Yes. You can do one session when you land in India and the next session after 3 or 4 weeks before you go abroad. In between you can use Eflornithine cream twice daily for hair reduction. The gap between two sessions can be more, however, you have to do a total of 6 to 8 sessions to get a satisfactory result. Gordon Sample Description

Hair growth is cyclical as hair follicles go through resting and growing phases. Only follicles in the growth phase are destroyed by laser light. Resting hair follicles need to enter the growth phase before they can be destroyed by the laser treatment. It is therefore necessary to repeat the treatment at 1-2 months intervals until all the hair follicles have been through the active phase. The length and timings of the growth cycles are affected by numerous factors such as body site, hair density and thickness, ethnic origin, hormonal status, and age. Usually, 6-8 sessions are required to get a desirable result. In some cases, it has gone up to 10-12 sessions.

It works by inhibiting the enzyme Ornithine decarboxylase, an enzyme in the human skin that stimulates hair growth. Hair reduction results are better when it is used after laser treatment.

BeforeTreatment: It is advisable not to remove hair by plucking or waxing 2 weeks before the treatment to ensure that many hair follicles are there in the active cycle (growth phase) and thus can be destroyed by laser light. You can shave the area during that period. It is also advisable to avoid tanning 4 weeks prior to treatment since tanning takes place by accumulation of pigment (melanin) in the skin. To ensure optimal energy transmission to the hair root, the hair is trimmed or shaved before laser application After Treatment: Cooling is done using a Zimmer cooling machine immediately post-treatment and ice is applied over the treated area for 15 mins. Mometasone cream is applied for 3-5 days. Sunscreen lotion is applied ½ hour before exposure to sunlight, morning and afternoon for one month. Eflornithine cream is applied twice daily, one week after laser treatment till the next treatment to have maximum hair reduction.

As an anesthetic cream is applied over the skin before the procedure and simultaneous cooling is done by a Zimmer cooling machine during the treatment, it does not hurt. However, some people describe pin pricks sensation in the areas where hair is very thick.

An anesthetic cream is applied 30 to 45 minutes before the procedure. Facial treatment takes 15 to 30 minutes and larger areas take much longer time. Post-treatment cooling takes around 10 to 15 minutes.

They are Polycystic ovarian syndrome, Hypothyroidism, Congenital adrenal hyperplasia, Cushing’s syndrome, HAIR-AN syndrome (hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, acanthosis nigricans), Heredity, Idiopathic hirsutism, Medication – Phenytoin, Minoxidil, Cyclosporine.

Yes. It is advisable to do some preliminary tests like testosterone-free–free and total, DHEAS, Androstenedione, TSH, and Blood sugar to find out any hormonal abnormality and an Ultrasound scan abdomen if there are irregular periods.

The laser light is completely safe. However, some cases there can be hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation, or superficial burns which all are temporary and become normal at a later date.

You are not allowed to wax, pluck, and thread or use any method of hair removal that removes hair from the root, prior to your next laser sitting. Patients are advised to shave their hair between sittings. This is because the hair needs to be present under the skin, for the laser to seek it out and destroy the hair root.

Yes, laser therapy can be successfully done on children, but whether you see the need for it at this young age is another matter entirely. You could leave the decision to your child when she is older.

Laser therapy is safe, and can be done on any area of your body by protecting your eyes. The most common areas from which hair is removed are the upper lip, chin, neck, face, back, arms, legs, bikini line, underarms, stomach, and chest.

Yes. As the treatment relies on the absorption of light in the active hair pigment, the most efficient treatment is seen in hair that is in the active cycle (growth phase). The more hair in the active cycle, the more effective the treatment.

While it is natural to think that fine hair is most suited to laser therapy, the reverse is true. Thick, coarse, black hair is the most suited to this method of hair removal. Similarly, the laser cannot be done on white hair. This is because the laser seeks out the melanin pigment in hair and white hair has no melanin.

Yes, when one of the doctors in my town did laser hair removal using a Diode laser machine on an unmarried female patient on her breasts, the darker portion around the nipple (areola) became depigmented (whitish). This is because diode lasers cannot distinguish between skin pigment and melanin in the hair follicles. That patient came to me for consultation and further treatments. I have never noticed such adverse reactions using Nd Yag laser machines.

No. It does not come under the category of laser machines. IPL delivers high-intensity pulses of broad-band light which is why it is called IPL (Intense Pulse Light).

Efficient laser hair removal for dark and tanned skin individuals is produced by the newer laser line, the Nd Yag machines as they were able to distinguish between skin pigment and melanin in the hair follicles. Whereas, Alexandrite and Diode lasers are useful for fair-skinned individuals like Caucasians.

Electrolysis is another method of permanent hair removal. Here hair is removed from small areas at a time and involves the insertion of a small fine needle into the hair follicle, followed by a pulse of electrical current that damages and destroys the hair follicle. Important and potentially permanent side effects of electrolysis include scarring (including keloid formation) and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation, dependent on technician experience and the duration and intensity of the current. Patients with pacemakers should not undergo electrolysis.

Highly controlled flashes of laser beams are selectively absorbed by the melanin pigment in the hair follicles lying below the surface of the skin. The absorbed light heats the hair which damages and destroys the regrowth potential of the follicle without damaging surrounding tissue. Hair follicles are usually in different growth cycles at different times in relation to one another. Since the hair follicles must be in active growth to be affected by the laser, several treatments spread over several months are required to ensure the destruction of all hair follicles.