Hair on our bodies may be natural, but most of us commit a significant amount of time and energy into waxing, plucking, shaving, or otherwise removing the vast majority of it.
Yet despite all that time and energy, it just keeps growing back – undoubtedly making it one of life’s more relentless and unsatisfying beauty routines!
Until, that is, you opt for laser hair removal…
Laser hair removal has been available commercially for over 25 years now, and in that time not only has the technology advanced beyond all recognition, but its popularity has too. So much so that it’s now the most popular cosmetic procedure in the United States!
There are a range of different types of laser hair removal available nowadays, most of which are highly effective at permanently removing (or reducing) hair all over the body.
At BodyTonic Cleveland we use Sciton’s Forever Bare BBL™ – the most comfortable hair removal treatment available that is safe, fast, and effective, providing lasting results for patients with a broad range of skin types.
Eliminating “hair removal” from your lifelong to-do list sounds good, right? Well, if you ask us, it’s way better than good. It’s a total game-changer.
Want to know more? Great, just keep reading…
What Is Laser Hair Removal?
Unlike shaving (which just removes the visible hair on your body), or plucking, waxing, or tweezing (which pulls the hair out by the root but doesn’t stop new hair from growing), laser hair removal goes right to the source of the hair growth – the follicle itself.
By targeting laser energy at the hair follicles, it’s possible to damage and essentially kill them, meaning the follicle stops producing new hairs entirely, and permanently.
To achieve permanently hair-free skin, multiple sessions (usually six to eight) are always needed. This is because body hair grows in three phases: a growth phase, a regression phase, and a resting phase. The treatment only works on the follicles that are in their growing phase, and sometimes more than one session is needed to completely destroy a follicle, so the multiple sessions ensure each follicle can be caught and damaged sufficiently to stop producing new hairs.
This means that one to two years of total treatment time is usually necessary, after which you can expect to enjoy almost zero hair growth in the treatment area.
But don’t let the long treatment period put you off. You’ll notice a marked reduction in hair growth and thickness after the first couple of sessions, which will become more and more dramatic after every subsequent session…
…so even though laser hair removal is a long-term treatment plan, it beats waxing, shaving, and all other methods of hair removal from the very first session!
How Does Laser Hair Removal Work?
Lasers provide a highly effective and completely safe way to permanently reduce hair growth.
It works by aiming a powerful laser or beam of intense pulsed light (IPL) at the hair you want to remove. This light energy passes through the skin and is absorbed by the darker pigment (melanin) in the hair follicles. This energy then converts to heat, which permanently damages the follicles and inhibits any future hair growth.
The greater the contrast in color between the melanin and the surrounding skin, the more energy the follicle will absorb. This means that typically, the best results are seen on people with fair skin and dark hair. However – the technology has been improving constantly and all skin types and hair colors are now eligible and can expect great and permanent results.
It’s also worth noting that while it’s commonly called laser hair removal, the correct term (for all versions of the treatment) is laser hair reduction. In fact, there’s no method of hair removal at all that can guarantee 100% permanent hair removal. This is because hair growth is driven by hormones, so any change in the balance of a person’s hormones can lead to the stimulation of new hair follicles.
However, the follicles that are damaged during laser hair removal are damaged permanently, so it is absolutely the best method available for achieving as permanent as possible smooth and hair-free skin.
Benefits of Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal comes with a whole host of amazing benefits. Here are our favorites:
- It’s a long-term solution
- Can be done anywhere on the body, including small and delicate areas
- Less painful than waxing, tweezing, plucking, epilating, or electrolysis
- It’s quick (small areas can take just a matter of minutes, and even large areas typically take no more than 30–60 minutes – and far less with the latest technology!)
- Minimal side effects (there may be a little redness for 24 hours, but nothing more)
- No more ingrown hairs, shaving rash, or annoying, ugly regrowth
- It’s safe and FDA approved
- Convenient (it saves so much time in the long-run)
- Cost-effective (one upfront cost vs a lifetime of waxing appointments, razors, shaving cream, etc… not to mention the time spent on other hair removal methods)
- Promotes beautiful skin (the additional skin rejuvenating benefits of laser treatments provide an added benefit and extra smooth skin!)
Different Types of Laser Hair Removal
There are two main types of hair removal treatment that are commonly referred to as laser hair removal: the “original” laser hair removal, and IPL (intense pulsed light) – which isn’t actually a laser treatment; it’s a light treatment.
Both treatments appear very similar in terms of how they are performed and how they work – i.e., both use a handheld device that emits beams of light energy onto the skin, which heat and damage the underlying hair follicles, thus preventing regrowth.
The difference is that laser uses a very focused and concentrated beam of light at a specific wavelength, whereas IPL uses a broad spectrum of light with multiple wavelengths – this means that IPL typically targets a broader area and so isn’t considered to be quite as efficient or effective.
Until, that is, Sciton’s BBL came into the picture…
BBL (broadband light) is a patented, highly advanced version of IPL laser treatments developed by Sciton – a leading manufacturer of aesthetic laser technology – and it’s generally considered to be an improved and upgraded version of IPL.
You may have already heard of BBL Hero or MOXI – two of the best laser skin rejuvenation treatments in the market, which are also developed by Sciton, and which we also offer at BodyTonic.
Well, Forever Bare BBL™ is part of that exact same technology – we simply change the platform’s handpiece and are able to offer advanced hair removal treatments in addition to revolutionary skin rejuvenation treatments.
Sciton has revolutionized the beauty industry with its BBL technology, which is exactly why it's the laser hair removal treatment we chose to offer Cleveland, here at BodyTonic.
What Is Forever Bare BBL Laser Hair Removal?
Sciton’s Forever Bare BBL uses light technology to destroy hair follicles at the source, stopping new hair from growing.
And the best bit is it’s fast, safe, works on all skin types, anywhere on the body, and is one of the most comfortable, pain-free options around. Sounds good, right?
So how exactly does it work?
Firstly, unlikely traditional laser hair removal, it sends a high repetition of multiple, lower-fluency pulses, which means a quicker and more effective treatment.
Combined with its advanced in-motion technology, this also means it evenly heats more follicles at once, which provides more consistent results – most importantly, minimizing any missed areas that can be common with other hair removal methods.
It has multiple “spot size adaptors” that instantly adjust to different areas on the body – small, large, and highly contoured areas.
And the device has integrated advanced cooling technology in the form of a constant contact sapphire crystal, which maintains an optimal skin temperature and ensures complete comfort throughout the treatment.
So all in all, this basically means that our Forever Bare BBL treatments are one of the best options for quick, easy, pain-free laser hair removal in Cleveland!
What to Expect From a Laser Hair Removal Treatment
The sessions themselves are quick and easy, and something that can easily be done on a lunchbreak.
It simply involves a handheld laser device being passed over the treatment area, and thanks to Forever Bare BBL’s advanced technology, this can take no time at all, even on large areas.
The sensation is often described as a warm pinprick or a rubber band being snapped against your skin. This becomes less noticeable with every treatment, as more and more follicles are killed and/or weakened, but Forever Bare’s cooling technology also means this sensation is barely noticeable even in the early sessions.
There are next to no side effects – other than a slight redness after the treatment that usually subsides within 24 hours.
The most important thing to be aware of with any kind of laser hair removal is that your skin should not be exposed to direct sunlight in the weeks before and after treatment. Your practitioner will be able to advise exactly how long for, but commonly it’s about one week either side – so winter is the optimal time to start a laser hair removal treatment, and then just be sure to plan your subsequent sessions around any summer holidays!
Results will vary by person. Unfortunately, blonde or white hair doesn’t respond as well as to any kind of laser hair removal treatment, and skin tone and hair texture can also play a part. But generally, you can expect at least 80–90% of hair in the treated area to be eliminated. If hair does grow back, it will be much finer and less noticeable than before.
Multiple sessions are always needed in order to catch all the follicles in their growth phases. Most patients need six to eight sessions in total, spaced out about four to eight weeks apart. So laser hair removal is usually a one- to two-year total treatment time, after which results should last for many years – if not forever!
But remember, even though it’s up to a two-year process, results are noticeable after the very first session, and they rapidly accumulate after every subsequent one. From an initial thinning of the hair, you’ll notice less and less regrowth after each session, and from just a few sessions onwards can expect to enjoy a dramatically reduced need to shave between sessions.
Try Forever Bare BBL Laser Hair Removal in Cleveland, at BodyTonic
We’re proud to offer the revolutionary Forever Bare BBL laser hair removal to our clients in Cleveland, so if you’ve had enough of the relentless war against body hair, come and see us at BodyTonic Med Spa for a completely free, no-obligation consultation, and let’s get you on the road to permanently smooth and hair-free skin!
And don’t forget, Forever Bare BBL is just one part of Sciton’s overall revolutionary skin-rejuvenating laser technology, all of which we offer at BodyTonic. So if you’re ready for skin that you can’t wait to show off, contact us today to discuss a tailor-made treatment plan. We can’t wait to show you what these treatments are capable of.
Loving BodyTonic’s treatments? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
