Tag Archives: sunburn

Cosmetic Health

Necessary Care after Laser Hair Removal

Leave a comment

Laser hair removal, although a simple process, does require proper care of the skin in the area that was treated. Generally there is little recovery time needed regarding laser hair removal procedures. People can usually return to normal activities immediately after treatment. However, it is important to take the time to follow the recommended guidelines for aftercare in order to protect against any chance of a complication and to reduce any discomfort that may be experienced.

Following laser hair removal treatment, it is not uncommon for the skin to be slightly swollen and red in the treated area. Some people describe it as feeling like a mild sunburn, with slight puffiness and irritation. Placing a cooling preparation such as a cold compress, cold pack, or aloe vera, on the affected area will ease the temporary mild burning sensation. Some people experience this burning sensation for only a few hours, while others may feel it for a day or two. This is the time it takes for the skin to return completely to its normal state.

It is important to apply a total sunblock to the area that was treated with laser hair removal if it is going to be exposed to sunlight. A sunblock with an SFP of 30 or higher should be applied. Irritation and a burning sensation of the treated areas can result from even the slightest exposure to the sun. Sunlight should be avoided for three weeks following laser hair removal. This will prevent hyperpigmentation from occurring.

Moisturizing creams can also have a beneficial effect on the treated areas and help to prevent tissue crusting or scabbing. These creams can be bought over the counter or be prescribed by your practitioner. It usually is not necessary to use antibacterial cream. In fact, antibacterial creams might cause drying of the skin in the area that was treated with laser hair removal. Healthy skin is important for successful laser treatments and moisturizing every day will help to keep your skin that way.

As long as the skin is not broken, it is safe to apply makeup to the areas of the skin that have undergone laser hair removal treatments. The makeup used should be new and applied with clean fingers or a new clean sponge. Make of also helps to act as an additional sunblock.

Following a laser hair removal treatment, it is best to take warm, quick showers. It is best to use a gentle cleanser and avoid harsh soaps that may dry the skin. If any area of the body other than the face as has been treated, hot baths should be avoided for a couple of days.
The area of treatment should not be shaved for four or five days. After that time, it is okay to begin shaving again. Tweezing, waxing, plucking, and bleaching should not be done at all during, or in between, laser hair removal treatments.

If any blistering occurs, immediately apply a topical antibiotic cream or ointment and cover it with a non-adhering dressing. Immediately notify the laser technician or your physician.

After a few days, you will usually notice the hair that was treated by laser hair removal begins to shed. This should be expected and is a normal part of the treatment and recovery.

Cosmetic Health

Areas That Can Be Treated with Laser Hair Removal

Leave a comment

Just about any area of the body that is covered by hair, either facial or body, can be treated with laser hair removal. These areas include the face, chin, upper lip, neck, arms, underarms, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, legs, pubic area, and buttocks. Laser hair removal is an effective treatment for both men and women.

Facial hair in women is one of the most common areas treated by laser hair removal. The two areas that are treated most often are the upper lip and chin. This is because most women find facial hair to be very troublesome and unsightly. Women who choose laser hair removal for facial hair like the ease and speed of treatment, as well as, and the long-lasting results. Hair removal in these areas usually takes anywhere from one to 10 minutes.

In women facial hair tends to grow thicker as the woman grows older. The entire face is covered with tiny hairs called vellus hairs, which are almost invisible. As the skin ages, more thicker terminal hairs grow on the woman’s face. This is actually the same thing that happens to men’s ears. Laser treatment for this type of hair usually takes between ten and fifteen minutes.

Many women also choose laser hair removal for eyebrow shaping. This treatment is an excellent way to remove stray and unwanted hairs, especially between the eyebrows. Eyebrow treatment usually takes about fifteen minutes and can result in a slight irritation of the skin around the delicate brow. This irritation generally disappears within a few days and is very similar to a mild sunburn.

Often men with very hairy backs choose to have laser hair removal treatments. Many are self-conscious of their back hair when going to the gym or beach. A full back treatment can take anywhere from thirty minutes to one hour depending upon the extensiveness of the hair in that area.

Many women choose laser hair removal treatments for the pubic, or bikini area. They are often concerned with shaving bumps, a rash, or a stray pubic hair showing when they wear their bathing suits. It generally takes from four to thirty minutes to complete laser hair removal in this area. The amount of hair that is removed depends on the client’s wishes. Some people choose a full Brazilian bikini procedure, which is the removal of all hair in the pubic area.

Laser hair removal from the underarm area generally takes about 30 minutes and usually results in permanent hair removal.

Some women spend as much an hour a week removing their leg hair by shaving. This method is not only time-consuming, but often results in nicked, bleeding legs. Most often razor stubble can be seen within a few days as the hair regrows. Laser hair removal for legs can consist of the entire leg, half of the leg. It usually takes between 45 and 60 minutes for both legs to receive a full leg treatment.

Laser hair removal treatments are safe and effective ways for removing unwanted hair on any part of your body. Although several treatments may be needed, most people that choose this method are very happy with the results.

Cosmetic Health

What You Should Know about Laser Hair Removal

Leave a comment

Are you considering laser hair removal? If so you should read on to find out what you should know before deciding. Something like this is a rather major change. You want to know all the facts before you commit to something such as laser hair removal.

Are you eligible for laser hair removal? If your hair is darker than your skin you might be okay. It is not recommended that any person tanning with dark hair do this. If you are tanning, you will have to wait until your tan fades. Then you can proceed with laser hair removal. If you tan but have light hair, it is not recommended for you.

If you are dark skin you might not want to do it. The pigments in your dark skin will absorb laser energy. The darker your skin is the harder it is to perform laser hair removal. You will have to have more treatments and this will make the cost go up as well.

You can treat most areas of the body. The main areas are: Neck, Chest, Underarms, Back, Abdomen, Bikini Line, Legs and Face. You cannot have laser hair removal anywhere around the eyes. The laser is harmful to your eyes so you should wear eye protection during the treatments no matter what area you have done.

Know your options to laser hair removal. You could continue shaving, tweezing, bleaching or even waxing. While these may not sound as great, they might be better for you. The lasers produce highly concentrated beams of light that will penetrate your skin and find your hair follicle. This will produce a hot heat and damage the follicles, preventing them from future growth.

When preparing for laser hair removal you do not want to use any other type of hair removal product. That means no tweezing or waxing or anything similar. The laser hair removal will be hard to perform if there is no hair there to remove!

You also do not want to tan or moisturize. If you tan the laser could burn your skin and if you moisturize it could block the laser energy and maybe even give you an allergic reaction. Avoid both of these at all costs!

How much can you expect to spend? It will vary depending on your location and laser hair removal facility of course. According to a 2000 survey of ASAPS the average cost per treatment (one) for each of the following regions was:

Midwest: $497
East: $458
South: $307
West: $469
National Average: $360

Contact your local laser hair removal clinic to find out the costs. If they happen to be a bit too high for you check the closes surrounding laser hair removals clinics. Maybe they are a bit more in your price range.
Keep in mind when doing laser hair removal that it does not mean one hundred percent of your hair will be gone. Each person is different and some may require more treatments than others. You will definitely see a significantly reduced amount of hair.

You might end up with a type of sunburn like reaction after laser hair removal. You could even have blotches, discoloring, blistering and scarring and even crusting or scabbing. Talk to your professional to find out if laser hair removal is right for you.

Cosmetic Health

Sun Skin Damage -Sunscreen And Lots Of It

Leave a comment

There has long been cautions and warnings about how prolonged exposure to the sun can cause sun skin damage. But who wants to stay inside on a nice, warm , sunny, summer day? Not too many!

So what is the answer? Sunscreen and lots of it.

Did you know, though, that most people don’t use sun screen correctly? They go out and they put it all over their bodies one time and think they will be protected all day.

Some sunscreens may be able to protect you for an extended period of time but you should always reapply it every few hours. Some wash off in the water if you add swimming to your summer day and some are affected by sweat.

Always read the label and follow the directions closely to avoid sun skin damage, especially when children are involved.

Let’s talk about the sun’s rays for a minute. There are two main types that affect your skin: UVA and UVB

UVA rays are the ones that can cause age spots and other skin discolorations. You may not even realize that this is skin damage, but it is, and was caused by the sun shining on unprotected skin when you were younger.

UVB rays are the ones that cause you to get a sunburn. If you notice that your skin is red and painful after a day out in the sun, you have damaged your skin. The redness will fade after a few days but you will notice that after a week or two your skin will begin to “peel”. This is usually not a painful process but you will not like the way it looks.

Always use sunscreen! Even on cloudy days the sun’s rays can affect your skin. They pass right through the clouds so do not be fooled into thinking that you are safe.

Too many sunburns and/or prolonged exposure to the sun without being protected can lead to a more serious condition like skin cancer and premature aging of the skin.

Sunscreen comes in several different levels and you can find them everywhere this time of year. The lowest protection factor is 4 on up to at least 50 maybe even higher. Sun tan oils are different and do not provide any protection from the suns rays.

Tanning booths or beds are no better than lying in the sun. In fact, they can be even more harmful and can cause eye damage, accelerated premature aging, immune system suppression and they can even cause allergic reactions as well as skin damage.

To avoid sun skin damage, you should stay out of the sun from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. These are the hours of the day are when the rays of the sun are most damaging. If you cannot avoid the sun at these times then you should at least try to limit the time that your skin is exposed by finding a nice shady spot to sit in and/or protecting yourself by wearing sunscreen.