Hair is a funny thing — we want more of it in some places and less in others. Thanks to advanced laser technology, we can certainly help with the second goal — getting rid of unwanted hair.
Laser hair reduction has become a go-to treatment for people who are tired of shaving, plucking, waxing, and whatever else they’ve been doing to clear away unwelcome body and facial hair. In 2024 alone, more than three million laser skin treatments were performed, and this includes hair reduction.
Since skin is our area of expertise, board-certified dermatologist Dr. Juan-Carlos Caballero and our team at Warrenton Dermatology & Skin Therapy Center have done our homework on laser technologies. What we’ve found continues to impress us, and we’re pleased to offer many of these cutting-edge technologies at our practice — including laser hair reduction.
We want to first explain the science behind laser hair reduction to help you understand why it works so well. To tackle unwanted body and facial hair, we direct broadband light (BBL) energy from our innovative Sciton® Joule™ X BBL™ (broad band light) laser device at individual hair follicles.
This light energy is absorbed by the pigment in your hair as part of a process called selective photothermolysis. When the pigment absorbs the light energy, it does so as heat, and this heat disables the follicle and its ability to grow hair. Accordingly, there must be enough pigment in the hair for it to effectively transfer enough energy to damage the follicle, so this therapy is not effective for gray, blonde, or some red hair.
Now let’s review some of the areas in which we can apply this great hair-reducing laser technology. We can use BBL laser energy to treat areas of unwanted hair:
So, whether you’re tired of shaving your legs or you feel like you have too much back hair, laser hair reduction is a solution that works most anywhere on your body.
Laser hair reduction only works on hair in its growth phase (anagen). In total, there are four stages of hair growth and your body and facial hair can be in any one of the four stages.
This is why we recommend a series of 6 treatments that we separate by an average of 4-6 weeks, allowing all the follicles in your treatment area to be addressed during the correct stage of hair growth.
We want to note that we’re steering away from using the word removal in favor of reduction. The reality is that laser hair reduction treatments can deliver great, hair-free results for many months, but some hair can grow back in these areas. But, thanks to our previous work, hair regrowth is usually finer, lighter, and less noticeable, and we can make quick work of this new hair with some maintenance treatments.
Over time, your patience is rewarded as hair typically stops growing in your treatment areas if you keep up with periodic “maintenance” laser treatments.
If you have more questions about laser hair reduction or you’re ready to schedule your first treatment, call Warrenton Dermatology & Skin Therapy Center in Warrenton, Virginia, at 540-341-1900 (choose option 3) today, or request an appointment online at your convenience.
