Laser Hair Removal FAQ
(Frequently ask Questions)

Are the results permanent?
What preparation is needed before laser treatment?
What will I look like after the treatment?
Is Laser Hair Removal safe?
How does laser hair removal differ from electrolysis and is the treatment permanent?
How many treatments are necessary?
Why does it take more than one treatment?
The cost of Laser Hair Removal?
Is laser hair removal painful?
How soon are the laser hair removal results seen?
What laser we use?
What are reasonable expectations of laser hair removal procedure?
Who are the best candidates for laser hair removal and how does the laser actually work?
What is my skin type?
Which areas can be treated?
What should I avoid after laser hair removal treatment?
Are there any adverse affects or individuals who cannot be treated with laser hair removal?
How long does the Laser Hair Removal procedure take?
How do I get started on my laser hair removal sessions?

Are the results permanent?
The LightSheer causes permanent hair reduction and delayed regrowth of the treated hair follicles. A long-term clinical study was done to evaluate the LightSheer Diode Laser for hair removal. Of 92 patients, all had temporary hair loss and 89% had long-term hair loss. Also, regrowing hairs were shown to be thinner and lighter than previously. Because the laser tends to treat hair follicles that are in an active growth phase, more than one treatment will be required to disable hair follicles that subsequently enter this growth phase.

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What preparation is needed before laser treatment?
Tanning should be avoided. Waxing, plucking, and bleaching should be avoided for at least several weeks prior to treatment. It is fine to trim or shave the hairs, in fact it is best to freshly shave the area just prior to treatment. If you are adverse to shaving, clipping the hairs short is o.k. Remember, minimize waxing, plucking and bleaching for several weeks prior to treatment.

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What will I look like after the treatment?
In most instances, no perceptible skin changes are apparent. Rarely, mild redness and swelling may occur, but can be covered with makeup immediately. If redness occurs, it usually fades within 24 hours. At the time of treatment many of the hairs are removed, and others are shed 1-2 weeks following treatment. In most instances you will be able to apply makeup immediately if you chose.

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Is Laser Hair Removal safe?
The LightSheer system was developed from years of research at the Wellman Laboratories of Photomedicine, one of the world's leading medical laser research institutions. The laser is pulsed, or "turned on," for only a fraction of a second and the duration of each pulse is just long enough to disable the hair follicles. A unique component of the LightSheer system, the actively cooled sapphire handpiece, was designed to protect the skin by actively cooling it before, during and after the laser light is transmitted. It also actively draws off heat from the skin surface, which further protects the skin from injury.

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How does laser hair removal differ from electrolysis and is the treatment permanent?
The main difference between this technology and the traditional method known as electrolysis, is that lasers can treat multiple hair follicles at one time, no longer requiring the need to identify and probe each individual hair follicle, as is done with electrolysis. Laser hair removal is relatively new technology. The FDA, however, has recently provided clearance that indicates lasers can achieve a permanent reduction in hair growth based on clinical tests with patients who have hair reduction two years after treatment completion. Most people need an average of 3-5 treatments. Hair grows in cycles and subsequent treatments are necessary to treat the follicles that are lying dormant below the surface of the skin. These dormant follicles contain little pigment and are often not affected by the first treatment.
Laser hair removal is the most practical, least painful, most efficient, and probably least expensive professional method available to remove unwanted hair. If you have more question regarding our laser hair removal service please call us at 905-265 7552 or email us at info@celluline.ca . For more information about Laser hair Removal vs. Electrolysis click here.

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How many treatments are necessary?
Three to six. To be successful, patients should count on a series of treatments. Only hair which is actively growing can be successfully treated with the LightSheer® Diode Laser. In hormonally induced areas (women’s facial) usually 5-10 treatments will be required. After completion of the series, we expect a complete hair reduction of about 85 to 95%. 

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Why does it take more than one treatment?
Hair grows in cycles. The laser only disables the hair in the active stage of growth at the time of treatment. It does, however, affect the hairs in the early and late stages. The hairs that return are those that were not in the active stage of growth at the time of treatment. They appear lighter in color and finer in texture. You will see good results after just one treatment, but additional treatments are necessary to have complete clearance of hair.

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The cost of Laser Hair Removal?
The price of hair removal can vary depending on several factors including number of treatments needed, size of areas treated (small or large) and density of hair. To determine the cost of laser hair removal, please see our Laser hair removal price list or contact us for a Free consultation to find out exact price. Our consultation is completely free! The laser removal service is performed with the world best laser hair removal LightSheer Diode Laser. The biggest factor in total cost of laser hair removal is the number of treatments performed. LightSheer diode laser required minimum number of treatment, usually no more then four.

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Is laser hair removal painful?
You may feel a tingling or stinging sensation during the treatment, but most people tolerate the procedure well. In general it is less painful then other lasers because LightSheer Laser is equipped with patented ChillTip™ protection. The cooling tip has a mild anesthetic property, which allows tender areas to be treated in a relatively painless fashion. If patient experiences discomfort, we prescribe the topical anesthetic  EMLA cream, which should be applied about one to two hour prior to treatment. This  helps to minimize discomfort. Following your treatment, you may experience a sunburn-type sensation in the treated area for several hours.

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How soon are the laser hair removal results seen?
The results of laser hair removal are seen immediately.  Following your first treatment and every treatment thereafter, you will notice a decrease in the growth of unwanted hair.

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What laser we use?
We use LightSheer® Diode Laser from LUMENIS - world leader in research and development of medical lasers. LightSheer® is the state-of-the-art laser technology for hair removal and provides safe and effective removal of unwanted hair from persons of all and skin colors. This is the first laser that the FDA has allowed to make the claim of "permanent hair reduction".  
Celluline choose this laser because it is proven and most effective laser for hair removal in the world.

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What are reasonable expectations of laser hair removal procedure?
To be considered successful, we expect approximately 85 -95% of the unwanted hair in the treated area to be reduced or eliminated.
We have the best laser currently available for laser hair removal, but even our laser cannot remove white or gray hair. In this case we use electrolysis.  Hair removal lasers need a target to be effective; the target for hair removal is the melanin (pigment) located within the hair follicle 1.5 mm below the surface of the skin.  Because white, gray or very blond hair has very little if any pigment, people with this color hair cannot be successfully treated with any laser available today.
 It is imperative, however, that patients understand that a series of treatments are considered necessary for laser hair removal to be effective in the long term.  Hair can only be removed, by laser, when it is actively growing and only about 30% of hair in any one area of the body is actually growing at any one time.  Repeated treatments must be done at various time intervals, usually one to two months, if laser hair removal is to be successful.
Treated hairs may take up to 2 weeks to fall out. Patients will occasionally call and say that their hair is growing.  What is actually happening is that the body is ejecting dead hair shafts.  Patients are sometimes asked to come in for their next treatment at the suggested treatment intervals, or when they see actual new hair growth.
Ideally, because hair is BEST treated in early anagen, re-treatment should be done as soon as significant hair re-growth is apparent.

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Who are the best candidates for laser hair removal and how does the laser actually work?
In general the best candidates for laser hair removal are people with very light complexions and  dark hair. Since light energy is absorbed by the pigment melanin, which then is transformed into heat energy to disable the follicle, those individuals with coarse dark hair, and light skin color respond most optimally. In those people with darker skin color (more melanin in the skin), the skin tends to compete with the hair for the light energy resulting in the potential for damage to the skin, not the follicle. That is why tanning should be avoided prior (and after) laser treatments. Our second generation lasers can be used on people with fine hairs and darker skin colors. Lasers are effective at disabling hairs that are actively growing, and at any given time not all hairs are in an active growth phase. It therefore is necessary to treat an area again at a later time to disable those hairs that were in a resting phase during initial treatment. We offer free consultations, so feel free to come in for an evaluation to see if laser is right for you or fill our free online consultation form below.

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What is my skin type?
The Fitzpatrick skin type matrix was developed in 1975, by Thomas B. Fitzpatrick, MD, PHD, of Harvard Medical school. This is a classification system for skin typing and is based on a person's complexion and responses to sun exposure. For successful laser and light therapy, it is necessary to determine your correct skin type before treatment.

Fitzpatrick Skin Type Questionnaire and Description
I - extremely fair skin - always burns, never tans
II - fair skin - always burns, sometimes tans
III - medium skin - sometimes burns, always tans
IV - olive skin - rarely burns, always tans
V - moderately pigmented brown skin - never burns, always tans
VI - markedly pigmented black skin - never burns, always tans

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By using this chart you can determine whether you are a good candidate for laser hair removal or electrolysis.

Which areas can be treated?
Nearly any body or facial hair can be treated. Popular treatment areas include faces, necks, chests, backs, bikini areas, legs and underarms.

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What should I avoid after laser hair removal treatment?
Sun exposure or tanning should be avoided. This can be accomplished by the use of sunscreens. The treated areas should be handled gently, avoiding the use of abrasive cleansers or topical acne preparations. If necessary, a topical antibiotic such as Bacitracin (a prescription antibiotic available as a cream or an ointment) can be applied. Most patients experience no noticeable aftereffects of laser hair removal.

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 Are there any adverse affects or individuals who cannot be treated with laser hair removal?
FDA clearance for the safety and effectiveness of laser hair removal was achieved in 1997. In over 1,000 research treatments performed, only transient side effects have been noted.
There is mild pain associated with the treatments, which has been likened to the light snap of a rubber band. For those wishing to minimize any discomfort, topical anesthetic cream can be prescribed, however, it must be applied an hour and a half before treatment and occluded with Saran wrap.
Some degree of redness or swelling may occur, but usually does not persist much beyond a few hours to a few days. Occasionally blisters can develop, and extremely rarely, scarring or infection can occur (to date we have not seen scarring or infection in any of our laser hair patients). The darker ones skin color, the more than one is at risk for changes in skin color, hypo or hyper pigmentation. Usually any changes in skin color will fade over time, but permanent discoloration is a very remote possibility (we have seen rare pigment changes in a few of our patients, but have never observed permanent pigment change in our patients). It is important to point out that any of these adverse events can be seen with electrolysis, or for that matter, waxing or shaving. Laser treatments are most effective in patients that are not tanned. Therefore, tanned individuals should wait until their tan has faded before seeking treatment. Also, patients with extremely dark skin color, for example, a very dark Afro-American, may find treatment less effective, and run the risk of greater pigmentation changes. An area with an active infection such as cold sores, should not be treated until the infection has healed. For best treatment results it is best to avoid tanning both immediately before and following laser treatments. Self tanning cream should also be avoided prior to treatment.

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How long does the Laser Hair Removal procedure take?

How do I get started on my laser hair removal sessions?
We encourage you to call for a free consultation or to arrange a treatment. Our office staff will be happy to answer any further questions you may have. Please remember not to bleach, wax, or pluck the hairs prior to your visit, and avoid tanning immediately before and following our treatments. Shaving or trimming hair is o.k., and is preferred prior to laser treatment.

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Address:  
 3883 Hwy 7, Unit 209
 Toronto, L4L 6C1, Ontario, Canada.
Tel:   905.265.7552