Are you tired of shaving before each date or pool day? Do you dread your waxing appointments? Are you unsatisfied with traditional hair removal techniques? If so, we encourage you to learn more about Sciton, a modern laser treatment solution for all your BBL hair removal needs. At Rios Center for Plastic Surgery in Edinburg, TX, we’re proud to offer patients throughout the Rio Grande Valley the chance to say goodbye to unwanted hair for good with this innovative treatment.
What Is Hair Removal With Sciton?
Sciton laser hair removal uses quick, low-energy pulses of laser energy to directly target unwanted hair follicles with concentrated heat. Thanks to the lower energy levels used, this laser treatment is less likely to cause skin irritation or burns than previous laser treatments. However, the short, powerful laser bursts ensure that each treatment is effective at destroying hair follicles.
Over the course of a typical treatment plan, this process impacts your hair’s natural growth cycle, resulting in thinner, finer hair growth or no new growth at all. In almost every case, the volume of unwanted hair is permanently reduced. Sciton also offers a revolutionary cooling handpiece that counteracts the laser’s heat on the skin and keeps patients comfortable during their treatment sessions.
A normal appointment can take a few minutes for the face to 45 minutes for the legs. Even better, there is zero downtime required after treatment, making these treatments ideal for almost every schedule. Unlike past laser treatments, Sciton offers options for almost every skin tone, type, and sensitivity and can be safely used on most body parts. Best of all, this treatment can save you time and money while helping you look and feel your best without unwanted hair.
How Does It Work?
During treatment, concentrated low-energy laser blasts are used to target and incapacitate your hair follicles, which are under your skin. The laser is attracted to the melanin pigment contained in your hair shaft and destroys both the shaft and the follicle with a quick burst of heat.
Because your hair grows in a cycle, you will have several treatments to target all unwanted hair and ensure even results. Our doctor will recommend a personalized treatment plan for you during your initial consultation.
Which Laser Treatments Are Available?
In the past, laser treatment was not considered effective for patients with darker skin tones or tans due to the laser’s melanin attraction. However, we’re proud to offer Sciton treatments for almost all skin tones, making this treatment achievable for the vast majority of patients. We offer two distinct laser treatments to meet all of our patients’ needs.
BBL
This treatment option is considered safe and effective for most patients, skin tones, and sensitivities. With built-in cooling technology, low-energy laser blasts, and the ability to treat both the smallest and largest areas of the body, BBL laser treatment can achieve long-lasting or permanent hair reduction in just a few treatments.
ClearScan
ClearScan uses the same technology as BBL treatment but is able to treat a wider range of skin tones. It strategically targets the melanin in your hair follicles without affecting the melanin in your skin, making it effective on both fair and dark skin tones and patients with dark tans.
Which Areas Can Be Treated?
This laser treatment can remove hair from almost every area of your body. Some of the most popular regions are the legs, underarms, and bikini area. However, we can also treat your arms, chest, back, and face, including the upper lip, cheeks, and brows. During your initial consultation, our doctor will examine your areas of concern and evaluate your candidacy for treatment.
How Does Laser Treatment Compare to Other Options?
Shaving must be performed once every few days, while waxing, threading, plucking, and creams may give you hair-free skin for several weeks. In the end, though, the natural hair growth cycle renders each treatment temporary. In addition, maintaining smooth, hair-free skin and treating areas of unwanted hair comes with a significant ongoing cost.
Many patients find that they are tired of spending money on temporary techniques and turn to laser treatments for effective, permanent results. Laser treatments typically take less than an hour, are completely painless, and require zero downtime during recovery.
While the treatment process may last several months, your final results will include reduced hair volume and finer hair growth. Most patients experience permanent results and enjoy smooth, hair-free skin without the discomfort and cost of maintaining their old hair reduction routines.
How Many Treatments Do You Need?
Your treatment plan will depend on the amount of hair you wish to have removed. For most patients, 6-9 treatments will achieve their ideal results. Each appointment is separated by 4-6 weeks to allow the skin to heal and the next hair growth cycle to begin. Our doctor can give you a better idea of how many treatments you may need during your initial consultation.
Who Is an Ideal Candidate?
Treatment with Sciton is ideal for almost every adult man or woman concerned about the appearance of unwanted hair. A good candidate is generally healthy, free from any medical or skin conditions that could interact negatively with laser technology, and has realistic expectations about the hair reduction they could see with treatment.
We are able to treat most skin tones, including those achieved by tanning. However, we ask you to inform us if you have recently tanned before each treatment so that we can use the best laser option and setting for you. Since this treatment targets melanin in the hair shaft and follicle, it may not be ideal for patients with extremely light hair colors, including blonde or gray.
In addition, this option may not be right for those with diagnosed pigmentation conditions that could be triggered by laser treatment. If you have questions about your candidacy or about this treatment in general, our doctor can help you evaluate whether laser BBL hair removal is right for you during your initial consultation.
What Can I Expect from Treatment?
Considering laser treatment for unwanted hair? Here is a general idea of what you can look forward to from our professional team:
Consultation
To begin, we will schedule an initial consultation with our experienced doctor. He will examine your areas of concern, review your medical history, and discuss the results you hope to achieve with treatment. If you are an ideal candidate, you will be approved for treatment. Our doctor will recommend a personalized treatment plan and provide you with instructions to help you prepare for your first treatment.
Preparation
In order to prepare for a laser treatment, you should care for your skin as normal and limit your time in the sun as much as possible. Sunburn can make treatment uncomfortable, so you should plan to wear sunscreen outdoors and avoid direct sunlight. You can tan outdoors, use a tanning bed, or use a self-tanner up to a week before your treatment, but you should make sure that our aestheticians know that you recently tanned so that they can use the best laser settings for your current skin tone.
To ensure the best results possible, you should not wax, tweeze, or use any other BBL hair removal technique that pulls the hair out of the skin before your laser treatment. In general, it is best to avoid these treatments for at least a month. You can shave as needed, and you should plan to carefully shave your target areas 12-24 hours before your first laser treatment. This keeps the hair shaft short and allows the laser to target the shaft and follicle without burning the hair above the surface of the skin.
Treatment
On the day of your appointment, you should avoid wearing makeup in your target areas. Your aesthetician will clean your skin and check for any irritation before beginning treatment. They will use the specialized handheld device to treat each area, passing the device over your skin as the laser emits short bursts.
The energy created will instantly target your hair follicles. As your treatment progresses, the cooling technology in the handheld device will soothe your skin and protect you from the laser’s heat. Most patients report no discomfort and feel only a pleasant warming sensation during their appointment.
For most patients, a typical appointment lasts just five to 45 minutes. You may have a longer appointment if you have multiple areas of your body treated at once. Once your aesthetician is finished treating your unwanted hair, you can return to your normal daily activities with zero downtime.
Recovery
After your first appointment, you should avoid applying any makeup, lotions or moisturizers, or deodorant to the treated skin for 24 hours. You can wash your skin with warm water and soap, but avoid any products which may cause irritation for at least 48 hours.
As your skin heals, you should stay out of the sun. Exposure to harmful UV rays can irritate the treated skin and may impact the success of your treatment. Approximately 5-10 days after your first laser treatment, you should notice some hair shedding in the target areas. This process informs you that your treatment was successful.
As the hair follicles die, the hair shaft will shed away, leaving your skin softer and smoother than before. You can use a gentle exfoliant to encourage shedding. For the duration of your treatment plan, you should avoid all BBL hair removal treatments except shaving, which you should continue to do before each appointment.
Results
Once your hair begins to shed, you will see some initial results. However, final results are not visible until approximately a month after your last laser treatment. For most patients, this occurs after six to nine appointments, which will each reduce the total amount of hair in the target area.
After your last appointment, you may see some continued hair growth, but your hair should be much lighter and less noticeable than before. In addition, there will be less hair, leaving your skin smooth and silky.
Once your final results are achieved, you can look forward to a streamlined BBL hair removal experience. Many patients find that they spend much less money and time on achieving smooth skin, while others report that this treatment enabled them to get rid of their razors and enjoy their life without unwanted hair.
Contact Us to Learn More!
Don’t let stubborn hair growth keep you from achieving your ideal image. With Sciton laser treatments, you could experience life without unwanted hair in just a few easy treatments. To learn more about what this treatment could do for you, contact our team of experts at Rios Center for Plastic Surgery in Edinburg, TX, to schedule an initial consultation today! We look forward to serving you soon!
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