The desire to have smooth skin without excess vegetation on the body makes women resort to many procedures. This is shaving hair and treating it with a depilatory cream, as well as salon procedures, for example those during which an alexandrite laser is used. After the first session, the hair does not grow for a month, then the procedure is repeated. Each time, the growth of vegetation slows down, and the hairs become thinner.
What is alexandrite laser
This method of getting rid of unwanted hair is familiar to many ladies. The first artificially grown alexandrite hair removal equipment appeared in the United States in 1997 and was approved by the FDA.
Alexandrite laser is an optical-quantum generator with high power and wavelength reaching from 700-820 nm. It is the most permeable of all lasers in terms of speed. Has an infrared radiation spectrum. The duration of its pulse is 2-30 ms. The main emitter is alexandrite, enriched in chromium.
Suitable for people with I-III phototype of the skin. Able to exert an effect on the IV-VI phototype. The laser procedure is painful and requires local anesthesia.
Currently, procedures are being carried out with an alexandrite-neodymium laser. Unlike its predecessor, it has two types of radiation: neodymium and alexandrite. It combines the lengths of two rays, due to which there is a more gentle effect on the dermis. It is used in particularly sensitive areas, in areas with gray or blond hair and on tanned skin.
Operating principle
Alexandrite laser acts on the melanin (the dark pigment of the hair) pointwise, resulting in the destruction of the structure of vegetation on the body.
Immediately before the procedure, a specialist assesses the condition of the hair. He looks at the depth of their occurrence, determines the color and length. These indicators influence the choice of radiation intensity. The laser, penetrating to a given depth, destroys the hair follicle, while not heating the skin around and causing burns. Hair evaporates before the eyes. A plug is formed in place of the follicle, which prevents the further growth of vegetation on the body. After this procedure, the hair does not grow 1-1.5 months, then a second session is required.
Laser hair removal with an alexandrite laser affects an area of up to 2 cm², so that you can treat quite large areas of skin in a short time. The average duration of the procedure is 35-60 minutes. Modern devices are equipped with a skin cooling system, which makes this event quite painless and comfortable.
Using an alexandrite laser, you can not only remove hair, but also remove vascular lesions of the epidermis, pigmentation, and rejuvenate the skin. This method can be used by both men and women. The procedure has a minimal amount of side effects.
Indications
Epilation with an alexandrite laser has certain indications and contraindications. So, the recommendations for the procedure are:
- Excessive growth of vegetation in the area of the face and neck.
- The tendency to ingrown hairs on the body.
- Sensitive skin on which the shaving process and other depilation methods cause irritation.
- Dark hair on fair skin.
But epilation with an alexandrite laser has contraindications. The absolute ones include:
- inflammatory processes and ulcers on the skin;
- herpes;
- diabetes;
- malignant and benign formations;
- tanned and dark skin;
- infectious diseases in the acute stage;
- the period of pregnancy and breastfeeding;
- the presence of light, gray and red hair in the treated area.
In addition, laser hair removal is not performed if patients have varicose veins, there are numerous warts, moles and age spots.
The procedure is not carried out also in the case when there are injuries, cuts and abrasions on the skin, respiratory viral diseases. The ban is an allergy at the stage of exacerbation and hormonal disorders. Experts do not advise doing the procedure for poor tissue regeneration and during menstrual bleeding.
The consequences of the procedure
Laser hair removal with an alexandrite laser in Moscow, as well as in other regions, is performed only in salons. The procedure rarely causes side effects, although from time to time negative consequences appear in the form of:
- a burn that occurs due to the work of an unskilled specialist and improper cooling system in the device;
- folliculitis - if a person suffers from excessive sweating, as well as in the first days after the procedure when visiting a sauna or bath;
- allergies - it manifests itself in the form of dermatitis, urticaria, or itching. A similar effect is caused by an anesthetic cream and cooling gas;
- herpes - occurs in people who have had this illness;
- impaired functioning of the visual apparatus. As a rule, this is photophobia, partial loss of vision or conjunctivitis. It occurs during epilation in the eyebrow area, if the laser hit the mucous membrane of the eye and the patient refused to wear glasses.
- hyperpigmentation - it appears on tanned skin a few days after the procedure. Sometimes it is formed if the rules for protecting the skin from the sun are not observed in the first days after hair removal.
Advantages and disadvantages
Candela Alexandrite Laser belongs to the new generation of devices. It acts efficiently, sparingly and harmoniously. He, like other modern devices, provides his patients with maximum comfort and has the following advantages:
- Getting rid of vegetation on the body.
- Lack of special preparatory period.
- Universality. Suitable for all skin types, both women and men.
- Removes blond hair and fluff.
- It does not harm the skin and leaves no residue on it.
- It can be used in any, even the most sensitive, area.
- Provides speed and comfort of the procedure.
- The result is visible after the first session.
But this method of hair removal is not suitable for everyone. People with dark skin and blond red hair may not get the result they were counting on. In addition, many people cannot afford laser hair removal, especially if you have to remove hair over a large area, for example, on the legs or chest.
To completely stop the growth of vegetation, you need to do up to 10 procedures. This is due to the fact that the hair on the human body is at different stages of growth, and only 5-15% are in the active phase. The remaining hair follicles are inactive and are not affected by the laser. Between sessions, it is recommended to take a break of 1-2 months. In addition, if local anesthesia is not used, fairly strong pain may occur, especially in the sensitive area.
Stages of the procedure
The laser hair removal procedure is divided into several stages:
- Preparation.
- Carrying out work.
- Completion.
At the preparatory level two months before the procedure, all activities that injure the hair follicles are excluded, that is, the hair cannot be plucked and removed. For 14-30 days before laser hair removal, you should not stay outside without sunscreen, since hair removal on tanned skin is not carried out so as not to cause skin pigmentation.
To prevent burns, hair longer than 2 mm is shaved or cut. A week before the cosmetic event, alcohol toners and lotions are not used, and on the day of the procedure, deodorants and other cosmetics are canceled. To reduce the pain threshold, hair removal is performed a week before or after the menstrual cycle.
Immediately before the session, the specialist inspects the work area, examines the color and thickness of the hair, the client’s phototype, skin sensitivity to the sun and selects the most suitable parameters for hair removal. Some doctors test the epidermis for laser exposure.
An hour before the procedure, painkillers for the skin are applied. During the procedure, special goggles are put on the eyes of the specialist and the patient. The session is carried out on a thoroughly cleansed skin. The cosmetologist sends impulses to the area with excess vegetation, in the intervals between which the skin cooling system works, causing an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect.
During the procedure, slight burning, pain or tingling may be observed in some places. Most of the hair falls off immediately after the session, and some continue to hold for about 7-10 days. The following procedure is performed when hair grows from inactive follicles that slept during the previous procedure.
In conclusion, an anti-inflammatory and antiseptic agent is applied to the epidermis, which prevents the appearance of irritation.
In order to completely remove hair in the face area, from 4 to 8 procedures are required, for the bikini area - 3-5 sessions. If hormonal disorders are present, then the effectiveness of the measure can be reduced, therefore, before proceeding with hair removal, you need to normalize the hormonal background.
Alexandrite or diode laser is better?
A variety of types of laser are used to remove hair, and often the question arises for women which one to prefer:
- ruby, with a wavelength of 694 nm;
- neodymium, in it the frequency range reaches 1,064 nm;
- alexandrite (755 nm);
- diode (810 nm).
The removal of vegetation on the body occurs due to the selective absorption of laser radiation by the tissues of the human body. By releasing it on tissue, the laser acts only on melanin and does not harm the skin. The penetration depth of the diode apparatus is higher than that of the alexandrite one and reaches 4-5 mm. Therefore, the first laser affects the hair follicle much more effectively than the second.
The safety of the procedure with an alexandrite laser is higher than that of a ruby, but lower than that of a diode. That is, the probability of getting a burn on a diode laser is lower than on an alexandrite laser, especially if the procedure is performed by an inept doctor. In addition, the diode can operate at a higher pulse power without risk for the patient to get a burn. On alexandrite, a procedure with a similar power will be unsafe.
The diode device is more successful than alexandrite, struggling with the problem of ingrown hair. Can be used to remove unwanted vegetation on tanned skin. There are no restrictions before and after the procedure.
A diode laser is more suitable for women who like to spend a lot of time in the solarium and in the sun, and those who do not want to burden themselves with additional worries and use sunscreen. If the lady does not like to sunbathe, has dark hair on her body and fair skin, then she can safely choose alexandrite.
What to choose - a diode or alexandrite laser - the patient decides based on his personal preferences.
What can not be done after the procedure
Is alexandrite laser really good? Reviews of women say that it helps to get rid of unnecessary vegetation for a long time. The device should be used when the skin is well prepared for the procedure. To prevent swelling and redness, immediately after the session, a drug is applied that relieves irritation. Over the next days, the skin in every possible way is softened and nourished with creams. If a burn occurs, then it is treated with Bepanten ointments, Panthenol ointments, etc.
In addition, after epilation with an alexandrite laser, one should not:
- sunbathe;
- visit the bathhouse or sauna;
- use antibiotics, hormones, antipsychotics and other medications;
- remove crusts from burns yourself;
- go out without sunscreen.
Immediately after hair removal, hyperemia can occur, which can last up to 24 hours. If an unusual situation occurs, you must urgently seek medical help.
The doctor may recommend regenerative and anti-inflammatory drugs. At first, the skin can push dead hair to the surface, this is not an increase in the growth of vegetation and you should not worry in this case. Re-grown hairs will be removed in the next session.
Do not wet the hair removal area. Also, on the day of the procedure, it is forbidden to use all kinds of cosmetics.
Cost
Alexandrite laser in Moscow is not a cheap procedure. So, processing two hands from the hand to the elbow will cost 4,500-6,000 rubles, two hands completely from palm to shoulder from 6,000 to 12,000 rubles. Removing armpit hair costs about 7,000-30000 rubles. The bikini zone will cost women 1000–25000 rubles. The price range is large. The cost of the event depends on the interior, apparatus, area of the surface to be treated, the complexity of the work and other factors for which the alexandrite laser was used (hair removal).
Moscow offers to do this procedure in many clinics, but the most popular are: “He-Clinic”, “Deltaklinik”, “SM-Clinics”, “Miracle Doctor” and “Grad-Clinics”.
In the regions, this service is somewhat cheaper, but to achieve the desired effect, you still have to give a lot of money.
Alexandrite laser (hair removal): reviews
Opinions about the described procedure have developed the most diverse. Women say that during the session, minor pain may occur, and in some cases it is necessary to resort to local anesthesia. And after epilation, a slight irritation is observed, which, however, quickly passes through the action of special creams.
Most argue that after 3 sessions, the amount of vegetation on the body decreases, and the hairs become thinner. A full course of activities allows you to get rid of unwanted hair forever.
Some patients say that this result requires years of hard procedures and a lot of money, since each session is paid separately and is not cheap. This laser does not act on fair hair and can make them dark and stiff. In addition, for some ladies the procedure seemed very painful.
Epilation with an alexandrite laser is an effective procedure, but it is not suitable for everyone and helps to get rid of hair not immediately. For an optimal result, you need to be patient and regularly visit a cosmetologist, it is desirable that the same specialist do all the procedures.