Get Zapped!

For those of you who get tired of the hair on your chin and want to hang up the razors and retire the waxing kits, laser hair removal is a practical and efficient way to reduce the density of hair growth on the body and certain parts of the face. Oh, wait...or is it just me? I’ve had this problem for as long as I could remember looking at my Aunt's face and wondering why in the world is she walk around with hair on her chin; just shave it off!. One day it happened to me. Thick hairs turned into dark spots. I’ve gone to the dermatologist for prescription creams that didn’t work. I shaved. I waxed. I plucked at home. I plucked in the car at red lights on my way to work [that was the best light]. You would never catch me without tweezers in my makeup bag. The hairs were easy, the dark spots was the hard part. Unitl one day I decided to try a laser treatment. I told my sister, who has the same problem [yeah it definitely runs in the family], about my decision. We discussed the hazards and pain that we might encounter. I did some research and discovered that laser hair removal would not only remove the thick hairs from my chinny-chin-chin, but would also minimize my dark spots that the plucking left behind. I thought to give it a try but the procedure was pretty costly.

My worries went away when I saw a Groupon for laser hair removal a few months ago and jumped at the opportunity to finally get rid of the unwanted hair that I’ve been cursed with. I went for a consult at the office that offered the discount. I sat in the waiting room for 30 minutes only to find out that they did not have the proper laser equipment to remove hair for darker skin. WHAT?! Why didnt they tell me this over the phone? I guess it wouldn't be proper to ask what tone I was over the phone. I was a little discourage until I was referred to a specialist who was more equipped with working with darker skin types and who had the YAG lasers [AND who would honor my Groupon, of course].

How Laser Hair Removal Works. The process entails delivering a laser beam to a cluster of hair follicles to heat them and put them in the resting stage of growth. ZAP!

Hazards to Dark Skin Tones. People with fair skin and dark hair generally get the best results from the treatment. Those with darker skin tones can also get good results from this type of treatment. However, the Hair Removal Journal notes that treating dark skin can be challenging.

Lasers target the melanin [which is pigment] in the hair follicle. The problem for those with darker skin is that the melanin in the skin "steals" the light that should be absorbed by the melanin in the hair follicle, says Hair Removal Journal. This makes it more likely that the skin will blister as a result of treatment. People with tanned and dark skin aren't excluded from the procedure, but dermatologists and techinicians who perform the treatments must exercise extreme care.

Laser Types. Three devices that may be used when treating dark skin tones are alexandrite, diode and YAG lasers. Lasers with longest light wavelength are used to treat those with very dark skin, as the light can still be absorbed by the melanin in the hair follicles without harming the skin.

I started my treatment at Cosmetic Laser Specialists in Dunwoody in late March. My appointments are only once a month and I must say that I am excited about my results so far. Although the hairs weren't visible, I went for my third treatment last week. I was in and out in about 10 minutes; even after I asked the technician to spend a little time zapping a little at my sideburns, free of charge. ;)

Here's an oooold pic I found without makeup and a most recent pic. Dark spot are fading away...

Give laser hair removal a try. I'm glad I did. Now I'm thinking about other unwanted hair I plan to remove. Let me know what you think!

Happy Zapping!

Kisses!