent?
How do medical lasers work?
How does the laser hair removal treatment work?
Which body areas can be treated?
How many laser hair removal treatments are required?
Is laser hair removal treatment painful?
What are the risks, side effects and possible complications of laser hair removal?
Testimonials

What is Laser Hair Removal?

Laser hair removal is a procedure by which hair is removed from the body by utilizing the GentleLase™, by Candela Laser Corporation. The GentleLase™ was developed and designed from years of research at their facilities in Wayland, Massachusetts. The laser parameters were carefully defined by studying the anatomy of the hair follicle and precisely matching the laser light and pulse duration to the follicle size, depth and location to inhibit the re-growth of the hair.

Laser hair removal can be performed by a highly and specially trained individual known as a Certified Laser Technician (CLT). In this procedure, the CLT distributes the light of an alexandrite long pulse laser (755 nm) onto the skin. The laser works by disabling hairs that are in their active growth cycle at the time of treatment. Since other hairs will enter their growth cycle at different times, additional treatments may be necessary to disable all of the follicles in a given area. Your CLT will work with you to develop the treatment program that best fulfills your hair removal needs.

Who is a candidate for laser hair removal?

Both men and women seek the above mentioned services to have superfluous or unwanted hair removed. Hair removal is commonly done on the following areas: hairline, eyebrow, top of the nose, lip chin ear lobe, shoulders, back, underarm, abdomen, buttocks, pubic area, bikini lines, thighs, face, neck, breast, arms, legs, hands, and toes. The causes of excessive hair growth pattern are many and varied. Those with which people are best acquainted include:

Heredity
Pregnancy

Glandular and/or hormonal imbalances
Reactions to certain medications
Normal aging processes

There are other causes of excessive hair growth, including excessive waxing, tweezing and other temporary methods of hair removal (creams/depilatories), among others.

Several treatments are generally necessary to attempt to satisfy the patient/client’s desire for hair removal. Factors that will determine the length of treatment include: the particular area to be treated, the texture of hair, frequency of treatments, history of temporary measures to remove hair (waxing, tweezing, shaving, and depilatories, etc.). Close adherence to your proposed treatment schedule will assist the CLT in treating your condition.

Most laser hair removal systems work best with dark hair on light colored skin. If a traditional laser hair removal device is used on dark skin, the result is usually serious burning or loss of skin pigment (hypo-pigmentation). The GentleLase Alexandrite laser now offers a superior level of accuracy combined with a unique Dynamic Cooling Device that is not available in any other laser system. Using this new technology combined with extensive experience in treating all skin types, the Rocky Mountain Laser Clinic is one of only a few clinics in the nation that can work with type 5 and 6 skin types (Asian, Hispanic, Afro-American and Mediterranean). Click here to open a window with curriculum vitae for Lorenzo Kunze, ME, CPE, CLT, Director of Rocky Mountain Laser Clinic.

Even children find the treatment to be quite pleasant and very rewarding as evidenced by this letter from a 12 year old patient:

Dear Lorenzo,
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you have done for me. It is soooo nice of you to be doing what you do. We are so pleased with what you do, we are going to recommend you to our friends and family members. I can now go up to people in confidence. Thank you for giving that to me.
Sincerely,
L. L. (Wheatridge, CO)

Click here to view more testimonials from some of our many satisfied clients.

When choosing your hair removal options, select an environment whose main priorities are your safety, health, and privacy. With over 50 years of expertise in treating all types of skin, the Rocky Mountain Laser Clinic offers the highest level of safety and service. RMLC’s goal is to provide you with the best care in a safe, comfortable, private, and scenic setting.

Is laser hair removal permanent?

Electrology is PERMANENT, and, for the past 125 years has been the choice of many clients who seek permanent results. The Rocky Mountain Laser Clinic provides the best electrology and laser hair removal techniques so that their clients have a choice for the best method for their particular hair and skin type. RMLC has kept abreast of new data and medical technology concerning hair removal realizing that now . . . THE TIME HAS COME FOR LASER. Laser methodologies have now been proven by the Food and Drug Administration to offer permanent hair reduction. The three main advantages to laser hair removal technology are comfort, speed, and accuracy.

How do medical lasers work?

Lasers are optical devices which produce intense coherent beams of light. A laser consists of an active medium such as a crystal, gas or liquid, that amplifies light when excited by an external energy source (such as a flash amp or electric discharge). When the proper medium is employed, the laser can be finely tuned to generate a very narrow band of light wavelengths (such as the individual colors of the visible spectrum). These specially tuned lasers are revolutionizing the medical industry. For example, lasers tuned to the color of blood are very effective for treating varicose veins by breaking down the dead blood cells in the affected areas. Lasers tuned to specific colors are now used for tattoo removal.

How does the laser hair removal treatment work?

Lasers designed for permanent hair removal emit wavelengths of light designed to be absorbed by the pigment in the hair (melanin). If the surrounding skin is relatively light compared to the color of the hair then the entire energy of the laser will be concentrated in the hair shaft, effectively destroying it without affecting the skin or follicle. The ability of the laser to produce a very narrow bandwidth on a consistent basis is the key to a safe efficient treatment. Many laser hair removal systems on the market do not produce a sufficiently narrow bandwidth of light or have difficulty maintaining the consistency of the bandwidth. This causes a burning of the skin, tissue and blood surrounding the treated hair follicles and results in a painful treatment and, sometimes, serious long-term skin damage.

The types of lasers used for permanent hair removal include the ruby, ND/YAG, diode and Alexandrite. The Rocky Mountain College/Rocky Mountain Laser Clinic has used all of these types of lasers and has found the GentleLase™ Alexandrite laser by Candela to be far superior to all others. With 30 years of experience in producing scientific lasers and over 15 years of experience in designing medical lasers, Candela Laser Corporation (Wayland, MA) developed the GentleLase™ to stand as the vanguard representing the state-of-the-art technology in laser hair removal.

GentleLase™ is safe, gentle, fast, and effective. This procedure is permanent. There will be no more need to resort to temporary procedures such as waxing, shaving, tweezing, and depilatories. GentleLase™ also offers practical and therapeutic advantages over electrolysis; laser light can scan broad body areas disabling the hair follicles’ ability to produce hair without damaging the follicles’ delicate pores. Treatment of large areas, such as a woman's legs or a man's back, that once took months to perform with electrolysis can now be performed in a few hours.

GentleLase™ is the only permanent hair removal system that employs the patented Dynamic Cooling Device (DCD). While the Alexandrite laser emits a beam that only heats the hair shaft, heat is transmitted from the hair shaft to the surrounding tissue for several milliseconds after the laser pulse. The DCD produces a fine spray of cryogenic cooling on the surrounding skin to fully absorb any heat transmitted from the destroyed hair shafts. Click here to view the overwhelming evidence of the effectiveness of this technology in reducing heat produced in the skin during the procedure.

Be cautious of permanent hair removal systems that use traditional light for treatment. The names of these devices, such as "EpiLight™" and "PhotoDerm™", do not contain the word "laser". These machines use a highly concentrated beam of traditional incoherent light, often in conjunction with a cream or gel, to burn the hair shaft. A serious flaw with these systems is that they lack the laser's ability to produce a selective bandwidth of light that will only affect the hair shaft. These devices produce a wide bandwidth of light that heats up all of the surrounding tissue. The creams or gels accompanying these treatments are supposed to absorb the excess heat from the skin but they are only marginally effective. These treatments are relatively painful and can produce serious long-term skin damage or irritation.

Which body areas can be treated by laser hair removal ?

The GentleLase procedure has been used successfully to treat thousands of patients, permanently removing unwanted hair on large areas such as legs, arms, back, and chest. Sensitive areas such as the eyebrow, upper lip, ears and even bikini lines can be easily and effectively treated by GentleLase. This procedure provides longer-term relief; laser puts an end to routine shaving and leaves the skin looking and feeling smoother and silkier. The most important result of all is the confidence that comes from looking your best with younger-looking, hair-free skin.

How many laser hair removal treatments are required?

All clients will require at least two laser treatments. This is because the first treatment only eliminates the active hair follicles. Everyone has hair that is in an inactive or "sleeping" state. These hairs will generally start growing after the initial active hair is eliminated. Approximately 4 to 6 weeks after the initial treatment, a second treatment is required to eliminate the remaining hair shafts. Depending upon hair type and genetic factors, some clients may require several additional treatments beyond these initial treatments. Almost all clients, even those with extremely persistent hair growth, will achieve permanent hair reduction after four or five treatments.

Is laser hair removal treatment painful?

In one pulse, the GentleLase laser removes all the hair on a patch of skin the size of a nickel. The pulse, lasting only millionths of a second, is no more painful than plucking a single hair. It is important to choose only the highest quality laser treatment system. The GentleLase system uses a precise frequency of light that is finely tuned and optimized to effect only the hair shaft and root. The tissue surrounding the follicle is not irritated by the laser. The GentleLase system is manufactured to provide the highest degree of accuracy available to maintain the precise frequency of light beam to remove the entire hair root without heating the surrounding skin. Other models of laser hair removal systems, some more expensive than GentleLase, do not maintain the same level of precision. Even the smallest variations in frequency or duration of the pulse cause irritation to the skin and possible complications.

As an additional design benefit, the GentleLase system combines a pulse of cooling spray that dissipates the small level of heat generated by the laser. This makes GentleLase the most effective and most pleasant technique available for hair removal.

You will see and feel the real benefits to the GentleLase technique after the treatment. Unlike tweezers, chemicals or needles, no irritation occurs after the treatment. The skin is left smooth and silky with minimal side effects.

Risks, side effects and possible complications of laser hair removal treatment

The possibility exists that some side effects or complications can occur, including: