When people ask if laser hair removal is permanent, they’re often hoping for a lifelong solution to unwanted hair. However, the truth is that laser hair removal isn’t entirely permanent. Instead, it offers long-term hair reduction. After completing a series of 6 to 8 sessions, patients typically experience an 80% to 90% reduction in hair growth. The regrowth that does occur tends to be thinner and lighter, but some maintenance sessions might still be needed. Additionally, some individuals may not respond as well to the treatment, often due to specific underlying factors like hormonal imbalances or resistance to the laser’s effects.

Limitations and Risks of Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal is widely regarded as an effective and safe solution for reducing unwanted body hair. However, it’s essential to understand the limitations and risks involved.

One key limitation is that laser hair removal isn’t suitable for all hair types. It works best on dark, coarse hair, while it is less effective on light, fine hair and doesn’t remove white or blonde hair. This is because the laser targets the pigment (melanin) in the hair, and lighter hair doesn’t have enough pigment for the laser to effectively work.

Potential laser hair removal side effects include:

• Skin irritation or burns if the treatment overloads the skin.
• Hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation, causing dark or light spots.
• Inflammation or redness in the treated area.
• Rashes or itching after treatment.

Factors That Influence Laser Hair Removal Success

1. Hair and Skin Color: Laser hair removal works best on people with a significant contrast between their hair and skin color. Dark hair on light skin is ideal because the laser can easily target the hair pigment without affecting the surrounding skin.
2. Hair Thickness and Root Strength: Thicker hair and stronger roots generally respond better to laser treatments. Finer hair may need more sessions and may not achieve the same results as thicker hair.
3. Laser Device Type: Not all lasers are created equal. The quality of the device and its suitability for your skin type and hair type can make a big difference. For example, the Mediostar known for being more effective on moderate skin tones & Middle Eastern skin.
4. Laser Technology: Different types of lasers, like Diode and Alexandrite, offer varying levels of effectiveness. It’s essential to use the correct laser type for the patient’s skin tone and hair type to ensure maximum results.
5. Number of Sessions: Successful laser hair removal treatments typically require multiple sessions. The number of sessions depends on the individual’s hair growth cycle and hair type, with coarser hair needing more sessions for optimal results.

Why Does Laser Hair Removal Fail?

In some cases, laser hair removal may not deliver the expected results. There are a few reasons for this:

• Patient-related factors: Some individuals have hair follicles that are naturally more resistant to laser treatment or have hormonal imbalances that cause hair to regrow more quickly.
• Device-related factors: Not all laser devices work the same for everyone. For some patients, switching to a different laser system may be necessary if they aren’t seeing adequate results.
• Skin Tone Considerations: Darker skin tones can interfere with laser treatment. Melanin in dark skin can absorb laser energy, making the treatment less effective. To avoid this, patients with darker skin require a longer laser wavelength (around 800nm or more) to bypass melanin and prevent burns.
• Provider-related factors: If the provider uses lower laser settings out of concern for causing burns on sensitive skin, the treatment may not be as effective. This is common with certain skin types or when using certain devices.

Conclusion

Laser hair removal can be a highly effective solution for reducing unwanted hair, but it’s important to have realistic expectations about its long-term results. By understanding the limitations, risks, and the factors that influence success, you can make an informed decision about whether laser hair removal is the right choice for you. Make sure to consult with an experienced professional to determine the best laser type and treatment plan based on your skin tone, hair type, and personal goals.

You can consult with Dr. Sarah Raafat to know if DESIRIAL is suitable for you Dokki 01004699146 Zayed 01000906322

Prevention & Treatment of Wrinkles (Arabic Video)

Smoking and Wrinkle Treatment: Exploring the Connections

The Link Between Smoking and Skin Wrinkles

Smoking is a well-known cause of wrinkles. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals that can affect your skin and cause wrinkles, age spots, and even cancer.

Some people think that wrinkles are just a sign of aging. But actually, they are a sign of sun damage and smoking. Anyone who smokes or has been exposed to secondhand smoke for many years will have more wrinkles on their face than people who don’t smoke or are not exposed to secondhand smoke.

Smoking also causes wrinkles by reducing the skin’s elasticity and making it more prone to sagging. The nicotine in cigarettes is also a vasoconstrictor, which reduces the blood flow to the skin, making it more prone to wrinkling.

What Are the Types of Smoking Wrinkles?

Smoking is one of the most harmful habits to one’s skin. It causes wrinkles in many different places, such as the eyes, mouth, and hands.

Smoking is known to cause wrinkles in many different places on a smoker’s face. The smoker lines around the mouth are caused by the constant pursing of lips from smoking cigarettes and cigars. The crow’s feet wrinkles are caused by squinting due to smoke entering the eyes, and this causes a reaction that leads to wrinkles in that area of the face.

Wrinkle Treatment and Prevention Tips and Tricks to Keep Your Skin Young and Radiant

We all want to look youthful and beautiful. But as we age, our skin starts to show signs of aging and wrinkles, Here are a few tips to help in preventing wrinkles from appearing:

-Apply sunscreen: Sunscreen is the most important weapon you have against wrinkles. Apply sunscreen every day, even if it is cloudy or raining outside and make sure to wash your face from make-up and other cosmetics, and apply a moisturizing cream before you go to sleep.

-Drink plenty of water: Dehydration can cause skin dryness which leads to wrinkles

-Eat healthy: You are what you eat! Eating a balanced diet full of fruits and vegetables will help you maintain a healthy weight which will prevent sagging skin

-Try to avoid smoking, it will not only cause your face to age rapidly but will also harm you in other several ways.

One of the most popular wrinkle treatments is Botox injections which act as an anti-wrinkle solution by temporarily paralyzing facial muscles and reducing or eliminating wrinkles in problem areas.

There are internal factors (such as genetics) and external factors (e.g. smoking – pollution – tension) that affects skin health.

Smoking has been shown to have a detrimental effect on the  blood circulation, tissue oxygenation and results in increased cellular oxidation. It may also lead to cracking of the collagen and elastic fibers in the skin.  The contraction of the mouth muscles that accompanies smoking may to increase wrinkles around the mouth (smokers lines).

Smoking and skin Health: Evidence from identical twins

According to a recent study by Dr. Skinner and colleagues from the university of Bristol, UK, published in the Royal Society Open Science Journal, the twin that smoked looked significantly older than the twin that didn’t smoke (!).

Comparing skin aging in identical twins where one smokes and the other doesn’t smoke provides the strongest evidence that smoking leads to premature skin aging. The photos published by the Bristol group speak for themselves.

Skinner el al, Smoking status and attractiveness among exemplar and prototypical identical twins discordant for smoking, R Soc Open Sci. 2017 Dec; 4(12): 161076.

]]> https://derma-health.com/laser-hair-removal-during-summer/ Sun, 28 Jul 2019 08:11:17 +0000 http://derma-health.com/?p=6885 Is laser hair removal safe during summer? Doctor Hussien Ghanem has the answer for you

Laser Hair Removal during summer

Laser hair removal is a common procedure that people go through to remove unwanted hair. You might think that the summer months are a great time to get laser hair removal since you’re wearing less clothing and want to look perfect and ready the whole time right? But is it safe for you? 

It’s not safe on tanned skin, even if you are using a safe laser like the Mediostar laser hair removal machine, so if you have been exposed to significant sun, it’s better to avoid laser hair removal on sun-exposed or tanned areas because some factors might affect you, like tanned skin which absorbs the laser energy, possibly causing burns.

Laser Hair Removal’s Effectiveness with tanned skin.

Doctor Hussein Ghanem advises his patients to wait at least for 4 weeks after getting a skin tan from the beach. Tanning your skin before a laser session force’s the doctors to be less aggressive laser energy- because your skin color matches the pigment in your skin, leaving you with unsatisfying results.

Are There Any Safe Areas for Laser Hair Removal During Summer?

We advise our patients not to get laser hair removal in areas subjected to the sun such as your face, arms, and legs However, there are some areas that are not subjected to the sun, and therefore, they are not affected by the heat. This makes them safer places to get laser hair removal during summer, although some might still feel irritation due to excessive sweat during summer.

The safest areas to get laser hair removal during summer include the bikini area since you don’t want to irritate your skin with excessive shaving or waxing, and laser hair removal is your best option, underarm so you can dress freely and without worrying about your underarm hair, and the back of your legs. These areas don’t get any sun exposure and so they are least exposed to risk.

Definitely, the patient and every person in the room should wear laser protective goggles to avoid eye injury.

What causes burns and pigmentation with laser?

The laser target is melanin dye in the hair follicle. Melanin pigment is also present in the skin, more often in the darker skin-types. If a short wave-length laser is used, less than 800, such as the Alexandrite, the melanin pigment in the skin absorbs some of the laser energy before reaching the target hair follicle, which may lead to skin burns and pigmentation.

How can we avoid complications of laser hair removal?

To avoid burns, use laser devices with long wavelengths. This is specially important with dark or brown skin.  Machines with not less than 800 um should be used to by-pass the melanin pigment in the skin, and hit the hair follicles without damaging the skin.

Talk to your doctor about the presence of Tattoos, and ask us her to cover it  with an insulating layer such as medical tape. If the tattoo is not covered, it is possible to accidentally hit it with the laser, which might lead to burns, followed by loss of the tattoo.

What is the fate of the skin in case of burns from the laser?

In most cases, the skin heals easily. However, skin hyper- pigmentation might take months to resolve. On the other hand, decreased pigment or hypo-pigmentation might take much longer for the skin to recover its color, especially with laser devices with short wavelengths.

Why do we prefer the German and American Laser hair removal machines with longer wave-lengths (Mediostar & LightSheer)?

We have not seen long-term complications with the use of our longer-wave-length laser machines. Machines with wave-lengths longer than 800 by-pass the skin to hit the hair roots. The burns and pigments that may occur with the short-wave devices rarely happen & resolve easily with the Mediostar & LightSheer machines.

What are the main advantages of the German laser hair removal machine? Mediostar Pro XL?

1 – The largest pulse size, several times the size of the normal devices.  This means that the full body can be done in a short time, much shorter than regular machines.

2 – higher efficiency because it emits two laser beams not one pulse, a 805 beam directed to the follicles of hair and 930 directed to the vessels supplying it.

3. Less pain using 360 degrees contact and Smooth Mode

4 – Complications, burns, pigmentation and darkening of the skin, which are a major problems with many devices, are very rare with the Mediostar Smooth Mode.

Laser hair removal is one of the most successful therapeutic measures, and wide-spread led to lowering its prices to a degree that made it accessible to many ladies, but in rare cases patients do not respond well to the laser treatment and therefore we need to understand these reasons to minimize the occurrence of failure

First, Is Laser Hair Removal permanent & complete?

No one can claim that we can eliminate hair permanently & completely. The reasonable expectation is the long-term elimination of most hair by 80% to 90% after 6 to 8 sessions. Hair growth is usually milder and less noticeable. Some patients may need maintenance sessions at intervals of 6 to 12 months.

When does the hair fall after the laser?

Devices with shorter wavelengths burn the visible part of the hair during the session, but modern laser hair removal machines, with longer wave-lenghts, directed to the root of hair follicle and its hairs feeding vessels, hair fall usually occur within 2 to 3 weeks because of the damage to their roots.

What might cause laser hair removal failure?

Reasons related to the patient

Higher than normal capacity for hair follicles to recover or resist laser

Hormonal imbalance – expect with dysfunction of the cycle

Reasons related to the laser machine

Patients differ in their response to a particular machine, if you do not respond satisfactorily (about 20%) for most sessions, you might need to change the device

Patients with darker skin tones need a laser with a longer wave-lenght (800) at least to avoid absorption of the laser beams by the pigment in the skin which could cause burns.

Reasons related to the doctor

The doctor might decide to use lower laser powers, for various technical or medical reasons, such as fear of burns with certain types of skin or laser machines.

Causes of Dark Circles:

• Loss of collagen & thinning of the skin may allow the blue color of the blood vessels beneath to-be-seen as dark areas.
• Enlarged blood vessels beneath the skin may also give a dark appearance.
• A pigment from broken blood vessels called hemosiderin may cause such dark areas.
• Increased skin pigmentation may also cause these circles.
• Hollow areas or wrinkles may cause shadows that appear darker.

How can we treat dark circles under the eyes?

To get rid of the dark circles we need to treat the cause of the problem; so we need to improve the skin texture and rebuild the collagen, improve the circulation to remove the deposited pigments, treat abnormally dilated vessels, improve hollow areas and wrinkles, if these are contributing to the problem.

Fortunately, there are modern creams that can help treat the dark circles & rejuvenate the area around the eyes.

At-home treatments

• Cold compress particularly using green tea bags can help reduce swelling and shrink dilated blood vessels.
• Get enough sleep can help improve the circulation & rebuild the collagen.
• Elevate your head while sleeping if there is additional puffiness.

Creams

For creams to be effective, they need to contain certain ingredients to achieve the following effects:

• Improve the skin texture and rebuild the collagen to avoid showing the blood vessels.
• Improve the circulation to remove the deposited pigments.
• Help remove pigments.
• Improve shadows related to wrinkles.

Ingredients that rebuild the collagen:

Peptides, Vitamin A & Retinol derivatives, Vitamin E, Hyaluronic acid, Co-Q10, date seed extract, apple seed extract

Ingredients that Improve the circulation & remove the deposited pigments:

Green tea extract, Caffeine

Ingredients to help remove pigments & lighten the skin under the eyes:

Licorice extract, Vitamin A & Retinol derivatives

Improve shadows related to wrinkles:

Peptides, Hyaluronic acid, Argireline, Glycyrrhetinic acid, Bisabolol

Duo-Selene Eye Contour Cream

Duo-Selene eye contour cream has been designed to include the needed ingredients to help improve & prevent the progression of dark circles under the eyes.  In addition to its effectiveness in treating dark circles, it also includes Anti-Aging ingredients to improve & prevent wrinkles and puffiness around the eye area yielding a more radiant and glamorous look.

Our preference for under-eyes circles is Duo-Selene eye contour cream as it’s the only cream, to our knowledge, that contains all the needed ingredients to treat dark circles under the eyes, and has showed high effectiveness in clinical practice.  It’s more of a medical, rather than a commercial product. For more information 01004699146

Dermal Filler injections could improve the shadow effect

During pregnancy, the levels of certain hormones increase in the body. Higher levels of estrogen and androgen may lead to hair growth in places that have not been hairy before, especially during the last trimester. Fortunately, most of the excess hair fall spontaneously, 3 to 6 months after birth.

During pregnancy you may notice increased hair on the abdomen, face, neck, chest and arms, which prompts you to look for effective methods to get rid of  excess hair.  However, is removing hair with laser during pregnancy safe and effective?

It should also be noted that pregnancy hormones not only affect the amount and sites for hair growth, it also changes the cycle of your hair growth.

Why does hair increase during pregnancy?

The hairs pass through different stages of growth:

Angen: Growth Stage

Talogen: The stage of rest after growth

Catagen: The falling stage that is followed by a new growth cycle

Pregnancy hormones delay the stage of “fall”, so the body hair growth increases temporarily during pregnancy. However, after about three to six months of birth and the return of hormones to normal, excess hair obtained during pregnancy, starts to fall. This is called the sudden loss of body hair.

Of course during the period of temporary increase of hair during pregnancy, women get frustrated and seek medical advice regarding laser hair removal. Medical authorities advise to postpone laser hair removal after the arrival of the child.

Why doctors do not recommend laser hair removal during pregnancy?

The main reason is the absence of safety studies

In 2017, the International Journal of Dermatology of Women published a study on the safety of cosmetic procedures for pregnant women. The researchers concluded that although laser may be safely used to treat many diseases such as kidney stones and genital warts in pregnant women, there is no reliable safety data for laser hair removal during pregnancy.

Although laser hair removal is generally a safe procedure, dermatologists usually advise women to avoid it because no studies have been conducted to prove that it is safe for mothers in the absence of adequate research.

Other reasons to wait until after delivery:

1 – The elevation of hormones during pregnancy increases the possibility of pigmentation or darkening of the skin in cases of inflammation or increase sensitivity with the laser.

2 – As pregnancy hormones delay the fall of hair, laser hair removal becomes less effective and patients need more sessions for effective long-term hair removal.

3 – If the increase of hair has occurred only during pregnancy, it might not need the laser treatment because in most cases hair falls spontaneously within 3 to 6 months after child-birth.

Laser Hair Removal prices https://derma-health.com/prices-for-laser-hair-removal/