Laser Hair Removal using MEDIOSTAR XT Technology
Chesapeake Laser and Skin Care Center
is the first clinic on the Eastern Shore to use this latest technology.
The advances include: an even longer pulse duration allowing safe and
effective hair reduction for ALL skin types, and an all NEW hand piece
with greater cooling power to give patients the ultimate in comfort and
efficency.
The Mediostar
The Cooling Contact Device reduces pain and maximizes patient protection by delivering a constant cooling onto the top layers of the skin.Contact Cooling reduces the need for cooling gels and expensive anesthesia for most patients. Best of all, it helps decrease treatment time and allows for quick recovery. To understand how the Mediostar works, it helps to know a little bit more about how hair grows and how laser light vaporizes unwanted tissue.
How does hair grow?
Hair forms in a pouch-like structurebelow the skin called a hair follicle. What we percieve as hair is actually the hair shaft, which is the kerantinized, hardened tissue that grows from this follicle. The best hair color for the laser light to target is dark blond to black. Our laser specialist will explain more during your consultation. Everyone's hair grows differently, depending on age, weight, metabolism, hormones, ethnicity, medications, and other factors. But all hair goes through three distinct growth stages:
Active growth phase
(called the anagen phase), which can last up to 3 months. At any given
time,20-30% of our body hair is in this phase. During anagen, the hair
has an abundance of melanin and that is the key target for the laser
light. To get the maximum result 6 treatments are generally required to
achieve 90-95% permanent hair reduction.
Regressive phase
(catagen phase), which lasts about 3 days, during which the hair stops
growing but is not yet shed. About 3 - 4% of our body hair is in this
phase at any given time. Many patients report that hair starts to shed
immediately, and can be found on a towel following a shower. We
recommend not waxing, tweezing or using any methods to remove the hairs
following your laser treatments.
Resting phase
(telogen phase), which lasts 4-14 days, at the end of which the hair
falls out and a new hair begins to form. Following the laser treatment
the hair appears to still grow. These hairs are in fact club (dead)
hairs and within 3-4 weeks the new hair from another active growth
phase will begin to grow out of the same hair shaft. Remember that even
though the hair is growing out of the same hair shaft, the follicle
growing is new and is now ready for the laser light.
The
light emitted by the Mediostar is absorbed by the pigment (melanin)
located in hair follicles, melanin pigments give hair its color, and
hair shaft. The laser pulses for a fraction of a second, just long
enough to vaporize the pigment in the hair follicle- disabling several
hair follicles at a time to eliminate or significantly impede the
hair's regrowth - but not long enough to damage the surrounding skin.
The Mediostar's special contact-cooling hand piece further protects the
epidermis (upper layer of skin). This patented method of epidermal
preservation allows delivery of more laser energy deeper into the hair
follicle.
The Mediostar removes unwanted body hair and is able to treat a broader range of skin types than most other hair-removal lasers. It is delicate enough for a woman's fine, sensitive skin and robust enough for a man’s beard, back, or arms.
Traditional techniques such as shaving, plucking and waxing, provide only temporary relief and may actually stimulate hair growth. Electrolysis, while effective, often requires years of ongoing and frequently painful treatments. All of these methods commonly result in scarring, allergic reactions, and ingrown hairs.
For the treatment the patient is asked to wear eye protection, and the area that is receiving the treatment needs to be shaved. A small hand piece, or "wand" is placed against the skin and a burst of coolant is applied as the laser is activated, which is repeated over the area.
The number of sessions will vary for each individual. During the initial visit, the laser light disables those follicles in the "active" phase of the growth cycle. Follicles in the "dormant" phase will not be affected. Since follicles cycle through "active" and "dormant" phases, additional sessions may be desired once the "dormant" follicles become "active". For this reason, we recommend a series of five (5) treatments.
While some areas of the body are more sensitive than others, most patients report little or no discomfort. For more sensitive patients, anesthetic creams can be applied prior to the treatment. Immediately after the treatment the skin will look pink and slightly swollen, similar to a sunburn. This will subside within 72 hours and the skin will return to normal. On occasion a patient may have temporary pigment changes, blistering, or scabbing. In the unlikely event of blistering, we recommend keeping the area moist with bacitracin.